Vulfix 404/Grosvenor Boar&Badger. Thoughts?

[Greglam]

There are only a couple of reviews of this particular brush and I was hoping to get some more insight on this brush. Yes, I have a great Simpson badger. But, this one is only $15 and I'm feeling the urge to order something from Phil at Bullgoose.

Maybe you have thoughts on Boar and Badger combo brushes in general. I'd be happy to hear those, too.

Thanks, Chaps!

-Greg

 

[CB_DoubleEdge]

I bought one from Phil a couple of months ago. He is awesome, btw.

I'm afraid I can't tell you a whole lot about it in comparison to other brushes though as it is my first and only brush. It lathers up great with Proraso soap.

It's a bit... scritchy... I think is the work folks use here.

After falling in love with some of the B&B member created brushes I've seen here I've decided to have one made for myself. It's going to be badger as I'm anxious to have a soft brush for my super sensitive skin.

If you have a particular question I'd be glad to answer as best I can.

 

[bordeaaj]

I recently bought one from Phil for my father who is just getting into DE shaving and he seems to like it a lot. I did try it out for a couple of days and it is a nice scritchy brush...great value esp for a starter brush.

 

[Loric]

I was curious how this might be too. However I think it is $25 not $15. Still a bargain, but not quite as cheep as you may have thought.

 

[Greglam]

I was curious how this might be too. However I think it is $25 not $15. Still a bargain, but not quite as cheep as you may have thought.

AH, you're right. The brush above it is $15. Thanks for pointing that out!

Still, I get the sense it might be better than the $25 Conk/Vulfix pure badger that I started with. While a soft brush, it has really no backbone at all.

 

[MikeGJ]

It's a good brush. You can have from Phil in just a couple of days.

There are several "boar and badger" threads in this forum, most mention this brush. I think there are several other threads that have inquiries about the 404 Grosvenor, with almost universal approval.

 

[bowlturner]

I bought one from Phil for use as a travel brush. A little scritchy, as noted, but I like that feeling. I have used for both soap and cream and it does both well. Very nice handle, too.

 

[55dougie]

I too bought one from Phil..... great guy and the brush is one of the best values on the market.

 

[Thebigspendur]

Personally, I think if you like boar buy that and if you like badger buy that. A combo is the worst of both worlds in my opinion. I haven't handled the newer ones but I've seen older ones. Combos used to be very popular in the old days.

 

[bordeaaj]

Personally, I think if you like boar buy that and if you like badger buy that. A combo is the worst of both worlds in my opinion. I haven't handled the newer ones but I've seen older ones. Combos used to be very popular in the old days.

As previously noted I ended up getting one from Phil but in speaking to other vendors I heard these same thoughts almost word for word from one vendor in particular who readily admitted he had never actually seen the brush, used the brush, heard any reviews from anyone who had actually used the brush, or even carried the brush for sale. It was very apparent he was trying to point me away from something he didn't have in stock to something he did using a negative pitch...bashing the competitor even though he carried much of the Vulfix line. I don't have a ton of brush experience and don't claim to be an expert, but in 5 or 6 years of DE shaving I've collected about 6 or so higher end badger brushes, half of them silvertip, one Rooney Finest and a few BBB (Simpson, EJ, and CE) and a CE Pure. In recently acquiring and trying out the Grosvenor Mixed (as well as the Semogue 620) I found it better than some and comparable to other brushes I had available. And it was worlds ahead of the CE Pure brush and Ever-Ready boar brush my dad had. In my experience actually comparing and contrasting the brush with other brushes in my collection (and beyond) the Vulfix 404 Mixed is definitely not the worst of both worlds...it compares very well to other starter brushes and even some much more expensive brushes. I would say its a great value as a starter brush especially for someone who wants a starter brush that doesn't actually look like a starter brush (the 404 looks far more expensive than many popular starter brushes) and/or wants to experience the slightly scritchy end of the spectrum. Hope that helps!

 

[nEver-Ready]

I agree it is not the worst of both. I really like mine and find it has the back bone of boar and more of a badger-like face feel.

As previously noted I ended up getting one from Phil but in speaking to other vendors I heard these same thoughts almost word for word from one vendor in particular who had never actually seen the brush, used the brush, heard any reviews from anyone who had actually used the brush, or even carried the brush for sale. I don't have a ton of brush experience and don't claim to be an expert, but in 5 or 6 years of DE shaving I've collected about 6 or so higher end badger brushes, half of them silvertip, one Rooney Finest and a few BBB (Simpson, EJ, and CE) and a CE Pure. In recently acquiring and trying out the Grosvenor Mixed (as well as the Semogue 620) I found it better than some and comparable to other brushes I had available. And it was worlds ahead of the CE Pure brush and Ever-Ready boar brush my dad had. In my experience actually comparing and contrasting the brush with other brushes in my collection (and beyond) the Vulfix 404 Mixed is definitely not the worst of both worlds...it compares very well to other starter brushes and even some much more expensive brushes. I would say its a great value as a starter brush especially for someone who wants something that doesn't actually look like a starter brush (the 404 looks far more expensive than many popular starter brushes) and/or wants to experience the slightly scritchy end of the spectrum. Hope that helps!

 

[MikeGJ]

I too disagree that combo brushes are "the worst of both".

I do like the Vulfix 404 boar/badger, as I said above. It has a nice handle, lathers well on both soap and cream and is a good size.

It give a taste of "high end" feel and function, for not much money. It is a regular in my rotation.

In addition, one of my favorite brushes is an old Erskine K-250. It is a boar badger combo and was was an inexpensive "drugstore" brush when I bought it. It also does everything well.

Combination boar/badger used to be more common, but that was in the day when shaving brushes were more common, as well. Really "high zoot" badgers were a rarity. I have a couple of old "ordinary" grade badger brushes from the old days, and I prefer the boar/badger combos to them.

 

[rsaltonstall]

In recently acquiring and trying out the Grosvenor Mixed (as well as the Semogue 620) I found it better than some and comparable to other brushes I had available.

I happened to be surfing various vender sites, ran into the 404, then quickly headed to B&B, did a search, and came up with this thread ... though a couple of weeks late.

How does it compare to the Semogue in regard to scritchiness? For those who have tried an Omega how does it comapre to one?

The handle of this brush looks attractive (it's suppose to feel good in one's hand as well), and for the price, it will temprorarily keep the SBAD subsided.

 

[bordeaaj]

I happened to be surfing various vender sites, ran into the 404, then quickly headed to B&B, did a search, and came up with this thread ... though a couple of weeks late.

How does it compare to the Semogue in regard to scritchiness?

I only used the 404 for about a week before passing it on to my dad but I thought the Semogue 620 might have been a little scritchier than the 404 but probably only because it wasn't broken in yet...I'm not sure where it will end up after breaking in. The whole point of purchasing the 404 Mixed and the 620 was that I was trying to approximate the feel of my Rooney Finest in a budget brush for my father and these were the brushes I was steered to by more brush-experienced guys on the shaving forums. Both did a great job in coming close to the springy, scritchy feel and I don't know how much closer you could come to the feel of the $200+ Rooney Finest without spending a lot more money. The 404 looks like a Simpson brush...meaning it looks like a much more classically expensive brush than 620 does, and the 620 looks a little shaggier, but neither brush looks out of place next to my Rooney Finest or Simpson Major (the only brushes I haven't given away or sold off). My father (a DE and brush newbie) uses them side by side and I when asked him his thoughts on this subject and said they are very similar, he greatly enjoys them both, and has not yet developed a preference. These are his first decent starter brushes and his current rotation is an EJ Best Badger, 404 Mixed, Semogue 620, and now a Semogue 830.

I bought another 620 and an 830 for myself to get more familiar with boar brushes and ended up keeping the 620. My dad is now comparing the 830 to his 620 and 404 Mixed. As to which on I would recommend, that's a hard one as I have limited experience with both. But I would say they both feel and perform like much more expensive brushes and you couldn't go wrong with either.

Both have a ton of fans with far, far more extensive brush experience than I attesting to their value performance-wise. Despite a few detractors (very few...most with zero basis for comparison), I believed them and was not disappointed in the least. In fact, they are inexpensive enough that you could buy both and try them out for yourself. If you find you have a clear preference you could easily sell one for what you paid for it here on the forums! Hope that helps a little!

 

[Rivguy]

While I do not have experience with the 404, I wanted to add my thoughts on a boar/badger mix brush. I have a Caswell-Massey boar/badger brush that I like very much. I certainly would not be afraid to try the 404 based on my experience with a mixed hair brush.

Enjoy,

Doug

 

[mcandre]

Diamond Edge Ltd in the UK sell the 404 mix for ~$12. I don't know if they export though.

 

[Suzuki]

Diamond Edge Ltd in the UK sell the 404 mix for ~$12. I don't know if they export though.

They do - that's how I got mine - great service. You may have to make a call or send an e-mail if they don't offer international shipping online.

I've had mine for a few years - handle is great (quality lathe-turned handle that was recently used as the basis for a Simpfix 2-band limited edition.

The knot is primarily boar and is a nice combination of scritchy and soft. The knot could be a bit more dense, but it works well with everything. All in all, my view is that its a great brush for $12 plus shipping, but for $25 plus shipping, I'd go with a higher end Omega or Semogue.

 

[dennisthemenace]

My Vulfix 404 arrived in the mail today from Bullgoose Shaving. I whipped up lather about 3x to get it going and then used it for a shave. Excellent soap brush! I like both badger and boar so this mixed bristle brush sounded like a good fit for me. It is! This may become my new favorite. Tomorrow I'll try it w/ Palmolive shave cream and see how that goes. Followed up w/ Ogallala Bay Rum w/ sage & cedar which arrived w/ the brush. Very nice, but hard for me to justify the expense, as I usually just use plain old witch hazel. Maybe save it for dates out w/ the wife!