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Man, modern consumerism is problematic (where to find brushes?)

I have to rant. I went shopping looking for a brush, I saw on a youtube video my brother recommended that Target carries brushes. So I went, I needed some other things anyway, and I couldn't find anything. I'm an old fashioned kind of chick, and after reading everything I can find about wet shaving, the appreciation of the older and traditional finer things in life really began to grow. Then I walked through Target. Specifically the personal care section, and of course the shaving aisle. The "oldest" thing I could find in the aisle was Lectric shave, aqua velva, and old spice after shave (one selection of each). They had some alternative to shaving options for men, like depilatory creams, but other than that, it was mach III and fusion and the gillette womens line everywhere. At least they still sell sensor handles for men, they don't even sell them for women anymore, I was even surprised to see the refills. So, I was annoyed, but target is hit or miss (no pun intended) for me anyway, and I remember some guys on here saying that you could get razor blades at some drug stores. There's a rite aid on the way, so I stopped there. They at least had a little cake of shaving soap, but no brushes. I want to know how guys are supposed to use the soap if they don't sell at least one cheap brush. But at least they had razor blades. One box of Gillette stainless steel blades for over 10 bucks was all they had. Now, there's 10 blades in there, so I don't know how many shaves that gets me. I just wanted *something* so I could get started. And my lady Gillette should be arriving any day now, and I'm really anxious to start trying it out.

Now, everywhere I've been reading says to get your hands on the brushes before you buy so you can see the spread of the bristles, the coarseness, etc. How the heck am I supposed to check them out when no one sells them, except on the internet? CVS sells the tweezerman brush, but only online. I was very annoyed and disillusioned. Not discouraged, but I get so annoyed when I want something that should be commonplace. I'll probably have to go to a "specialty" store to find even a paltry selection at obscene prices. Where do you guys find brushes so you can actually lay your hands on them? My boyfriend really has limited interest in checking out wetshaving, so it's not even as if I don't like a brush I buy, I can give it to him. And he's a penny pincher anyway, he doesn't want to spend any more than like 20 bucks. So, in my horrible shopping experience, I really felt bad for guys in general, most of whom hate to shop anyway. I've had better luck finding shoes that fit, no small feat in itself. I know there's an Art of Shaving store relatively close to me, but I feel like they are pretentious, aka overpriced and undereducated. At least I'd be able to feel the brushes though. I will resort to buying on the internet without having sampled an actual brush if I have to, but in my eyes, there should be a barber supply store in every town where a man can find things like this (next to the hobby shop and model train store). It must be really frustrating for you guys, I know I hated the whole marketing industry when I got done. I was planning on trying a couple more places, but I just ended up going home.
 
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Why don't you use the over priced specialty stores to sample the brushes then go buy them on-line? You can always tell the store that's what you plan to do once you've tested them; that way you feedback the competition into the market.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
My sympathy. I agree with you. It is tough and that's why so many pass along here whenever they find a good brick and mortar store.
Walmart does carry the Personna blades (though it seems about half the time they are sold out), a 10 pack should run about $1.80 or so. Everyone has a different opinion on blades, but I hated the Gillettes, and the Personnas work very well for me.
Often Walmart has the VDH kit, with a boar bristle brush, bowl and VDH deluxe soap in a single box.
The Tweezerman brush is really a good brush for the price, it's quite soft and comfortable (I don't like boar bristle myself).
CO Bigelow has a pretty good selection of soaps and creams, from Proraso (rebranded as CO Bigelow) in the green box to Trumpers (which is an EXCELLENT soap) in Rose, Lilac and Coconut. They also carry brushes, though they tend to be the more expensive ones.
Most folks just wind up buying most of their stuff online, and there is an active e-store business in shaving products.
Good luck, and remember that your not in this alone - we all face the same thing, and it's good to draw strength from numbers.
 
but in my eyes, there should be a barber supply store in every town where a man can find things like this (next to the hobby shop and model train store).

I about stood up and cheered when I read that line....kids being asleep is all that stopped me.
 
I know how you feel. Now that i've gotten into this as well I wish there were more places I could see brushes and the like so I could decide which one I want to order. I suppose this trial/error all the time is both necessary and what leads to AD's.

Good luck. It will all work out. And Welcome to B&B.
 
Perhaps this is why I've not had the urge to drop a huge sum on a brush. I don't like buying blind, and my experience is so limited that I'm not even sure what parameters to use in making a selection.

A couple of months ago I bought a Shavemac (177 25mm Silvertip Badger), and I can't get a handle on making lather with the thing. It sits on the shelf while my Kent BK4 does all the work. Once burned, twice shy. :mad:
 
Pics of the Shavemac......want to sell? Cost?

I actually have a tabletop tripod coming in at the end of the week that should make pictures easier for me.

I've not yet decided to sell the brush, but I'm leaning that way. I'll likely give it a couple weeks in a last-ditch effort to see if I can compensate for the size and density difference before I post it on the BST.
 
How much are you looking to spend? Any research you've done that is inclining you towards a particular bristle/grade or size? I totally understand not wanting to buy blind, but if you give a price range and a general idea what you think you'd like, I'm sure folks here will have some can't go-wrong recommendations. And if you shouldn't like what you buy, there is always the BST.

Edit: there is also the option of buying from the BST. All my brushes have been purchased from there and there are several guys who make gorgeous custom brushes that sell there for very reasonable prices. Given my druthers and a much larger budget, I'd have about 10 custom brushes by now.
 
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Two things:

1) Those red pack Gillette's you saw at Rite Aid are generally regarded as being some of the worse on the market, not to mention being horridly overpriced (the most expensive blade is a "Feather", and they are only .50 cents each):

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18058

2) Your local Wal-Mart should have enough shaving supplies to get you started. They sell both Van Der Hagen Deluxe soap ($1.50), and the Van Der Hagen starter kit (bowl, soap, boar brush; $10). Further Wal-Mart sells Personna DE blades for less than $2.00 for a ten pack. Review here:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1990
 
Thanks alot guys! As for price, I guess between 20 and 40 dollars, I don't want one that's cheaply made, that would be a poor investment, but I don't want to spend 40 on one when I can get the same quality in a different brand or type for 20. At this point, I just want to find some to get my hands on so I can feel them and feel the difference. I was hoping if I didn't like it, I could sell it to someone who would like it, but is someone going to want a used brush? I thought that would be kind of gross, like selling a used toothbrush to someone. Correct me if I'm wrong. :rolleyes: As for the blades I bought, I pretty much figured from the crappy package, that they were probably the bottom of the barrel, but they were all I could find. :closedeye I will have to try Walmart, maybe today being payday, I'll head over there after work. One thing that I have been considering about the brush, is that to shave my legs, I'll need a decent size brush. I'm not sure if this depends on the quality, or on the manufacturer actually making different sizes. I don't want to spend forever lathering up my legs, it takes too long as it is. (45 minutes for a proper job, including exfoliating with a scrub). I can do it in 10 minutes if I want to hack them up. I'm looking forward to exfoliating with a brush, and I always liked the idea that the brush will lift the hairs and suspend them in the lather for the razor to lop off, it makes SO much sense, I don't really understand how brushes got left out of the whole procedure. Even if they wanted to make cans of shaving cream, that's fine, but why leave out the brush? I think it's one of the more important steps in the whole procedure. I checked out that thread with all the locations for supplies, and there is a place in center city Philly, I'm about an hour away from there, so I think maybe on a day off, the man and I will take a ride down to check it out. He's shown some interest in the whole process too, so we can both learn more about it. Thanks again everyone!
 
Don't forget http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/ Phil has some good prices and excellent shipping rates.

I personally got my brush from http://www.penworks.us and I absolutely love it. Tony also great product, great price and low shipping.


But if your creative and have some basic skills there are some great ideas on THIS thread. All you need is a knot and use what you have around the house........ So making your own could cut down on cost some.
 
Thanks alot guys! As for price, I guess between 20 and 40 dollars, I don't want one that's cheaply made, that would be a poor investment, but I don't want to spend 40 on one when I can get the same quality in a different brand or type for 20. At this point, I just want to find some to get my hands on so I can feel them and feel the difference. I was hoping if I didn't like it, I could sell it to someone who would like it, but is someone going to want a used brush? I thought that would be kind of gross, like selling a used toothbrush to someone. Correct me if I'm wrong. :rolleyes: As for the blades I bought, I pretty much figured from the crappy package, that they were probably the bottom of the barrel, but they were all I could find. :closedeye I will have to try Walmart, maybe today being payday, I'll head over there after work. One thing that I have been considering about the brush, is that to shave my legs, I'll need a decent size brush. I'm not sure if this depends on the quality, or on the manufacturer actually making different sizes. I don't want to spend forever lathering up my legs, it takes too long as it is. (45 minutes for a proper job, including exfoliating with a scrub). I can do it in 10 minutes if I want to hack them up. I'm looking forward to exfoliating with a brush, and I always liked the idea that the brush will lift the hairs and suspend them in the lather for the razor to lop off, it makes SO much sense, I don't really understand how brushes got left out of the whole procedure. Even if they wanted to make cans of shaving cream, that's fine, but why leave out the brush? I think it's one of the more important steps in the whole procedure. I checked out that thread with all the locations for supplies, and there is a place in center city Philly, I'm about an hour away from there, so I think maybe on a day off, the man and I will take a ride down to check it out. He's shown some interest in the whole process too, so we can both learn more about it. Thanks again everyone!

Well, if you think about it, every time you use the brush, you are effectively cleaning it with your soap/cream. They can also be sterilized, and some folks will do this before they sell it. There has been some discussion here about how "clean" used brushes are, but there have been probably hundreds of used brushes sold on the BST and I've never seen a report of someone contracting a pathogen from using them.

I hope you have a fruitful shopping expedition :thumbsup:
 
I love that thread and the idea of making my own brush! It'll be completely personalized, man, what a great idea!
 
I feel your pain and frustration.

I now force myself to walk into strange pharmacy's and drug stores (there are a lot in NYC) and see if I can find some new creams or as that I've seen spoken about on the site.

The store next to my office carries Omega and Tweezerman Brushes for $8! The beauty supply store where I got my Marv-i-cide carries every clubman and american crew shaving product under the sun. And wilkenson sword white blades for 1.49!

Now the chain grocery stores are carrying higher end products as well. This has to be from a demand from people like us, who want a higher quality product. No more goo in a can! :cool:
 
Let's hope they realize that there are people out there who are willing to sacrifice a little convenience for better quality and a little more effort.
 
Crabtree & Evelyn carry or used to carry brushes & they are good ones if/when available; made by Edwin Jagger. Watch for sales.
 
ARGH!! I went to walmart, found the kit, bought two of them (around 7 bucks a piece, not bad at all for a first time kit). The bowl is great, will definitely be using that. When I got home, I opened the first box, no brush. :incazzato My fault for not checking the second box I picked up, I checked the first. I told my bf that he has to take it back to walmart cuz the other one is mine. :biggrin: Also, I got my razor today!! YAY!! It's the lady gillette with the blue stars on it. It's pretty. :redface: I definitely need to get some decent blades, I did a little dry patch test after I opened it, and it's a little rough, so I'm thinking it's the crappy blades. I'll have to order some good ones, but for the maiden voyage, they'll suffice. I didn't see blades at walmart, but honestly, I forgot to look. I'll post some pics of my new accoutrements when I get a chance. :smile:
 
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