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Parker Pure Badger (BCPB) Review

I tried to find information on the Parker BCPB Pure bBadger brush in this forum before, but didn't really find much. With that in mind, I've prepared the following. I hope this helps anyone else who is considering buying one. Admittedly, my experiences with brushes is extremely limited. I have had Van Der Hagen brushes in boar, pure badger, and silvertip as well as a West Coast Shaving pure badger brush. I recently purchased a Parker Pure Badger (BCPB) brush from a vendor that has received many positive reviews here.

Parker describes the brush as follows:

"This particular shaving brush model has been one of the best sellers for many years. It has a long loft brush knot for extra lathering ability. Not as coarse as black badger, and more firm than silvertip bager, 100% pure badger offers an excellent compromise between stiffness and softness. Manufactured with high quality bristles, this brush will turn your morning shave chore into an enjoyable ritual!

Product features include:

  • 100% Pure Badger Bristles
  • 22 mm Brush Knot
  • Durable Resin Handle
  • Handmade for Superior Quality
  • Long Loft Bristles for Extra Lathering Ability
  • Acrylic Brush Stand included
  • Packaged in a Gift Box"
The very first thing I did upon receiving the brush was to wash and defunk the it. Everything here is based on a defunked and cleaned brush.

While dry, the brush is somewhat scritchy. I believe that's due to the many "black badger" hairs that were visibly spaced throughout the interior of the knot. This inclusion of "black badger" hairs could also be why Parker did not label this brush as a Best Badger brush. Still, when the brush was loaded with warm water and/or soap, I did not notice any scritchiness.

Being a badger brush, it does absorb water, though not to the same extent as my Van Der Hagen silvertip brush. For that matter, I believe the WCS pure badger brushes I have absorb more water (though, I haven't teated this out). I usually soak my intended shave brush in a (plastic yogurt) cup of warm water while I shower (then I usually squeeze some water from the brush before swirling the tips of the hair across the top of my (bloomed) shave soap). With some brushes, I also have to shake pinch the hairs at the base of the knot and shake the brush a bit before applying them to my shave soap. In the case of the BCPB, this step was entirely unnecessary.

Likely thanks to the black badger hair distributed throughout its knot, the BCPB has a firm backbone, even when wet. More importantly, the black badger hairs scrape (or sometimes gouge) out bits of shave soap. I've applied my BCPB to my TOBS sandalwood soap in a bowl and my browned Cella. The brush left discernible grooves across the TOBS. It also broke off pieces of the Cella. In fact, in the case of the Cella, this made shaving difficult as I had to remove chunks of Cella from my face while trying to build a lather. Once they were removed (and much water was added to the brush), I was able to build up a good lather. In the case of the TOBS, I was able to build a good lather without removing or searching for any chunks of soap.

Although I haven't tried it yet, based on my experiences so far, I would think the BCPB would be a good choice for lathering up harder (triple milled?) soaps. I'll probably try out the brush on my puck of Williams Mug shave soap. I expect I'll be able to build up solid lather with the BCPB.

Based on my experiences thus far, I'd say the BCPB provides pretty good backbone and lathers well with minimal scritch (when wet), unlike the Van Der Hagen pure badger brush, which remains scritchy even when wet. Also, unlike the Van Der Hagen brushes, it does not really shed; at most, I've lost one hair each time I've used it. Additionally, for those who like brush bloom, the BCPB blooms quite a bit. Also, the chrome(?) at the base of the handle not only makes the brush more attractive (to my eye) but it helps add a little extra weight, which I liked.

Overall, I'd say this would be a good beginner brush for someone interested in trying out either wet shaving or using a badger brush. Obviously, there are better brushes out there. Still, this brush wouldn't be a bad one to start with or to keep in rotation (especially for harder soaps and/or people with hard water, which is what comes out of my taps).

Appearance: 10/10 (I like simple designs)
Weight: 9/10 (It's a good weight, but might be a tad heavy)
Ergonomics: 8/10 (Feels good in my hand, but the chrome plate could be a tad smaller and beveled/rounded)
Scrub: 7.5/10 (Decent scrubbiness)
Scritch: 6.5/10 (Scritchy when dry)
Shedding: 9.5/10 (Barely any shedding)
Would recommend: 8.5/10
 

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I'm late to the party. I've been using my Parker BCBP for 12 or more years. Its the only brush I have. Liked it enough, bought another. The 'other' is in my closet waiting. IDK a heck of a lot about shaving brushes, but I think this one's pretty good. Its been part of my morning ritual for 12 + years.

b/r

ON_1
 
Just ordered one from Amazon. Ive had a Parker black badger in my rotation for years and its a good brush so l thought l better add one of these to my stable.
 
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