Im thinking of getting one. Are they really all they are cracked up to be?
Silvertip badger hair
- Thread starter Wet and wild
- Start date
I believe "Silvertip" is actually a specific grade of badger hair; as opposed to best, pure or mixed. I can't tell you from personal experience if they're all they're "cracked up to be", or not. They certainly have their following.
Understanding Hair Grades of Badger Brushes
Understanding Hair Grades of Badger Brushes
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You usually get what you pay for. If you buy a Shavemac, or a Simpsons silvertip you'll be paying a chunk of money, but you'll be getting a great brush. You buy a Frank Shaving or West Coast Shaving silvertip you'll be paying a moderate amount and getting a moderately good brush. There are exceptions, of course, but I'd go with a famous name brand. I've got several higher end brushes now that have really changed my perspective on the budget badgers.
I would agree with @emwolf. Try to find a Simpson brush in Super (what they call their 3 band silvertip). My Tulip 2 in Super, which I found on steep clearance discount from West Coast Shaving a few years ago, basically ruined more budget brushes for me. Such a soft and luxurious feeling with equal or better lather building performance than more budget brushes I had previously owned.
Silvertip, Manchurian, High Mountain etc are all just names brush manufacturers give to what they consider (or would like buyers to consider) to be "superior grade" badger bristles. In themsleves I think they mean little, unless used in relation to a specific producer.
Usually, but I have reallen fallen in love with the Razorock 400 with the Plissoft synthetic knot. I was very skeptical of synthetic because of their low price point. Now I’m a big fan. $25 for the F400 or $20 for the 400 over at the Italian Barber. I own a Super Badger and now hardly use it.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I find Simpson three band silvertip, which they call Super grade, to be too soft in the tips and lacking in face feel. The examples I have owned were too floppy, splayed too much, and lacked backbone. I prefer Simpson Pure grade which is a lot cheaper than Super, I much prefer Simpson Best grade which is cheaper than Super, and very much prefer Manchurian grade which is more expensive. Brushes are a very personal thing, I do not like Silvertip at all and no longer own any, they are my least favourite hair grade. If you want a soft pillow cloud of a brush then silvertip may be for you, if you want a scrubby face lathering brush then I would give it a miss.
Simpson, and most other expensive silvertips, are not necessarily better, just different.
I did not like my experience with a simpson Best knot, but that's because I like my brush tips a lot softer than that. Not wrong, just different.
I like easy to splay knots that have really soft tips, so I enjoy silvertips from Maseto, zenith, golden nib, whipped dog, elite razors and more. All price ranges there.
(Sent from mobile)
I did not like my experience with a simpson Best knot, but that's because I like my brush tips a lot softer than that. Not wrong, just different.
I like easy to splay knots that have really soft tips, so I enjoy silvertips from Maseto, zenith, golden nib, whipped dog, elite razors and more. All price ranges there.
(Sent from mobile)
Unfortunately for my wallet I find Simpson's 2 band silvertip (SiLVERTiP ... ugh) to be my platonic ideal for a brush. Sublime face feel and enough backbone to get the job done.
OK forget platonic ... I would marry it (except for the whole bigamy problem).
OK forget platonic ... I would marry it (except for the whole bigamy problem).
Stirling Soap Co. has a High Mountain Badger 24 mm brush for $59.95. I looking to purchase this brush as it has gotten a lot of great reviews. My understanding of the term "High Mountain" is that it indicates that the badgers are raised in the colder areas of China which makes the badger produce a much softer silvertip hair. What I really would like to know is that Rod indicates that this knot is part of his "DPG" line of brush knots. Can anyone explain the term "DPG"?
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I am not convinced that the name of any hair grade indicates where the hair is from geographically. High Mountain? Manchurian? Good luck with finding out what that actually means. Even so called 'European Badger' I doubt comes from Europe, I suspect it refers to the breed of badger which may be bred and harvested in China. I think these terms are just marketing nonsense designed to sell brushes which may mean different things to different suppliers; nothing wrong with that. It may even simply refer to the different treatment that the hair receives before it is knotted. I will say that Simpson Manchurian hair seems thicker in the shaft than other hair such as Super. As for DPG, I have no idea. It is all one big mystery, by design I suspect
There is no universally accepted grading or naming of badger hair grades. Every one can call them what they want.
In principle badgers have a variety of hairs on their body. Some are just one color (band), some are show two colors, lighter/darker and are often called two-band. And then there is the grade most often called silvertip, these are three band - light-dark-light.
However, what is often called two-band is actually also a three band hair, the darker middle band is just much wider than on those called three band silvertip. In the brush later, the lower lighter part is set into the handle, so the knot coming out of the handle shows two distinct bands.
I am attaching here two pictures, the first shows just a knot (a Shavemac D01 two-band) and also a brush showing the typical three band badger brush.
As one can see, the two band has a very wide dark band, setting this into a handle shows only two colors.
Then I show two cut open knots, one shows the small black band (i.e. typical threeband, silvertip, super, high mountain etc what ever it is named), and the other shows the much wider dark band, almost completely hidden in the handle (the handle is a blank, and the knot was taken from a different brush and cut in half); naming can be two-band silvertip, Manchurian, Manchurian white etc - naming can go wild sometimes.
"Silvertip" alone normally stands for the three banded version with the smaller dark band.
In principle badgers have a variety of hairs on their body. Some are just one color (band), some are show two colors, lighter/darker and are often called two-band. And then there is the grade most often called silvertip, these are three band - light-dark-light.
However, what is often called two-band is actually also a three band hair, the darker middle band is just much wider than on those called three band silvertip. In the brush later, the lower lighter part is set into the handle, so the knot coming out of the handle shows two distinct bands.
I am attaching here two pictures, the first shows just a knot (a Shavemac D01 two-band) and also a brush showing the typical three band badger brush.
As one can see, the two band has a very wide dark band, setting this into a handle shows only two colors.
Then I show two cut open knots, one shows the small black band (i.e. typical threeband, silvertip, super, high mountain etc what ever it is named), and the other shows the much wider dark band, almost completely hidden in the handle (the handle is a blank, and the knot was taken from a different brush and cut in half); naming can be two-band silvertip, Manchurian, Manchurian white etc - naming can go wild sometimes.
"Silvertip" alone normally stands for the three banded version with the smaller dark band.
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Very informative, Thanks
There was a story about how charles robert of enchante retail of method shaving fame worked with simpsons to name this type of hair.
there is good info from gary young about the grades of hair. Don’t know of its legit but sounds better than the locale of where the badgers are found.
What Simpson Best Badger Brushes would you recommendI am not convinced that the name of any hair grade indicates where the hair is from geographically. High Mountain? Manchurian? Good luck with finding out what that actually means. Even so called 'European Badger' I doubt comes from Europe, I suspect it refers to the breed of badger which may be bred and harvested in China. I think these terms are just marketing nonsense designed to sell brushes which may mean different things to different suppliers; nothing wrong with that. It may even simply refer to the different treatment that the hair receives before it is knotted. I will say that Simpson Manchurian hair seems thicker in the shaft than other hair such as Super. As for DPG, I have no idea. It is all one big mystery, by design I suspect
Simpson Duke 3 in Best is a real winner.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I like small knots so my favourites are the Chubby 1 but if you have large hands or you bowl lather then you may find the handle a bit small. I like the Classic 1, it fits the small Simpson travel case perfectly and is almost as dense as a Chubby. For longer handle, maybe for bowl lathering, the M7 is excellent. But, if I had to choose just one Simpson brush, then the Duke 3 wins. Whichever you buy will not disappoint as all Simpson brushes are quality products.
For my preference, I love silvertip hair knots that have soft tips and moderate backbone, not high density.
I also hate bleached gel tips, feels too soft and slimy on the face.
I like the naturally soft badger hair knots.
Simpson Best is just awesome, as are my WSP silvertip brush and FS turnback travel badger.
These are the only three badger brushes I have kept and sold the other 25+ badger brushes.
I also hate bleached gel tips, feels too soft and slimy on the face.
I like the naturally soft badger hair knots.
Simpson Best is just awesome, as are my WSP silvertip brush and FS turnback travel badger.
These are the only three badger brushes I have kept and sold the other 25+ badger brushes.
