Travel Brush Recommendation

[amit711]

I have a custom 23mm knot Silver Tip Badger (loft 54 mm) from Shavemac. Bulb shape.

I would like recommendations for a 2nd brush which I plan to use mainly during my travels. I have job that makes me live out of my suitcase 2-3 days a week, and was scouting for options.

Would a BEST BADGER be better than FINE BADGER or vice-versa? I use MWF, Tabac and Proraso White and face-lather when I am travelling. When at home, I prefer to use my scuttle to keep the lather warm, but can't afford these luxuries all the time.

Also would want to know if I should go for a Fan shaped brush. I would prefer to go with Shavemac. Budget - 50 Euros.

Suggestions appreciated.

Regards
Amit711

 

[ceego]

The Simpson Wee Scot always seems to get good reviews especially for travels since it is so small but holds a prodigous amount of lather for its size.

 

[WhippingPost]

I have an Omega Mighty Midget. Fantastic little brush!

 

[Useless shaver]

As for hair quality I'd say it's down to your personal preference. For me it's regardless it's a travel brush or not.

What about a Simpson Case? Their Best hair is great and it fits your budget, I think. You can even get yourself their travel case!!!

 

[wimbouman]

I have been travelling with my two band Rudy Vey B&B last week, and will not do that again.
It dries slowly, and moreover: I'd hate to lose it.

My advice would be a Muhle Silvertip fibers.
If I am correct, a 19mm would fit your budget.

It is a very good, sturdy and fast drying brush.

 

[ackvil]

Over the years I have tried many shaving brushes for travel. For me the two most important points are how does it feel on your face and how face does it dry.

At one time I was on the road as much as 40% of the time. Most of my trips required travel of one to three nights and then I was back home again. As a result, my requirements for a travel brush were quite basic. At that time I only used shavesticks and face lathered when I traveled and bowl lathered when I was home. I tried a variety of brushes that were specifically for travel. They were all on the small side and although I preferred a larger brush I settled for the smaller brushes since I knew I would be home in a few days and could go back to my “regular” brushes.


Since I retired, however, my travel has changed. Now most of my trips are for at least a week and at times as much as a month. I began to take along some creams as well as soaps and soap sticks and I bowl lather as well as face lather when I travel. I realized that I missed the good quality shaving brushes I had at home.

I have tried using a Caswell-Massey combo boar and badger brush, a Duke 3, and a T&H Badger Travel Shaving brush. The Caswell-Massey and Duke 3 took too long to dry and the T&H brush is a rather small brush. Also, the Duke 3 lost some bristle while travel and I decided it could not stand the vigor or travel. For a badger brush the T&H dries rather quickly. However, it is no longer made by T&H. Here is what is looks like. I

Recently I have tried some synthetic brushes with mixed results. My first one was a Parker synthetic brush. The Parkerwas the worse brush I ever used. You can read about it here. Although the brush dried quickly I found it did a poor job for me inmaking and applying lather. This brush now sits unused in a closet. My second one was a H.I.S. brush. This is a huge brush that still dries fast. At first I liked the H.I.S. brush but my enthusiasm waned after a while. I didn't like the feel of the brush and my wife complained that I splayed water and lather on the mirror both at home and when I traveled. You can read about that brush here.

For the past month I have been using a Muhle 23mm synthetic brush for travel and at home. Wimbouman mentioned the brush above only I opted for the larger size one since I prefer a larger brush and I wanted to put it in my every day rotation. The brush is very soft on my face and dries faster than any of my other brushes (less than an hour in contrast to three hours for my badger brushes.) In addition, the brush does a superb job in making lather whether in a bowl or when I face lather. The only thing I noticed is that for me it seems to takes longer to load the brush probably because it is softer. It has absolutely no scritch to it so if you like a stiff brush you would not like this one. However, my face enjoys the feel of this kind of brush.

So, in brief a good quality synthetic shaving brush would make a good choice for a travel brush - or an everyday brush for that matter. I know I am happy with mine.

Here is a photo so you can judge the size and looks of the brushes I have used for travel.




The brushes from left to right are the H.I.S., Parker, Muhle, Duke 3, Caswell-Massey, and T&H with container.

 

[djh]

Depending upon how you shave, the Wee Scot could be the perfect companion. It will come in under budget, you will be able to transport it easily in a well-ventilated pill bottle and it is a great brush to use with a shave stick.

 

[Perished]

I've got a Duke 1 in best, Wee Scot, Jack Black 'Pure performance' and a Classic 1 on the way.to be honest, they're all really good for travel, and home use. But when you look at it price wise, the Wee Scot or Duke come out best. Personally, I'd say Wee Scot. There's nothing really 'wee' about it.

 

[Big Jim]

I travel nearly every week, sometimes all week and sometimes only a day or two.

I have two travel brushes. A WD 16 mm silvertip and another that I made. The second one uses the same WD 16 mm silvertip knot, but I turned the handle myself and set the knot slightly higher for a touch more loft. I alternate between the two. I have a slight preference for the one I made (of course) as the handle is somewhat smaller in diameter and a little longer, which is more comfortable for me to handle.

The standard WD 16 mm seems to prefer being used for face lathering. It loads OK, but doesn't whip up well from the Col Conk Bay Rum soap container I travel with. I does whip up nicely at home from my Old Spice mug. Once loaded, it face lathers very well, providing 2 1/2 to 3 passes. The custom brush lathers better from the container (due to the higher loft I guess) and also provides 2 1/2 to 3 passes.

Larry intends to discontinue the 16 mm brushes, so if you are interested you need to do something before they are gone.

 

[brucered]

I used to use a Simpson Case / Tube and it was great. nice little sized, dried fairly quickly, no issues.

this year, i've decided why go smaller/medium. it only takes a tiny bit of space to begin with, so why not a full sized brush.

my travel/camping brush this year will be a reknotted Vulfix 404 with TGN 2 band finest fan knot. it didn't cost a lost, can take some abuse and can easily be reknotted if for some reason it gets musty or doesn't dry properly between uses, but i don't see that being an issue.

i say go Full Sized. I bring a full sized razor and regular software products, why bring a mini brush?

the smallest i'd go is CASE sized and in this size, I recommend FAN as it will feel bigger on your face

Vulfix Grosvenor 404 reknotted with TGN 2 Band Finest

 

[dparish1952]

I second the Omega 11047, Mighty Midget, as a boar/badger mix. Great for face lathering. Small enough for a pill bottle.

 

[MFNEWYEARAMDG]

I bought my case 1 for travel, but it turned into my daily use brush... It isn't big but it works great for face lathering. it is highly recommended. I have the travel tube also. I would say it doesn't dry as quickly as one would hope for a travel brush...

 

[Alexius.m.]

I've considered Muhle Silvertip Fibre turnback Travel brush for myself.
http://www.muehle-shaving.com/shop/..._shaving_brush__silvertip_fibrer/6/26/31_M_20
I understand if you have your heart set on a badger, but these silvertip fibres are great brushes and my 33 K 252 dries fairly quickly. These turnback brushes are bit overpriced, but I think they have their own flair. More rational option would be to get a regular handle and a travel tube.

 

[meetgood]

I like my synthetic L'Occitane travel brush
it's review http://shavenook.com/thread-l-occitane-synthetic-shaving-brush

 

[musicman1951]

Is there a problem with using a hair drier on your brush (assuming you keep it a respectful distance away to avoid too much heat)?

 

[ackvil]

Is there a problem with using a hair drier on your brush (assuming you keep it a respectful distance away to avoid too much heat)?

Why not use cool air? It dries almost as fast and without any possible harm to the brush. I do that whenever I travel and have to pack a wet brush. On my last trip I brought two brushes: a Muhle synthetic and a T&H Travel brush. The synthetic dried in less than 5 minutes and the T&H (which is a small badger brush) dried in about 15 minutes. Of course I had to fight my wife for the hair drier.

 

[Clay]

Well worth $13. I used one this morning.

http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Omega-11047-Banded-Boar-Shaving-Brush_p_797.html

 

[Big Jim]

Is there a problem with using a hair drier on your brush (assuming you keep it a respectful distance away to avoid too much heat)?

I use a hair dryer very gently on one of my travel brushes. The other one doesn't seem to need it as badly. Remember, very gently, with both the heat and the air.

 

[brucered]

Is there a problem with using a hair drier on your brush (assuming you keep it a respectful distance away to avoid too much heat)?

I wouldn't take a chance.

too much heat, too fast at any level and distance away from the brush.

i'm guessing it can't be good for the hair, glue, tips, handle, sticker, lettering....bad idea all around if you ask me.

 

[mdevine]

A couple of years ago, there was a discussion thread on the Wee Scot. This is what I wrote at the time. Although a bit long, it still represents how I feel about the brush, which remains my favorite travel brush through the passing years.


About a month ago, Bob asked a handful of us to give our opinions of this brush and it has generated quite a few interesting opinions and, at times, some friendly but heated debate. Although I use this brush fairly often, since this thread began, I've used the Wee Scot more frequently, and in different ways, than I had ever before. I've used it enough times for me to make a fair assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the brush. I've posted a couple of comments on this thread and will try not to repeat myself. I wanted to make a final assessment of this brush and answer the question posed. "Is it a toy or a serious brush"? Finally, would I recommend it to someone looking to buy a brush?


Going back through my old posts, I was able to count how often I actually shaved with the Wee Scot. Prior to the past month, which skews heavily towards the WS, I had used it for 25 out of 130 shaves. Of those 25, there were probability 10 to 15 days of travel, which means that on those days I don't travel, I choose to shave with the Wee Scot about once a week.


My first instinct was to compare the brush to the two brushes that I use more often. I use a Simpson Eagle G3 in Best most often, followed by a Semogue SOC boar. These are obviously much larger brushes. I almost exclusively face lather soaps and both brushes are great at the task. They are relatively wide, short brushes with stiff backbones which show no mercy on whatever puck of soap happens to get in their way. When stacked against either, the Wee Scot lags behind when up against a puck of soap. As much as I love my MWF, Tabac, Cade and AoS, I also enjoy Arko, Palmolive and Speick shave sticks. When face lathering from a shave stick, the Wee Scot generates every bit as much lather as the Eagle, and is easier to control than the, at times, unwieldy SOC. A few weeks ago, I did break out some TOBS shave cream and gave the Wee Scot a go. While I got an acceptable shave and generated more than enough lather in my scuttle, I would be dishonest if I said this is something I would want to do on a daily basis. A longer, less dense brush would be better suited. In fact, one of my older Vulfix brushes is better suited for this than either the Eagle or SOC as well.


This leads me to my final thoughts on the Wee Scot. Could I pick a single brush to use every day in every situation ?(Impossible to imagine such a ludicrous idea I know, but bear with me here). Even the favorite of all my brushes, the Simpson Eagle, would fall short. It isn't a great travel brush as it is so dense that it takes a couple of days to dry completely. Less expensive, floppier, longer brushes are better for bowl lathering creams. My point is, every brush has its limitations. Which gets to the heart of the matter with the Wee Scot. Out of the brushes I have, none do what they were designed to do better than it does. I could replace my beloved Eagle with a Chubby, a Rooney 3/1 or a Shavemac D01 and have a brush that excel at face lathering pucks of soap. To replace the Wee Scot would require more of a compromise. Whereas something like a Case or Berkeley are decent brushes and, were I to own only one brush, may be a better candidate for that job, I find the Wee Scot exactly suited for the task it was designed for; It is built to be the ideal travel brush for all that entails. It makes outstanding lather when face lathering a shave stick, dries quickly and fits well in the metal containers designed nearly 100 years ago for brushes and shave sticks. In this example, the Case and Berkeley seem to me to be a compromise. I don't find them as large as I like for face lathering pucks of soap, but too large for my ideal travel brush.


Who would I recommend it to? To those who frequently travel, especially if you fly often, it can be an indispensable part of your travel kit. It allows me the pleasure of a good shave while away from home and I enjoy it enough to break it out occasionally when not traveling. Further, it offers something unique to brush collectors. You may have 20 brushes, but the Wee Scot is so different that you're unlikely to have something quite like it. Also, anyone who primarily uses a shave stick. Who isn't it for? As someone who likes the brush, even I couldn't see it as a first or only brush. Unfortunately, someone looking for a first/only brush probably doesn't even know yet whether they will face, bowl or palm lather nor if they will prefer soaps or creams. I don't have the answer for which brush would be the right one, but I feel confident that this isn't it.


In summary, the Wee Scot is definitely not a toy. It is a tool that excels at it's primary function (and isn't that we expect from all our tools?) and is sold at a very reasonable price.

Mike