Looking for first good badger brush

[drrice]

So my first brush was the Van Der Hagen Boar brush. But after scratching my face I picked up the sampler pack from The Art of Shaving. It included a VERY tiny travel sized badger brush. Obviously since the sampler was free the brush was not of good quality.

Well I am looking to put a real investment into a quality brush. Here are some criteria.

1. I like to lather in a bowl, not on my face
2. I have creams, but I haven't tried any soaps yet. So I don't have a preference as of yet. I guess this puts me in the middle of the road brushes regarding stiffness.
3. I was interested in a Rooney at first but heard those were a bit soft. Kind of tossed around between w Vilifux and Shavemac. Although for the life of me cannot figure out the model #ing system.
4. I like a simple handle, but this is the LOWEST in terms of priority. Form follows function. I have smaller hands but wouldn't mind a long/short handle. For selections sake I guess I will get a short handle.
5. Budget. If it is a brush that will last me I wouldn't mind spending $100 or even $200. But I don't know if the price would justify a person with no preferences developed.
6. From what I understand the knot size is the diameter of the hairs at the neck of the brush? Well for general size I've seen 22, 23, and 24 as a popular size. I have a small face and don't mind a smaller brush even.
7. I have heard the Shavemac D01 is a popular brush. Def looking at a super silver or even a fine.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dpmtherrien]

I've found that a Vulfix is a really nice brush, and you won't get killed price wise.

Check them out here: www.classicshaving.com I only give this as a reference because they have good pictures and descriptions of their brushes. Feel free to check out other sites.

 

[Dpflaum]

If you are worried about too soft, please stay away from Vulfix.

I recommend a Rooney in Best. It is stiffer than the Super or Silvertip but still soft enough to be very nice on the face once you break it in. And it will destroy soaps if you decide to try them out at any point.

All for $55. Then you can save the rest of that money to buy something nicer when you know more about what you want.

 

[njpaddy]

I don't have much experience with different brushes because I stopped looking when I got my Rooney 3/1 in Super. I lather in a scuttle with creams, but do occasionally use Tabac or Mama Bear soaps and have no problems. The Rooney is a bit of a lather hog, but it feels so good on the face.

Here's a size comparison of the 3/1 with a VDH. If you want a smaller handle, you could go 1/1. I started with an Omega Stripey, but that was too soft and it got PIF'd when I got the Rooney.

 

[warlandsboy]

You should not disregard ALL boar brushes. Try the Omega 31064 - it is extremely soft, yet has sufficient backbone for bowl/soap lathering, and the best part is you can get it for about $25 shipped.