Why not (knot) try a nice boar brush?
Seeking advice on a synthetic brush
- Thread starter BarryR
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- #22
OK. I'm listening. Why boar hair?
1) you bowl lather. Boars have great backbone, great for whipping up a thick lather.
2) You like hard soaps. Boars have great backbone, great for gathering soap from a hard puck.
3) Boars are different to “break in” but after, they are a lot less scritchy/scratchy, and are fine for painting lather.
4) Boars are not harmed in making brushes from their hair.
i have a Semogue 1305 that I bot for $20. Omega makes excellent boar brushes too.
2) You like hard soaps. Boars have great backbone, great for gathering soap from a hard puck.
3) Boars are different to “break in” but after, they are a lot less scritchy/scratchy, and are fine for painting lather.
4) Boars are not harmed in making brushes from their hair.
i have a Semogue 1305 that I bot for $20. Omega makes excellent boar brushes too.
Horses are not harmed when their hair is harvested but I think that Boar brushes are made from pigs who have been slaughtered for their meat?
Please correct me if I am in error.
You are entirely correct. My bad. i was thinking horse hair. At least they’re not killed for their hair or fur. I’m not sure if anyone eats badgers.
My broken in boars are softer then anything I have tried. They still retain their backbone when broken in. They make a **** ton of lather easily. They work well for either bowl or face lathering and splay wonderfully and easily. I even pulled a badger knot from a handle I liked and replaced it with a boar knot. The bonus is they can be had for a great price as well. I'll never have anything but a boar or synth and may even eventually replace my synth knots with boar knots as well but not any time soon.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
I like short lofts for synthetics. Longer ones tend to be floppy paint brush like. That's one reason I like the Shavemac suggestion. I prefer knots with loft that is 2x the width of the knot.
Badgers are considered vermin because they eat all sorts of commercial crops. So, they're hunted/trapped and the carcasses often find their way to meat markets. Sometimes, the hair is harvested beforehand. Over at Em's Place, there's some info about badger hair sourcing:
As an aside, badger meat was sold at the meat market in Wuhan where the initial coronavirus outbreak occurred. I had been thinking of buying another Yaqi badger brush, but pondered whether contaminated hair might somehow make its way into the product. The thought of swirling something like that on my face gives me the heebie-jeebies.
However, I don't know how the hair is processed before being packed and tied into knots, so I might be scaring myself for no reason.
Razorock Bruce. In fact I have one I would like to part with, it's hardly been used. It has a 24mm knot, which is really too big for my needs. But the handle has a nice ergonomic grip.
Any of the Razorock brushes are nice if you like a bigger brush. I don't, but that's probably what you are looking for.
Any of the Razorock brushes are nice if you like a bigger brush. I don't, but that's probably what you are looking for.
Omega S-Brush
If you google “badger brush cruelty” it’s apparent it’s pretty bad. I won’t post specifics here but you can see for yourself if you want. I have a badger brush on the way from Shavemac that I ordered before I searched that, but all my future brushes will be synthetic.
If you feel guilty about the shavemac, I’ll buy it.
What a gentlemen
That's a fair statement/offer. I'm going to see how I feel about it when I'm holding it in my hand. I eat meat and dairy. I don't know why a brush would feel different, but it seems like it might. We will see. And I would not hold you to that post.
Today I'm using a $16 Maggards 24mm Blue and White Two Piece Resin Handle Gray and White Synthetic Shaving Brush, and it works great, so I'm glad there's alternatives available.
- Thread starter
- #36
Yes. A few years ago I saw some info on this. Perhaps it's not the norm but it looks very inhumane.
I recall something about skinning badgers alive. Not sure how much of this is real or maybe real but very uncommon.
I eat meat and am OK with using animal products as long as it's humane (that said though, the meat industry in the U.S. is pretty bad). If I do decide I want another badger brush in the future I guess I'll investigate further.
For now, my 2 is enought.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
I've heard that Plisson, is the only brush manufacturer that gets hair from Europe, at least for their higher end brushes. Were I in the market for another badger, I think I'd go that route.
I'm no expert on this at all. But, the coronavirus, like so many viruses, does not survive long outside a biological host. 3-4 days tops, in general (look at what scientists say about the 'table top'). I have a badger knot arriving in the next two days. I have no doubt it's fine. Even if I was engaging in my own FUD, I could quarantine the box (outside in non-frozen air) for up to 14 days. Everyone has to be comfortable with their own risk choices in the end. Badger knots and coronavirus? Not even on my radar, and I'm a fastidious fellow in general. In fact, Fastidious Fellow is probably better than merovirginian.
I have one badger brush left that I am unsure what to do with now that I have realized the implications of such a purchase. I have no problem using tallow soaps as to me it re-enforces the notion that every part of the animal is used and I do love me a good porterhouse steak and a nice leather pair of sneakers.
To my knowledge, I have never eaten Badger meat and would not do so willingly. So for me, that is where I draw the line on what products I will use. Boar is considered vermin as well and hunted as such but again, Boar is different than pork. I have never eaten wild boar and would not do so on a regular basis.
It's a personal choice for each of us, I have no issues or moral judgement on those who choose to use such products, that is the beauty of a free market, the freedom of "Choice" to use our disposable income as we see fit.
Latest synthetic:
Ever-Ready 100 set with a 21mm Silvertip Synthetic.
Ever-Ready 100 set with a 21mm Silvertip Synthetic.
