Silvertip lather?

[scottb]

I have several good boars and a decent pure badger brush, plus one nice silvertip. Because it's custom and beautiful, it's probably my favorite, but it also gets used the least.

Whenever I use it, it lathers great, is very soft, but 90% of the lather stays with (and in) the brush. I can squeeze out giant pillows of cream, but otherwise it's like trying to lather with a giant frosted pastry. I can't seem to actually brush much of the product on my face + noggin, so I've been getting better results from my Semogue or my Omegas.

The reason I'm asking is, the realm of high-end badger brushes is one of the few corners of our world that I've never really gotten into, mostly because of the cost. Lately I've been wondering if I'm missing out, and maybe if I experienced a Rooney or a Shavemac I'd never look back. But considering how much they go for, even on b/s/t, I don't want to spend the $$ just to find out the emperor has no clothes on.

Any feedback? Am I missing something, doing something wrong? Is there a completely different technique needed for silvertip, or is it a loft question?

Thanks for any help.

View attachment 96008

 

[Greybeard]

I think it's a combination of hair type, loft, and density. Pure badger and boar have coarser hair and less density than most silvertips. They hold less water and product and release the lather easier.
As far as higher end brushes go, most of them hold more water, are denser than entry level brushes and require more product or they also hold on to the lather.
My Rooneys are Super silvertips. They have short lofts, but are lather hogs because of their density. They hold a lot of water and I have to use more product with them. Then they release the lather.
My Simpsons are almost as dense as the Rooneys and have higher lofts but have better lather flow, probably because of the hair type.
The Kent BK4 I once owned had a high loft and was very soft, bordering on floppy, but had great lather flow. I think this was a combination of the hair type and the density (or lack of). Vulfix super badgers are like this also, but very floppy.
I'm just guessing, but the brush I have that is probably closest to what you own is a Muhle 23mm silvertip. It's very soft and a little floppy and has a 56mm loft. The method I use to lather with it is to use it like a paintbrush and paint the lather on. If you've tried that and it didn't work, then all I can suggest is to add more product.
You could always use your silvertip as a Sunday brush and continue with the brushes that are working for you. As always, YMMV.




- Peter

 

[WittyAg]

I too have a Rooney super silvertip and its a water/lather hog for sure. You can put it in a cup of water and before you know it it will drink quite a bit of it. It will also suck a ton of lather up into the center so you'll have to squeeze the brush if you want all of the foamy goodness back. In any case, I'm not stingy with the cream/soap so I've gotten used to using a little more.

 

[Dpflaum]

Definitely a smaller brush is the way to go. I have a Duke 1 and even that doesn't get used too much because I prefer the Wee Scot. I use almost no cream or soap but get plenty of lather and throw little away. It also releases the lather very easily, unlike my Rooney.

 

[Poulin]

I have personally found that I prefer brushes that aren't quite as densely filled. Some of the pricier brushes that are super-dense seem to be a little selfish when it comes to sharing the lather. In my personal experience, this applies to "silvertip" and "best" types of grades of badger equally.

 

[ssultan]

I'm gravitating to smaller knot sizes myself for that very reason...

 

[dpmtherrien]

I've always felt that a knot size of 21mm seems about perfect for me. I have a couple of even smaller knots, and they work fine also. I also have a couple of 24mm brushes for when the mood is right for lots and lots of lather.

In general the smaller knots in super badger are right on for me.

 

[Sueto]

Scottb,

I had a penworks brush that did similar to what you are showing here. It was almost comical at the amount of lather and size the knot would get when whipping up cream or soap. I found that if I used a little less product and a touch more water I was able to actually brush the lather out. You could also use your index finger and push into the bottom of the knot a little, this should ran out the knot and make it spread a little and become sort of flat which helps get the lather out as well.

Not sure how much product you used in that photo, but the lather ended up where it was supposed to, in the brush. Just gotta get it to flow a little more.

 

[moonshine44]

My Silvertip is a lather hog as well. I use soaps in bowls and build the lather on my face, and once I paint on all the lather that the brush will willing let go of, I gently scrape more of it out on the lip of the bowl, then scoop that up with the brush and slather it on my face. Works for me...

 

[scottb]

Thanks for all the feedback (keep 'em coming.)

I know YMMV is the way of our hobby, but man....trying out a $15 soap is one thing, sometimes you chalk it up to the learning curve, see if you can get a trade. I just don't know if I can afford to "experiment" with a brush running $60-200.

But thanks for all the help.

 

[Bear]

This concerns me...I was looking to upgrade (from my C&E BB brush) to a Savile Row 3824 based on the reviews. However, I am concerned about spending all that money on a "trial" bush if it turns out I can't get the lather out...

 

[southernmail]

This concerns me...I was looking to upgrade (from my C&E BB brush) to a Savile Row 3824 based on the reviews. However, I am concerned about spending all that money on a "trial" bush if it turns out I can't get the lather out...

I have a Savile Row 3824 and get uniformly excellent results. It is incredibly comfortable, lathers beautifully, and dispenses the lather generously on my face.

 

[nav]

I switched from silvertip badger to a Semogue boar for the same reason, it just wouldn't put lether on my face!

I love my boar brush and would never change back!