Wow, I just received a pure badger TI brush in the mail and, MAN, it's like lathering up with porcupine quills! I know the 'pure badger' is at the bottom of the quality totem pole but I figured how bad could a TI brush costing sixty bucks, be? Gotta be decent, at least, no? Boy, was I wrong - what a surprise. Let me say first, that the brush does lather like a BEAST - but what's the point if it actually hurts to apply that copious lather to your face? I have a two dollar boar brush that feels like silk compared to this brush. At the end of the day, I was seduced by the cool looking logo on the base of the brush. Worth sixty bucks? I think not, particularly if I now need to spend again for another brush! Live and learn... Maybe I can get my TI handle re-knotted - any suggestion, anyone?
TI pure badger brush a real disappointment!
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Re-knot it with TGN Finest, or if you want to spend more, with a Shavemac knot.
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I had the same experience with a Vulfix (paid $19), used it a couple of times and parked it. I then found TGN and re-knotted with a Finest:
I hear many people using Pure Badger and it is possible that if you use it long enough it may mellow down a bit (or you get used to scritch, or both).
If it is unbearable, take edgerunner's advice and re-knot.
I hear many people using Pure Badger and it is possible that if you use it long enough it may mellow down a bit (or you get used to scritch, or both).
If it is unbearable, take edgerunner's advice and re-knot.
It is just my opinion, but I think pure badgers are meant to be used like the old-timers used a brush: use only that one brush, and use the living heck out of it. A month or two of daily use (if your face can stand it) just might turn that scritchy knot into a sweetheart.
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Now that's a pipe dream if I've ever heard one. It might feel like a less scritchy knot after a month but really that's just nerve damage.
Save yourself the trouble and toss the knot IMHO; or trade it to someone who digs pain.
Bowl lather with it
I agree with auk1124. Many pure badger hair brushes are intended for using in old barber ways: making lather with hard soaps in a bowl, then applying in the face with lateral movements, not circular ones (like long knotted silvertips with creams or cheaper long knotted horse hairs in Spain).
And yes, that type of hair use to soften if you use it much daily but... yes, it could be a little torture in face but you always can make lather in your palms instead.
But if you are not patient, you can always re-knot it of course!
Cheers!
And yes, that type of hair use to soften if you use it much daily but... yes, it could be a little torture in face but you always can make lather in your palms instead.
But if you are not patient, you can always re-knot it of course!
Cheers!
I've gotten rid of all but one of my pure badger brushes. I liked them all but when I got a Simpson finest it all changed. The only one I kept is a Simpson Eagle G1 and I gotta say it's as soft as my Duke 2 in best. It's been in rotation since new and was soft out of the box.
In all seriousness, my first brush was a Shavemac Finest, which is just ever-so-slightly scritchy. It was my only brush for almost two years. I used it at least 6 days a week. It then became part of my rotation for another year or so before I sold it. It had exactly the same amount of scritch as it did when I first bought it.
I've had several other brushes with some scritch and whether they were Simpson's Best or Shavemac D01 2-band or Rooney Finest, they all had pretty much the same scritch when I sold them as when I first bought them.
I know others will have had different experiences with knots softening up but my personal experience has been that although the knot may open up (i.e. the hairs get more flexible and the knot "looser" for lack of a better word) providing better flow through and softer backbone, the tips have always remained the same. The softer backbone may affect how hard the tips scratch against the skin but the tips are the tips are the tips.
The above applies only to badger and again is only my experience. Boars are a different story altogether with tips often substantially softening through use.
I've had several other brushes with some scritch and whether they were Simpson's Best or Shavemac D01 2-band or Rooney Finest, they all had pretty much the same scritch when I sold them as when I first bought them.
I know others will have had different experiences with knots softening up but my personal experience has been that although the knot may open up (i.e. the hairs get more flexible and the knot "looser" for lack of a better word) providing better flow through and softer backbone, the tips have always remained the same. The softer backbone may affect how hard the tips scratch against the skin but the tips are the tips are the tips.
The above applies only to badger and again is only my experience. Boars are a different story altogether with tips often substantially softening through use.
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Update on TI disappointment brush:
I've used it every day for the last few weeks and it's only become marginally softer. I've soaked it, soaped it, and scrubbed with it - and it's still prickly and irritating to use. Then, last night I found a post describing different recommended lofts, pros and cons, for different types of knots, and low and behold... enlightenment! The lower the knot is set, the stiffer and pokier the brush becomes. Now, this is not news but it hadn't occurred to me the knot might be set too low and it made perfect sense so I checked the brush against the manufacturer's specs and yup, it's 6 to 7 millimeters lower than it should be. I know shaving brushes aren't assembled to strict engineering tolerances but I think that's a lot off the mark and would explain why the the brush is so stiff (add to that machined tips, and it's a pretty uncomfortable combo that's never going to soften) so I'm going send it back to the vendor in France and see if I can get an exchange for a correctly set one - hopefully THAT one will feel softer! Will keep you posted, thanks!
I've used it every day for the last few weeks and it's only become marginally softer. I've soaked it, soaped it, and scrubbed with it - and it's still prickly and irritating to use. Then, last night I found a post describing different recommended lofts, pros and cons, for different types of knots, and low and behold... enlightenment! The lower the knot is set, the stiffer and pokier the brush becomes. Now, this is not news but it hadn't occurred to me the knot might be set too low and it made perfect sense so I checked the brush against the manufacturer's specs and yup, it's 6 to 7 millimeters lower than it should be. I know shaving brushes aren't assembled to strict engineering tolerances but I think that's a lot off the mark and would explain why the the brush is so stiff (add to that machined tips, and it's a pretty uncomfortable combo that's never going to soften) so I'm going send it back to the vendor in France and see if I can get an exchange for a correctly set one - hopefully THAT one will feel softer! Will keep you posted, thanks!
If they replace the brush with a new one with a higher loft, it might be marginally softer but probably not much. You might want to invest in a higher grade badger brush like a Simpsons Berkeley.
$60 smackers for pure; I built a custom TGN in Finest for that...! Seriously though, either PIF it, sell it or re-knot it.
I'd re-knot it.
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PIF: Pay it Forward, a gift, a freebie to someone worthy of the item.
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