Pure vs. Best Badger - So confused!!

[goby]

I'm a nearly 100% cream using, bowl lathering, face painting wet shaver.

Price is important, but I'm not looking for a $15.00 brush. I want this to last a long time. My $20 Savile Row has lasted 7 years, and it looking a little skimpy, especially since most of its life I used it on soaps. It has lost plenty of hair, but was a great performer that I wouldn't hesitate to get again if they made it.

So.....

Will I notice any difference between pure and finest or silvertip? Is there any advantage? I'm seeing great $40 brushes from the major players, and I'm wondering if there is any reason to go to the $70 range for better hair.

Thanks!


Anthony

 

[john parker]

Goby, I am far from expert - my brushes to date are two best badger, and so far I am very satisfied using them to face-lather with creams. I think the collective wisdom is that the better the grade of badger hair, the softer the tips - at least up to a point. I think another factor you might keep in mind is that the higher the price, the better the quality of the knot. Just from reading ads and comments, there looks to be something to be said for hand-grading, hand-selecting hair, and hand-knotting rather than machine made. From what I understand with machine made you can end up with trimmed knots that are going to be harsher than hand-selected and tied knots. Happy exploring this interesting topic!

 

[spanx]

For paint brushing your lather on i suggest a medium to high loft silver tip.It will be a more flexable bristle for your lathering style.

 

[Mink]

The sticky by "Joel" in the brushes section is a great start. My experience is that there are 2 different activities, and one observation that makes the difference. So, this is my "opinion", and others will see it very differently.

First the observation: The more expensive (more rare badger fur) brushes, finest, super, white tip, are just more beautiful. Period.

First Activity: The pure and best badgers are better at making lather because they are stiffer (full length). The brushes don't absorb or hold on to quite as much water which makes the soap/water balance easier. The pure and best brushes are easier to load soap into because they are stiffer. This is of absolutely no value if you're a face latherer. Also, if you're a face latherer, the softer, higher quality brushes are much easier on your face.

Second activity: Applying the (very warm) lather with a nice and soft brush is nice, very nice. If you're just face painting (me too), this is less important, but it is noticeable. In fact, The best badger brush is a little softer than the pure and yet it's firm enough to apply the lather on your upper lip without getting it in your nose (less on lips) or ear when applying to your upper cheek. Don't ask how I know this - I think I heard it somewhere. I completely agree with "joel" that best badger is the best all-around, but if you face lather only, "all-around" may not mean much - you'll need to hear from them.

Lastly, one seldom mentioned point when addressing brushes is size. If the brush is too big or too small in knot size or loft, you won't like the brush, regardless of the badger hair type.

 

[joelmole]

My brushes range from a $25 pure Omega, to a $140 Shavemac D01. I've found the suitability for one's particular lathering style and choice of products doesn't necessarily correlate with price. You just need to find a brush that has the characeristics that suit your purposes, and that might be cheap or expensive, or you might find brushes on the high end and low end that fit your mold, one will just be more pleasurable to use.

I like my cheap Omega just fine, and it lathers both soaps and creams with aplomb. It ain't luxurious, the tips are a bit stabby, and the handle is cheap, hollow plastic, but it's great as a travel brush.

As long as you don't care about indulgence, and just want something that gets the job done, you don't need to spend a ton of money. Something like a pure Rooney Special, or a pure Semogue would probably fit the bill just fine for $30 to $40. More expensive brushes are going to be softer and denser, and may have a bigger knot.

Your lathering style is actually more forgiving on the brush requirements. Creams are easier to lather than soaps, and since you bowl lather you don't need the brush to hold a ton of lather. I don't see anything in your requirements that would necessitate an expensive brush, other than personal preference, but you'll never go wrong with something like a Rooney 3/1 Super.

Regarding your pure / best confusion, most, but not all pure badger brushes have clipped ends, instead of being hand gathered to length. This means the tips of the hairs are more "pokey". Best badgers can also sometimes be clipped, like the EJ/C&E best badger brush, but in general are softer on the face. I think the cheaper pure knots are almost solid black, while the slightly nicer ones will have a more gray/brown mottled appearance.

 

[Marco]

Frankly I do think that it is exclusively a question of personal taste.
I own badger brushes in both Pure and Best (Super) hair grade and like using them all.
I think the only real difference is that the Best or Super badger hair is softer than the Pure and has a little bit more water retention qualities.
But if you know how to properly use the brush that you have in your hands, you always get a beautiful lather for a comfortable shave.
As about the price you can look at Vulfix brushes which are very well made and reasonably priced.
You can find them directly at www.vulfixoldoriginal.com or at www.classicshaving.com.
I purchased from both.

 

[joelmole]

Something else to think about: A lot of guys have been giving good reviews of Penchetta/Penworks brushes and knots. You can get a nice brush with a "finest" knot for around the $40 range.