Top o' the line brush, is it worth it?

[81FSUnole]

So i bought a tweezerman badger to see if i would like this wet shaving thing.....turns out that i do.

my question, is there really that much difference in the lather b/w entry level brushes and their more expensive counterparts?

thanks, guys!

 

[deshaveman]

If you are stepping up from the Tweezerman? Absolutely! I find lathering with my current rotation of "expensive" brushes to be faster and easier then it ever was with my Tweezerman. I get much higher quality lather with much less effort than I ever did with the Tweezerman brush.

I hesitate to name a price-point where the performance curve starts to level off because that will end badly but IMO there is a distinct performance jump when you trade up from a Tweezerman to practically any other brush. I know even that statement will be inflammatory to Tweezerman lovers on the board.

Another reason not to get into the price of a better brush is that is depends on the characteristics that one prefers in a shaving brush. Personally I'm a face latherer and prefer short lofted densely packed brushes with soft tips. Sadly, brushes with these qualities can be somewhat pricey. Someone else may prefer different characteristics and may be satisfied with a less costly brush.

Heck for less than the price of a new Tweezerman brush you can get very high quality boar brushes that many would argue are superior.

 

[Drubbing]

In purely $ terms, no. There's performance differences, but again, not relative to the cost. A middle range brush can provide ease of lathering over a entry level, but beyond the mid range, it's all about luxury.

A quality Boar can make as good lather as a top end badger, for a quarter the cost or less.

A lower grade badger will do the same job as a silvertip. It may not create as much lather, or feel quite as soft. But so long as you can make a good lather, you can do it with practically anything.

Personally I'm a face latherer and prefer short lofted densely packed brushes with soft tips. Sadly, brushes with these qualities can be somewhat pricey. Someone else may prefer different characteristics and may be satisfied with a less costly brush.

Only pricey if you limit yourself to Badger. You've not yet discovered quality boar? As a face lather myself, the Semogue 620 does everything a dense, soft silver-tip does, for $20. They feel stiff when dry, but are very soft when wet. But they have masses of backbone.

 

[maxman]

honestly it's a matter of luxury after a certain point.
why drive a Bentley when you can drive a Yugo?
Luxury.
Grab yourself a nice badger brush and you'll love it.
I use a Rooney 3/2 super silvertip.
I have no need for another brush. I'm likely to pick up another brush...but I don't need one.

 

[Ignatius]

To a point, but what point? I've found that $75 size 1 Rooney brushes and certain <$100 Simpson models in best are, for me, a lot better than cheaper brushes and as good o better than more expensive ones. You may find a different level of brush acquisition to be perfect for you. Hopefully it'll be a boar or two and not a cupboard full of Simpson and Plissons.

 

[deshaveman]

Only pricey if you limit yourself to Badger. You've not yet discovered quality boar? As a face lather myself, the Semogue 620 does everything a dense, soft silver-tip does, for $20. They feel stiff when dry, but are very soft when wet. But they have masses of backbone.

Alas I have tried several boar brushes and I couldn't find one I liked. Perhaps I will give boars another shot.

 

[Drubbing]

Alas I have tried several boar brushes and I couldn't find one I liked. Perhaps I will give boars another shot.

I felt the same, that's why I started with badger when getting into this DE thing. I had the Omega beechwood years ago and it was a very poor brush. But they still sell it. I recently discovered Semogue, who produce brushes in different grades of boar, and there's no comparison IMO.

 

[81FSUnole]

In purely $ terms, no. There's performance differences, but again, not relative to the cost. A middle range brush can provide ease of lathering over a entry level, but beyond the mid range, it's all about luxury.

A quality Boar can make as good lather as a top end badger, for a quarter the cost or less.

A lower grade badger will do the same job as a silvertip. It may not create as much lather, or feel quite as soft. But so long as you can make a good lather, you can do it with practically anything.


Only pricey if you limit yourself to Badger. You've not yet discovered quality boar? As a face lather myself, the Semogue 620 does everything a dense, soft silver-tip does, for $20. They feel stiff when dry, but are very soft when wet. But they have masses of backbone.

and where did you get the semogue? not very many sites ive looked at seem to carry them. im very interested in trying boar.

thanks, everyone. super helpful.

 

[andrew98]

^ vintagescent.com

I like mid-priced (sub-$100) badger brushes, in general. I own a $150 brush (Custom Shavemac D01), and it's amazing. Would I do it over with the knowledge that Shavemac's Finest grade is so wonderful at half the price? Probably not. That's just me, though.

-Andy

 

[BladeRunner001]

So i bought a tweezerman badger to see if i would like this wet shaving thing.....turns out that i do.

my question, is there really that much difference in the lather b/w entry level brushes and their more expensive counterparts?

thanks, guys!

The answer to your question is simply: Quality...well most of the time. Some brushes are hyped because of brand. There are some (like Shavemac and Thäter) that will give the most $$ brushes out there a run for their $$ (and quality). I have 3 shavemacs and 1 Thäter and none of them have shed so far.

 

[DanOK]

Top of the line is hard to define. Currently, my favorite soap brush is a pure which cost around $45. My favorite cream brush cost around $80 and my just all around favorite, favorite silvertip cost around $140. I consider them all to be top of the line when I use them. I still have my Tweezerman and consider it a fine brush.

If you are looking to upgrade to a "top of the line" I would suggest a budget up to $150. Top of the line is almost always interpreted to be silvertip when discussing badger brushes. This will allow you to consider silvertip brushes for most of the manufactures. Those guys which get a lot of praise around here. West Coast Shaving and QEDusa (just to name a few) are a couple of sites with quality brushes at reasonable prices. We may all have AD's but we are a frugal lot at heart.

Good Hunting.

 

[GeneralJohn]

My $60 Parker chrome handled silvertip feels and performs 100 times better than my $5 Burmashave Boar, so I got a bargain. Will never go back...ever!

 

[deshaveman]

I felt the same, that's why I started with badger when getting into this DE thing. I had the Omega beechwood years ago and it was a very poor brush. But they still sell it. I recently discovered Semogue, who produce brushes in different grades of boar, and there's no comparison IMO.

I went through the same thing with two Omegas. Okay, I will take the Semogue challenge provided I can find the one I want.

Just posted this WTB: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=164161

 

[ducatisteve]

Interesting, I was actually just about to post a thread about this topic.

For the past six months or so I have been using a few different pure badger brushes (Rooney 3/1 and Vulfix 1000). I have been able to make very good lathers with either of these brushes, and have enjoyed them thoroughly. Today I received my Saville Row 3824 from QED and used it for the first time.

HOLY COW.

The AOS Lavender soap that I usually charged for about 30 seconds with the Rooney, and even longer with the Vulfix took only about 10-15 seconds with the SR to get well over 3 passes worth of soap. Also, the brush held such an immense amount of water, even when shaken a couple times, that I only needed to add a few drops to the lather to bring it to my preferred consistancy. Bowl lathering time went from around 2-3 minutes to about 30 seconds. The retained water also kept the lather nice and warm for the first two passes. I now see the difference between a brush being able to hold water and a brush being wet. If I tried to make the Rooney hold the same amount of water when I brought it to the bowl I would get either soup or foam for a while before actually making a usable lather. With the SR it held the water, incorporating it into the soap at a proper speed to make a quality lather.

Speaking of the quality of the lather.....fantastic. Better than I have been able to get with the other brushes and, again, much easier to get. Especially what I squeezed out of the brush for the third pass. Easily the best lather to ever touch my face.

So, yes, I believe that high quality brushes are completely worth it. Whether or not a $50 brush could do the same as this one, I'm not sure, as I do not have that experience. But as someone who more or less thought that all brushes were primarily the same outside of how luxurious it felt on the face, I have totally proven myself wrong. Well not totally.....the SR feels amazing as well. Does this mean I won't use the Rooney or Vulfix anymore? Absolutely not, I still really love those brushes and will still keep them in rotation. They do a great job and make a great lather, but the difference between these brushes and the more expensive one are both apparent and quantifiable.

Now the question is whether or not the price itself makes a difference. I have a Frank's Shaving Finest on its way. We'll see how $9.99 stacks up.

 

[surfreak]

my question, is there really that much difference in the lather b/w entry level brushes and their more expensive counterparts?

Yes, the SOC really is worth it.

 

[solar]

Price isn't always top of the line, but I find that as with most things in life, you generally get what you pay for. I have some expensive brushes, and yet I find my Rudy Vey brushes, at a fraction of the price and custom made, perform extremely well.

As you try more brushes, you'll generally get some feel for the pros and cons of various manufacturers.

C

 

[Antique Hoosier]

.... as with most things in life, you generally get what you pay for....

Perhaps my second favorite quoted phrase known to man.... and I heartily agree that in the shave brush world this is true to a point.... My $90 Grosvenor Vulfix/Simpson/BullGoose collaboration is however beyond all but one of the Plisson brushes I ever owned as well as many Simpson higher end ones, so there is a real value point between I'd say 75 and 125 bucks from many top marques.



"Living well is the best revenge" remains my absolute favorite quote of all time....

 

[dawgfan13]

I believe the high end brushes are worth the price. I have had quite a few brushes since I started a few months ago and I just got my H.L. Thater today and shaved with it and WOW that thing is amazing. I would say go for it!

 

[wilsonent]

For me, the Crabtree and Evelyn BBB, for $35.00 is an incredible bargain. For just a little more than a boar brush, you have an outstanding performer. I have 2 silvertips (Shavemac, and LE 2009), and I still enjoy the BBB. Yes, you can spend lots of money on brushes, but there are still very respectable performers for very little investment.


JEff

 

[huntmol]

You can get the same great shave from a $10 Tweezerman that you can get from a $400 Plisson.

The only difference is the feel of the brush, and the experience you have when using it.

I prefer dense, scrubby brushes, so for me it is worth it to have a (few) higher end brush(es).

As long as you have realistic expectations, you will enjoy any brush that you use.

P.S. Simpsons Duke 2 in Best. A great step up from the Tweezerman!