Travel brush recommendations

[austinantihipster]

Now that I have been wet shaving for 6 months or so, I am giving up in my AOS pure badger travel brush. It sheds way too much and compared to my other brushes is nowhere near as soft or as comfortable to use.

(Luckily P&G responded to my complaints with a visa card for the retail amount of the brush.)

So I need to find a replacement. My custom brush is a little too large to travel with.

Here are the brushes I'm considering:

Muhle synthetic travel
Wee scott
Simpson Major

I travel often for work, so I don't mind spending a little more on a nicer brush since it will see a lot of use.

Anyone have thoughts on the advantages of one of these over the others? Any other suggestions?

 

[chamm]

+1 Wee Scot

 

[chamm]

Or, if you make a lot of money traveling, have Lee whittle you a custom M&F. In Snow Leopard.

 

[chamm]

Wee Moon Java! :-D

 

[h22o999]

I have a Wee Scot, and I am actually using it for the next few weeks as I am traveling for work. However, I have read good things about the Muhle, and will be trying one of them very soon.

Justin

 

[bosseb]

I would very much like to recommend this combo when travelling. You will have no problems with security on airports or wet brush.

Mühle Silvertip Fibre 23 mm synthetic brush



Mühle travel tube​

The 23 mm brush will fit perfectly into the tube.

 

[striker6]

I travel quite a bit and this is my travel brush...

View attachment 415960

Omega 'Mixed Midget' Badger/Boar Shaving Brush. The performance is great (I face lather). Don't let the economical price fool you. I even use this little guy at home. It will fit into a travel container or larger prescription bottles. I will always have one of these in my den.

 

[dpm802]

In general, I avoid any product that has "Travel" in its model name. They tend to be over-priced and under-performing.

Take along whatever brush you like to use at home, with an appropriately sized tube to carry it in. Unless you're going up in the Space Shuttle or competing in the Tour d'France, you need not be concerned about limitations on size and weight. Just be sure that whatever brush and other gear you travel with is not extremely valuable and can be easily replaced if lost or stolen or damaged.

Or, you can skip the brush entirely. There isn't a soap or cream out there that can't be lathered up with the palm of your hand. Neither your whiskers nor your razor will ever know the difference.

 

[austinantihipster]

I travel quite a bit and this is my travel brush...

View attachment 415960

Omega 'Mixed Midget' Badger/Boar Shaving Brush. The performance is great (I face lather). Don't let the economical price fool you. I even use this little guy at home. It will fit into a travel container or larger prescription bottles. I will always have one of these in my den.

Very interesting. So this one has mixed boar and Badger hair? Haven't seen that before.

 

[striker6]

Very interesting. So this one has mixed boar and Badger hair? Haven't seen that before.

Yep... It's a mix of badger and boar. It's a little scritchy but I enjoy that with the shave sticks (Palmolive, Arko, etc)... Either way, it's worth a try for $13! I easily get 3+ passes out of it.

 

[redinmtl]

I would recommend the Muhle, only because synthetics dry so quickly. Also, the Wee Scot is awesome and I would hate to forget it somewhere!

 

[Teppanyaki]

Another vote for a Muhle synthetic - they dry very quickly. I put mine in the Muhle travel tube.

 

[chamm]

Yeah, I'm going to backpedal on my first comment a little bit... I like my Wee Scot. I've used it a few times, and it's kinda neat, but it still feels a bit like a novelty. Last time I traveled, I took my Simpson Classic 2. But even with that, you have to ask yourself, "Why do I really need a "travel brush" in the first place?"

Like one of the commentators above, "travel" things are usually just a marketing gimmick. I mean, are you really going to benefit from downsizing your shaving brush by a couple cubic centimeters at most? Is your luggage space really that tight? There are two good, logical reasons someone might not want to take their LE Chubby 3 Manchurian Cobalt on a trip: 1) They take longer to dry, and putting a wet, expensive brush in a dark, damp tube probably isn't good for it, and 2) unless you've got quite a bit of money, losing a $450 brush would kinda suck.

The most logical solution is, as mentioned above, the Muhle Silvertip Fibre brush. They're not cheap, but not really super expensive, either. It's not an old-school Rooney Finest or anything, so it's easily replaceable. Although it feels different from badger hair, I always get a smooth, consistent foam from mine, and most of all, they dry faster than any organic hair available. The hairs themselves don't absorb water, so even if you put it away a little damp, it's going to be resistant to most molds and bacteria. It comes in a pretty sturdy cardboard tube, and if you want something a little more rugged, you can put it in a Muhle travel tube, or even a free prescription bottle with some holes drilled in it.

For me, the next time I need to travel, it's going to be a no-brainer.

 

[BubblesTGB]

I travel quite a bit and this is my travel brush...

View attachment 415960

Omega 'Mixed Midget' Badger/Boar Shaving Brush. The performance is great (I face lather). Don't let the economical price fool you. I even use this little guy at home. It will fit into a travel container or larger prescription bottles. I will always have one of these in my den.

This is also my travel brush. An amazing performer for being so small. I have a second one for use in the home rotations. A plus is that it fits perfectly into a large prescription bottle which makes it perfect for the travel kit.

 

[verplankfan]

I don't know if you are interested in a boar brush but I travel quite a bit and have an Omega 40033. Don't let the price fool you, it is one of the best performing brushes I own.

 

[the fnger genius]

I travel quite a bit and this is my travel brush...

View attachment 415960

Omega 'Mixed Midget' Badger/Boar Shaving Brush. The performance is great (I face lather). Don't let the economical price fool you. I even use this little guy at home. It will fit into a travel container or larger prescription bottles. I will always have one of these in my den.

These are great, or a Simpson Case or Classic (budget allowing.) I'm currently using a Simpson Classic in the Case tube, and I'm very happy with it.

 

[austinantihipster]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I'll post when I make a final purchase.

 

[cryhavoc]

I don't know if you are interested in a boar brush but I travel quite a bit and have an Omega 40033. Don't let the price fool you, it is one of the best performing brushes I own.

+1

 

[witeq]

Only one of my brushes taking in trips.It's Vulfix VS1 synthetic bristle.I also have traveling tube Muhle RV for him.

 

[Rob W]

I like my Simpson Case.