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The List of "Generic" Shaving Brushes

I refer to some shave brushes as "generic" because they are budget brushes, and they usually carry the name of a retailer that sells other brands of merchandise as well as their own store-brand, of course (sometimes generic is also known as store-brand). Many generic brushes are great deals, and some are high-quality. Now, you won't see many generic Silvertip brushes on the market because the whole point of a generic item is to keep the cost and price low. If a generic brush's cost is similar to a brush that belongs to one of the bigger brands, people might buy the bigger brand's brush instead because they know more about the bigger brand. For example, some people might rather have a Best Badger brush from a well known brand instead of a generic Silvertip Badger brush for the same price.

It is hard to tell if a generic brush (even if it is labeled Silvertip) is high-quality. That uncertainty plays a role in people's choices because they don't know exactly what they're buying. Some generics are merely private labels, while some are original creations. Private labels are products one company makes for another company under contract. Usually, it is hard to find out which company actually made the product. If you know which company actually makes the brushes for another one on the list, please chime in. This is part of why I love these forums. There is a wealth in information to be read. One must definitely sift, but all the data is there. However, I couldn't find a list of generic shaving brushes and their brands on this forum (B&B).

I have been looking at some generic brushes to buy and try out because I love quality, but not the cost involved. If I wasn't in college, it wouldn't as much of a problem. Currently, I have a T&H Classic in Medium (Rooney 3/2 equivalent, but supposedly about 15% denser). It's a great all-rounder, but for soaps and face-lathering, I would like to try something a little smaller like a Simpson Duke 2 while still retaining the quality of a Shavemac or Thater without breaking the bank. Also, I don't particularly want another Rooney at this time since I already have one, and I would like to try others. I might list my problem in another thread for some suggestions. So anyway, this got me thinking that there must be some lower cost options out there.

I felt that a list was missing, so that is why I am creating this post. I will list the generic brands I know off the top of my head, and other's can list brands I have left out below. I will amend this post to include those that other people mention. I will try to include website information as well for easy access. If anyone wants to add anything extra like sharing briefly that you had good experiences with certain brands, etc. I am sure myself and other readers would appreciate it. Just remember, there are other forum topic threads to discuss product reviews in greater detail. You can provide a link if you like, and I may add that in later. This topic's purpose is mainly to let people know their cheaper options other than the big brands like 30 Degree, Art of Shaving, Baxter of California, Dovo, Dr. Dittmar, Edwin Jagger, Gold Dach's, FM Brush, Kent, men-u, Merkur, Muhle, Omega, Parker, Pils, Plisson, Proraso, Rooney, Savile Row, Semogue, Shavemac, Simpson, Thater, Thiers, Vie-Long, Vulfix, etc, etc, etc. You get the idea. And now, what everyone's all been waiting for:

The Generic Shaving Brush List

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Thread(s): 1, 2

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I should mention Frank Shaving. While technically Frank does not have a generic brush, FS is a Chinese budget manufacturer that makes discount brushes for retailers to sell. I mainly see their brushes sold on eBay stores that ship from Hong Kong, and I sometimes see them sold from retailers like Lee's Safety Razors or The Shave Shed. I am sure there are other discount brands out there, but I see FS mentioned regularly at B&B as an alternative, so I thought I should mention it here since it is generally regarded as a good value. However, some recent reports say FS may currently be having some QC issues.
 
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Welcome to B&B! That's a heck of a first post! Nicely put together. Some of those generic brushes out there are actually a limited production type of product. For example, the B&B Essentials, or Italian Barber's recent limited run.
 
Welcome to B&B! That's a heck of a first post! Nicely put together. Some of those generic brushes out there are actually a limited production type of product. For example, the B&B Essentials, or Italian Barber's recent limited run.

+1 Welcome to the forum!
 
Hi WARRZONE, welcome to B&B! WOW!! Heck of a first post, Sir!!


Come on over to the Newbie Check-In and the Hall of Fame forums and say hi when you get the chance.

Happy shaving!
 
Welcome to B&B! That's a heck of a first post! Nicely put together. Some of those generic brushes out there are actually a limited production type of product. For example, the B&B Essentials, or Italian Barber's recent limited run.

As I understand it, the B&B brush should be replenished, but it will be stocked with a different color handle each time the stock is replenished, which definitely makes it limited. I wish I had gotten a blue one, but I was not a member and had no idea about it at the time it was available. :blue: Maybe they will make it again after they cycle through some other colors. I am hopeful. I will add the fact that those two brushes you mentioned are limited editions to the list.

I actually just ordered one of the Italian Barbers because I have been wanting a good boar brush to use perhaps with soaps or face lathering. I like that it is not dyed, and it is less than half the price of a SOC shipped.

On another note, I would like to add to the list one or two major brand brushes that the generic is most similar to. This will require the posting of someone who owns one or more of the generics and several major brands for comparison.

Thanks for the welcoming guys/gals. :badger:
 
I believe they are runs of 150 brushes a piece. And of course there have been other limited runs on B&B branded items as well.
 
Jack Black.
Other companies sell Jack Black brushes, which would make Jack Black a major brand instead of a generic. I assume you are referring to their Pure Performance Shave Brush. I wonder how it compares against the men-u synthetic brush (cheaper), but that is a topic for a different thread.

If that was your suggestion to me for my brush search, thank you for making me aware of it. I will take it under consideration. From first impressions just by looking at it, it seems a little pricy for a synthetic brush, but maybe it is just that good.
 
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WARRZONE, you'll want to keep in mind that your original post will only be editable for so long. We may want to take this to the wiki soon. (Rather than later)
 
WARRZONE, you'll want to keep in mind that your original post will only be editable for so long. We may want to take this to the wiki soon. (Rather than later)
We'll keep this thread going as long as we can. I'd still like to hear some people's comments. If you have used any of the brushes from the companies listed, especially the ones that lack any threads, I'd like to hear your brief opinions of them. If you write a review topic thread for one of these, let me know so I can link to you you (either post or PM). It would be nice to fill the gap for these. Also, if you know of a brush that is missing from the list please don't hesitate to post.

Wiki page is a good idea because this list is supposed to be used more as a reference for people more than anything: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/The_generic_shave_brush_list
 
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Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
I moved the wiki page here as it needs to be worked on to be placed in wiki. The format is mainly the issue. It should be worked as a category instead.

What I mean.

There should be a category created for the list.
After, if the pages for those brushes are not existing, we would need to create one and add it to the category that we previously created.
The information in regards of each brush should be in their respective pages.

I am available and more than happy to help on this project to set this up and provide any assistance where required.

As an example

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Category:B_and_B_Brushes

That page lists all the B&B Shave Brushes with a link to the respective brush. From what I understand, this is what we want to achieve here?

EDIT: re-reading the post, there's a bit more to it as I see it's sorted by shop and not by brush (XYZ shop versus Pharmacy Brush #1). I reckon that a table would probably be better for this, we just need to brainstorm on how to display the information so it doesn't repeat in the wiki.
 
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Luc
What do you think of a table organized by company? Then list individual brushes with links to their individual product pages?

And should links to the threads about brushes be in the table or listed on the individual pages about each brush?
 
Okay, what about VDH and the shea moisture shave brush? Would those fit the bill?
No, those aren't generic because other companies sell them. You can get the Shea Moisture brush at Vitamin Shoppe and I think it used to be sold at Target as well. You can get the VDH brush at Amazon or drugstore.com. These would be budget brushes, but not generic. Generics are exclusive to one company.

I see we may need some more clarification on the term "generic." Here are some examples of generic brands:

  • Walmart — Great Value
  • Sams — Simply Right
  • Walgreens — Nice!
  • Costco — Kirkland's Signature
  • Target — up & up
  • Kroger — Kroger (as far as I know)
You can only get these brands from those companies and no one else unless a reseller buys them and resells them, which is illegal if that reseller is a retailer.

EDIT: re-reading the post, there's a bit more to it as I see it's sorted by shop and not by brush (XYZ shop versus Pharmacy Brush #1). I reckon that a table would probably be better for this, we just need to brainstorm on how to display the information so it doesn't repeat in the wiki.
They are listed by shop, because some shops have generics and some don't. Some shops change their generic offerings frequently, so it would be hard to keep the brushes up to date in this post. By listing the shops, people can go there and see what they offer. A wiki page would be a much better place to list the individual brushes under what the shops offer.

Luc
What do you think of a table organized by company? Then list individual brushes with links to their individual product pages?

And should links to the threads about brushes be in the table or listed on the individual pages about each brush?
I like that idea. Then we could get a sort of review on the performance of each brush on its page. Then again, that might lead to too much clutter because of all the pages. The table could list the companies that have generic brushes and list their brushes and link to individual company pages. Then the individual company pages could have more details on each brush they offer. That would cut down on too many short pages.
 
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Welcome Warzone. I'm a relative newbie myself.

I can't speak to Frank's QC issues. I can only say I got a Finest Badger (from Amazon) two months ago. IMO it does a terrific job and there are no signs of poor workmanship. Came with barely a smell--lost maybe 5 hairs, if that, all on the 1st cleaning--lathers everything I throw at it on my face, in a mug/bowl/whatever. I'm sure I will upgrade at some point, but right now another brush isn't on my radar.

EDIT: After a more careful reading of the OP, i realize the comments above really aren't what was expected. Sorry. But i will leave them in case they help someone but add another thought or two:

Here are a few names I've come across but don't see on the list:

Escali
Col Conk (probably not considered generic, but maybe)
Kinglsey
GBS
WSP

Those are just some I saw when I was shopping for my brush in February. Hope it helps.
 
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Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
PM sent to WARRZONE to get a bit more details.
 
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