Want to dive in to higher end badger

[merovirginian]

I have a Shavemac two-band badger fan that I put into a Dogwood custom handle. It is gorgeous and the badger is wonderful.

You can also buy a complete brush from shavemac and choose an available handle style and also choose from a large variety of handle colors/swirls.

And of course there is Rudy Vey. I've never dealt with him. But I've read his posts and read others' opinion of him. I would not hesitate to contact him.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Back to badger. To each his own, but I would recommend you focus on two band badger brushes with high density knots. Then you need to think about knot diameter and handle. Welcome to the rabbit hole .

And you don't need to spend a boatload of money to get a two band badger brush. I see the Semogue Owners Club two band finest badger brush with a cherry handle being sold for 53.10 USD. This brush has a high density 24mm knot with decent backbone.

 

[Timeclo]

Synths have one me over, and I have only kept one omega boar as a travel brush. My favorite brushes are below

My two favorite brushes: PAA Solar Flare and Stirling badger. Love the synthetic knot (dont know different knot types names) very soft and dense. The Stirling Badger feels very luxurious. Then the Tuxedo knot, pilsoft? and another synth unknown knot type.View attachment 1079473

edit: Thanks for the oumo tip @Timeclo

That's a solid line-up. I have the same Stirling badger and it's a lovely brush. Performance-wise, you're not going to get any better with the badgers IMO but the face feel will change for sure. If you like a dense and soft face feel, try out the badgers but if you don't care for it, this line up will serve you well.

 

[Chumango]

If you want to experience a high performance knot without spending too much, just to see if a badger is something you like, look at a Maggard SHD knot in the size and shape of your choice. You can get a handle and adhesive from them as well with their build a brush option. Easy to make your own brush.

As a starting point I suggest not going larger than the brushes you already have. The SHD knot and other equivalent knots bloom to a larger size.

 

[Frank Shaves]

If you want to experience a high performance knot without spending too much, just to see if a badger is something you like, look at a Maggard SHD knot in the size and shape of your choice. You can get a handle and adhesive from them as well with their build a brush option. Easy to make your own brush.

As a starting point I suggest not going larger than the brushes you already have. The SHD knot and other equivalent knots bloom to a larger size.

I second this idea.


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[azwetshaver]

What is your price point? Badgers run from $50 to $400+. There are nice options at every price point in between.

Around $150-200 I would recommend

Shavemac 3 Band or 2 band Silvertip or Paladin

 

[boilerphan]

Lots of great choices. I am really partial to artisan handles with Declaration Grooming knots. That Darn Rob, Dogwood Handcrafts, Turn N Shave and Wild Wesr Brushworks (when Derek gets back up and running) are all very nice.

I also noticed earlier tonight that Paladin has an Amphora Lemon Drop Legacy series brush. Those are Frank McInroy designs from Rooney lore that Ken acquired the CAD files to produce. The knots in those legacy series brushes have been out of this world.

 

[LewisW]

I have high end brushes and they aren’t any better than my 2 band badger from Stirling.

 

[nav]

You know what I would do if I were you? Stay away from badgers. Save your money for toilet paper. No badger will ever be as soft as a synthetic, you will very likely miss that aspect very much.

Those look like medium-sized synthetic brushes which is what I like too. If you're hell-bent on a badger, get a Simpson Commodore X3. That's my favorite badger, even though I've been using my synthetic lately for the reasons in my original post.

I will second a Commodore X3 (such great value)- I actually prefer it to the Duke 3 but the Duke is also great


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+3 on the Commodore.

But I would suggest the X2 as it's very dense and holds enough for 4 passes.

I personally found the X3 to be a bit monstrous. I had to load a ton of soap and had enough lather left over for at least another 2-3 passes!

 

[pwill112]

Declaration Grooming

 

[dmshaver]

I’m shocked hardly anyone has mentioned Paladin. For me, they are some of the best brushes available now, and affordable as well. One of the best handles, & knots. They aren’t that difficult to get between brush drops and The Back Room on his website. Definitely worth a try.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

I’m shocked hardly anyone has mentioned Paladin. For me, they are some of the best brushes available now, and affordable as well. One of the best handles, & knots. They aren’t that difficult to get between brush drops and The Back Room on his website. Definitely worth a try.

David, I had a couple Paladin brushes and I just couldn’t get lather out of them — really dense brushes. Maybe synthetics just spoiled me.

 

[RobertJ]

My vote goes to Wild West Brushworks or Brad Sears. Both of my brushes from them are lather behemoths, super soft with great backbone and are just a pleasure to use.

 

[MTG Jr]

I will second a Commodore X3 (such great value)- I actually prefer it to the Duke 3 but the Duke is also great

I will second his second. The Simpson Commodore X3 in Best is the best badger value on the market. I also own the Duke 3 Best and they are my two favorites after my three Paladins.

The Paladins are just a different level and are my absolute favorites. I don’t find them to be overly dense at all....zero problems releasing lather. I did, however, find my ShaveMac 26mm 2-band Silvertip to be too dense for my liking.

 

[never-stop-learning]

@Rudy Vey combines superb handles and carefully selected knots. Highly recommended.

Shavemac badgers are excellent and should be considered.

Simpson (liking my new T3) is the longstanding choice for badger brushes. A lot of history and experience.

YMMV

 

[MTG Jr]

I’m shocked hardly anyone has mentioned Paladin. For me, they are some of the best brushes available now, and affordable as well. One of the best handles, & knots. They aren’t that difficult to get between brush drops and The Back Room on his website. Definitely worth a try.

Agreed. They have quickly become my all time favorites. I’m up to three now, and seem to be perpetually contemplating a fourth.

 

[Demaratus]

For a classic, all around great badger, get a Simpson Duke 3 in best.

For high end badger, get a Simpson Tulip 2 in Super or a Shavemac with a 2 Band Silvertip knot.

For a custom made/one of a kind badger, have Rudy Vey create you a handle that you help design and put a Shavemac 2 band silvertip knot in it.

Imho, this is all the advice you need...i wish i would have been given this advice 10 years ago. It might have saved me some money...then again, probably not[emoji1]

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Agree with this advice. Chubbies are great but they eat a lot of soap. Both the Duke and the Tulip are more moderate.

An M7 in Super would be my choice if there are any in stock right now: similar sized knot as Duke but I’m super fan/bulb hybrid with longer handle.


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[Demaratus]

Back to badger. To each his own, but I would recommend you focus on two band badger brushes with high density knots. Then you need to think about knot diameter and handle. Welcome to the rabbit hole .

And you don't need to spend a boatload of money to get a two band badger brush. I see the Semogue Owners Club two band finest badger brush with a cherry handle being sold for 53.10 USD. This brush has a high density 24mm knot with decent backbone.

Shavemac is reasonably priced too for a 2 band.


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[Frozenshades]

I’m shocked hardly anyone has mentioned Paladin. For me, they are some of the best brushes available now, and affordable as well. One of the best handles, & knots. They aren’t that difficult to get between brush drops and The Back Room on his website. Definitely worth a try.

Those Paladin handles are beautiful. I long ago decided that when I am ready, that will be my one splurge on a high end brush to round out my collection.

 

[dmshaver]

David, I had a couple Paladin brushes and I just couldn’t get lather out of them — really dense brushes. Maybe synthetics just spoiled me.

I'm sorry to hear that Dan. Brushes are truly a YMMV part of our hobby. For me, Paladins are the best brush I've tried. They are certainly dense, but pillowy soft with a nice firmness. And they release the lather easily for me too. If you still have your Paladins, shoot me a PM.