Old Silver Tip Badger brush - is it still usable?

[Stroker]

I have an old (been sitting on a shelf for X-number of years) Silver-Tip Badger Brush that I would like to use. I tried to hydrate it and whip up some lather and it did that fine but...a lot of the hairs started breaking off and mixing into the Mug. I really like the feel of the Silver-Tip but I'm not sure the hair breakage will stop so I quite using it.
What are your views about "old" brushes; should I go ahead and use it and hope that the breakage stops? I got a new Pure badger brush and the first time I used it some hair came out of the knot. Not too many but enough to be a PITA. Whatdayathink?

Bruce

Razors: E-1 Gillette Fat Boy – Parker 90R
Blades: Shark, 7AM
Shave Soap: Col Conk Bay Rum, Classic Shaving Lilac
Brush: Medium Best Badger
Mug: Classic Old Spice Mug
Aftershaves: Pinaud, Lustray, Polo, Dune (Christian Dior)

Life is short – enjoy the Ride

 

[Greybeard]

First off about your new brush. It is normal for a new brush to shed a few hairs at the beginning. If it continues at a rate of more than the occasional hair after a couple of weeks, you may have a shedder. It's then up to you if you want to return it.

Vintage brushes can dry out over time. You can try shampooing it and using a hair conditioner. It may or may not re-condition the hair.
You might as well use it unless you want to keep it on the shelf as ornamentation. If the knot continues to shed and the handle is nice, you could always re-knot it with a silvertip knot.



- Peter

 

[Stroker]

Thanks Peter for the advise. I think I'll just leave it on the self as a vintage brush (I have a couple of them that are just for display). I got a new brush today (pure badger nothing special) and when I used it I was concerned about the hair loss but I checked it out after using and it's probably alright.
Thanks for the help!

Bruce