Overwhelmed ! Shopping for new brush

[DannyM]

Ok so the current brush is the VDH badger that comes with the luxury kit.. I'm ready to make an investment into something long term. But omg. The choices... It's insane. And searching B&B for a recommendation, I learn about 50 new brands that I didn't even know about. And I know this is a "to each his own " conversation. So maybe a more direct question is in order . So here's a shot.
Please recommend me something.
Here is some info.
I prefer to bowl lather .(longer handle?)
I prefer creams over soaps. (but I'd like to branch out eventually)
Would like to stay with a badger over a boar
Budget for said brush : like to stay under $60

Any thought from the crowd....?

 

[bemiller]

I have used Simpson's Commodore X3 for the past 2 years or so and it is the best brush I could have chosen. Very versatile, I can use it for anything, soft, big enough (100mm high), wide enough (24mm knot), and just perfect in any way. I think it's a bit more than your price limit of 60 (I think I maybe paid 75?) But they make an X2 model which is slightly smaller that might be fine for you as well.

 

[SystemaCid]

My favorite brush at the moment is Col. Conk Deluxe Pure Badger. It works great with soaps or creams. I use Frank Shaving Synthetics too. I tried Silvetip, but didn't like it because I felt it over retained the lather. It just didn't release lather to my face the way Pure or synthetic did. Frank Shaving brushes are very afordable and so is the Col Conk.

 

[dogslife]

You might look at the Omega brushes. I have the 63185 Pure Badger, and it is performing well for me with both creams and soaps. The price is well within your budget at $34, and many other Omega brushes fit your price point as well.

 

[dpm802]

When you're not sure what badger brush to get, I always recommend the Edwin Jagger Medium Best. Its the ultimate "middle of the road" brush. All of its specs (knot size, handle size, density, softness, backbone, etc.) hit the middle of the bell curve for all the qualities we look for in a brush. This is the OEM version of the C&E BBB, which when I joined B&B, was considered the classic "must have" brush. It will run you around $40.

With the other $20, consider a Semogue boar like the 1305 or several other boars in that price range. You owe it to yourself to try a boar brush. Don't be like me and wait 3 years of wet-shaving before you get the boar experience. I've been kicking myself ever since for not trying it sooner. And once I did, I never looked back.

 

[Teppanyaki]

You're probably going to get a ton of answers. Here's mine -

Muhle silvertip fiber, version 2.0 from Connaught - they feel velvety, dry quickly for travel, require no breaking in, and if you get the olivewood handle look amazingly cool. Lathers anything well. Superior to any other synthetic brush I've tried.

Badger & Blade essential boar, in purple, from West Coast Shaving - for $20 it looks cool and lathers very well with lots of backbone. After the "soak/lather and leave overnight" thing x 2 days it feels very soft, and just plain feels cool when I lather my face with it. Other $10-20 Omega or Semogue boars would also fall into this category, I'd think.

Badger - have never tried, so I can't comment. I can't imagine anything softer than my silvertip fiber, though. If I did buy a badger to start out with, I'd get a silvertip badger from whippeddog as they are supposed to be very nice for the price.

 

[Mad Man]

dpm speaks truth; that EJ BBB is a GREAT Kalashnikov brush; utilitarian, cost effective and old enough for the task.

 

[keithmax]

Check out whipped dog silvertips for a great deal and well with in your budget. He usually has some brushes with firehouse handles for sale so you don't have to wait or pay for a custom one. The firehouse handles are longer and heavier than 'resin' handles. He also has some wood handles but I've never tried one. I love my 30mm silvertip in a firehouse handle.

 

[dfoulk]

Check out whipped dog silvertips for a great deal and well with in your budget. He usually has some brushes with firehouse handles for sale so you don't have to wait or pay for a custom one. The firehouse handles are longer and heavier than 'resin' handles. He also has some wood handles but I've never tried one. I love my 30mm silvertip in a firehouse handle.

+1 on this.
You can get an excellent silvertip at whipped dog for around 30 bucks with a resin handle, maybe a little more with a firehouse handle. He is out of stock on many sizes now but should be getting more in two weeks. This is about the best deal out there for brushes. I have a 22mm whipped dog brush with the knot set deeper in the resin handle (an extra five dollars to do this). I think I paid $31 for it. I use it every day and absolutely love it.

 

[Whiskey Badger]

It's no secret that when these threads come up I recommend the Parker Silvertip in Chrome. It's heavy and works great all around. I sing it praises, especially for its price range (which is about 4 to 6 bucks over your cap on West Coast Shabing and on Amazon). I think there is a resin handle version, that might be a little cheaper, but I like the chrome handle for the heft of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Parker-Safety-Razor-Silvertip-Bristle/dp/B002UB3BF8
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Parker-CHST-Silvertip-Badger-Shaving-Brush-Chrome-Handle_p_1864.html

 

[Kotton]

You're probably going to get a ton of answers. Here's mine -

Muhle silvertip fiber, version 2.0 from Connaught - they feel velvety, dry quickly for travel, require no breaking in, and if you get the olivewood handle look amazingly cool. Lathers anything well. Superior to any other synthetic brush I've tried.

Badger & Blade essential boar, in purple, from West Coast Shaving - for $20 it looks cool and lathers very well with lots of backbone. After the "soak/lather and leave overnight" thing x 2 days it feels very soft, and just plain feels cool when I lather my face with it. Other $10-20 Omega or Semogue boars would also fall into this category, I'd think.

Badger - have never tried, so I can't comment. I can't imagine anything softer than my silvertip fiber, though. If I did buy a badger to start out with, I'd get a silvertip badger from whippeddog as they are supposed to be very nice for the price.

Can you post a link for the muehle you are talking about? And does it have good backbone for triple milled soaps?

 

[Kooze]

I am a huge fan of the Semogue owners club 2012 SE.

originally sold for $75 from many vendors, on sale for $50 here. I like it so much, I bought a back up

http://shavetools.com/semogue-2012-special-edition.html

 

[jazzguy]

Simpson Colonel is a good brush, close to your budget.

 

[Teppanyaki]

Can you post a link for the muehle you are talking about? And does it have good backbone for triple milled soaps?

http://connaughtshaving.com/31h13.html; other handles are cheaper but the olivewood is too nice to not have in my opinion!

It has good backbone, although for a triple milled hard soap I don't know. I do think that my B&B boar has more backbone, so if you are looking at hard soaps a nice boar would be another option. I do really love my silvertip fiber, though, and tha with my boar are my 2 brushes. Plus, this morning I forgot to soak my boar brush when getting into the shower, so synthetic day it was!