Hello all -
This is (somewhat) cross-posted over at the Clinic/Check-in forum - I figured this was a more appropriate place to get a range of opinions. I'm brand-spanking-new to DE shaving (about one week/five shaves in) and, fortuitously for me, picked up my new hobby/obsession about a month before my birthday. The obvious benefit to this situation is that I can milk my loved ones for all kinds of new toys, especially because I never ask for birthday gifts. The obvious disadvantage is that due to my inexperience, I really don't know what to look for in a product - quality isn't so much a concern as value, and I don't want to buy a "name" just to have a "name."
This disadvantage is particularly acute when it comes to purchasing a brush. It's pretty overwhelming to digest the brush jargon, especially the nature and importance of the various measurements. All that said, I'll stick to doc's guidelines about soliciting brush-buying advice and hope for lots of feedback.
Your existing harem of badgery beauties! ... tell us what brushes you already have (if any) and what qualities about each you like or dislike
Not a harem, a stable, or even a team...I got a Vulfix 1000a Pure Badger in my rush to build a den and probably overpaid for it. It's probably unfair to grade a brush after a handful of shaves when my technique is wanting, but I have some definite likes and dislikes.
Likes: Even though I'm still learning to build proper lather, I feel like I've done pretty well for myself thus far; I've practiced lathering even when I'm not shaving, and get more than enough for a three-pass shave from an almond-sized drop of Bigelow cream. I don't have anything to compare it against, but the Vulfix seems to hold water well and doesn't feel "scritchy" on my face. I haven't had any issues with the smell - it took on the cream smell after three shaves, so that's a plus.
Dislikes: Heft! The handle is small, plastic, and cheap feeling. I want something with a bit of weight, so recommendations on medium sized brushes would be welcome. The density is also disappointing - I've read through a ton of small brush reviews on this site and the Vulfix doesn't stack up. After my SBAD kicks in I'll probably relegate this to travel brush status.
Your lathery leanings ... mostly this means do you use soaps or creams? Do you facelather or lather in a bowl? Those answers can often influence the type and size of a brush
I'm asking for a Dirty Bird Scuttle as part of my birthday haul, so it's bowl lathering for the foreseeable future. I'm currently using Bigelow cream and will continue to do so for the next month because it's universally recommended to stick with a consistent setup at the beginning, but I'll be switching to soaps after that. I have an unopened jar of Tabac calling my name from my bathroom counter and have resisted placing mass orders from Mama Bear and SCS over the last two weeks. Hooray for self-restraint, I guess.
What you want from your next brush .... now that you've told us which brushes you have (see above), tell us what you want from your new brush ... "firmer than my Vulfix ... smaller than my Polo 8 ... not as prickly as my boar-hair brush ..." You get the idea. Maybe you can't compare this to a brush you already have .... "I want a scrubby facelathering brush for triple-milled soaps" or even "I want my first brush ... a good introductory badger brush."
See above. I'd like a medium-sized brush with a good amount of heft and density that works well with soaps. I'm not averse to a boar brush, but I'm not (currently) a face latherer and my skin is pretty sensitive, so I don't want something that's stiff or scritchy.
Brush aesthetics ... kind of a rough, catch-all phrase meaning "tell us more about what you want in the brush". Maybe you want a long skinny handle? or a handle that's easy to grip when wet and covered in tather? Material and colour? Overall appearance? Do you want "heft"? If you tell us the bruah has to have a black handle, we'll not bother you with white-handled options!
I want something with heft, but I don't have gargantuan hands, so nothing long or skinny. I'd prefer a stout handle with some weight, but, being completely inexperienced in the ways of brush-buying, I can't offer any insight into the type of material that best fits this description. I couldn't care less about color - at this point, it's all about function and not at all about form. And of course, I don't want something that's going to slip out of my hands...
# Budget. If SWMBO has given you $80 for the brush, there's not much point in us telling you that a Plisson HMW is exactly what you need.
Here's the fun part - I'll be asking my parents for the brush, so money is - theoretically - not an object. However, this doesn't mean that I'm going to run out and ask them for a Simpson 2-Band Super - just because I've got my driver's license doesn't mean I need a Maserati for my first car. Value is more important than price, but if I had to put a number on it, I'm comfortable with asking for something up to $120.
Size matters .... if you like small brushes, or large, or medium ... or whatever ... let us know and we can direct you.
Medium.
Brushes that have already piqued your interest .... if you are trying to decide between *this* brush and *that* brush .... doubtless you'll tell us and maybe even give links to the brushes. This is good not only so we can tell you in our experiences which of the two brushes best meets your needs, but maybe we know a third, fourth, fifth ... that are even better.
Recommendations on the other thread include a Semogue 1305, C&E BBB, and Rooney 3/1. On the higher end, just from the review section, the Savile Row 3824 Silvertip (http://www.qedusa.com/savile-savile-3824-silvertip-badger-24mm-knot-p-137.html), Simpson's Colonel X2L (http://bullgooseshaving.net/sicox2linbeb.html), and Shavemac 177 Finest Badger (http://westcoastshaving.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=28_30_33&products_id=350) have piqued my interest...but what the hell do I know?
Please don't forget to tell us that this will be your last or only brush, and that "SBAD hasn't really gotten ahold of me." We need a good laugh.
This brush will be the alpha and omega of my shaving universe from now until the end of times, or at least until something else catches my eye and I have some money burning a hole in my pocket.
This is (somewhat) cross-posted over at the Clinic/Check-in forum - I figured this was a more appropriate place to get a range of opinions. I'm brand-spanking-new to DE shaving (about one week/five shaves in) and, fortuitously for me, picked up my new hobby/obsession about a month before my birthday. The obvious benefit to this situation is that I can milk my loved ones for all kinds of new toys, especially because I never ask for birthday gifts. The obvious disadvantage is that due to my inexperience, I really don't know what to look for in a product - quality isn't so much a concern as value, and I don't want to buy a "name" just to have a "name."
This disadvantage is particularly acute when it comes to purchasing a brush. It's pretty overwhelming to digest the brush jargon, especially the nature and importance of the various measurements. All that said, I'll stick to doc's guidelines about soliciting brush-buying advice and hope for lots of feedback.
Your existing harem of badgery beauties! ... tell us what brushes you already have (if any) and what qualities about each you like or dislike
Not a harem, a stable, or even a team...I got a Vulfix 1000a Pure Badger in my rush to build a den and probably overpaid for it. It's probably unfair to grade a brush after a handful of shaves when my technique is wanting, but I have some definite likes and dislikes.
Likes: Even though I'm still learning to build proper lather, I feel like I've done pretty well for myself thus far; I've practiced lathering even when I'm not shaving, and get more than enough for a three-pass shave from an almond-sized drop of Bigelow cream. I don't have anything to compare it against, but the Vulfix seems to hold water well and doesn't feel "scritchy" on my face. I haven't had any issues with the smell - it took on the cream smell after three shaves, so that's a plus.
Dislikes: Heft! The handle is small, plastic, and cheap feeling. I want something with a bit of weight, so recommendations on medium sized brushes would be welcome. The density is also disappointing - I've read through a ton of small brush reviews on this site and the Vulfix doesn't stack up. After my SBAD kicks in I'll probably relegate this to travel brush status.
Your lathery leanings ... mostly this means do you use soaps or creams? Do you facelather or lather in a bowl? Those answers can often influence the type and size of a brush
I'm asking for a Dirty Bird Scuttle as part of my birthday haul, so it's bowl lathering for the foreseeable future. I'm currently using Bigelow cream and will continue to do so for the next month because it's universally recommended to stick with a consistent setup at the beginning, but I'll be switching to soaps after that. I have an unopened jar of Tabac calling my name from my bathroom counter and have resisted placing mass orders from Mama Bear and SCS over the last two weeks. Hooray for self-restraint, I guess.
What you want from your next brush .... now that you've told us which brushes you have (see above), tell us what you want from your new brush ... "firmer than my Vulfix ... smaller than my Polo 8 ... not as prickly as my boar-hair brush ..." You get the idea. Maybe you can't compare this to a brush you already have .... "I want a scrubby facelathering brush for triple-milled soaps" or even "I want my first brush ... a good introductory badger brush."
See above. I'd like a medium-sized brush with a good amount of heft and density that works well with soaps. I'm not averse to a boar brush, but I'm not (currently) a face latherer and my skin is pretty sensitive, so I don't want something that's stiff or scritchy.
Brush aesthetics ... kind of a rough, catch-all phrase meaning "tell us more about what you want in the brush". Maybe you want a long skinny handle? or a handle that's easy to grip when wet and covered in tather? Material and colour? Overall appearance? Do you want "heft"? If you tell us the bruah has to have a black handle, we'll not bother you with white-handled options!
I want something with heft, but I don't have gargantuan hands, so nothing long or skinny. I'd prefer a stout handle with some weight, but, being completely inexperienced in the ways of brush-buying, I can't offer any insight into the type of material that best fits this description. I couldn't care less about color - at this point, it's all about function and not at all about form. And of course, I don't want something that's going to slip out of my hands...
# Budget. If SWMBO has given you $80 for the brush, there's not much point in us telling you that a Plisson HMW is exactly what you need.
Here's the fun part - I'll be asking my parents for the brush, so money is - theoretically - not an object. However, this doesn't mean that I'm going to run out and ask them for a Simpson 2-Band Super - just because I've got my driver's license doesn't mean I need a Maserati for my first car. Value is more important than price, but if I had to put a number on it, I'm comfortable with asking for something up to $120.
Size matters .... if you like small brushes, or large, or medium ... or whatever ... let us know and we can direct you.
Medium.
Brushes that have already piqued your interest .... if you are trying to decide between *this* brush and *that* brush .... doubtless you'll tell us and maybe even give links to the brushes. This is good not only so we can tell you in our experiences which of the two brushes best meets your needs, but maybe we know a third, fourth, fifth ... that are even better.
Recommendations on the other thread include a Semogue 1305, C&E BBB, and Rooney 3/1. On the higher end, just from the review section, the Savile Row 3824 Silvertip (http://www.qedusa.com/savile-savile-3824-silvertip-badger-24mm-knot-p-137.html), Simpson's Colonel X2L (http://bullgooseshaving.net/sicox2linbeb.html), and Shavemac 177 Finest Badger (http://westcoastshaving.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=28_30_33&products_id=350) have piqued my interest...but what the hell do I know?
Please don't forget to tell us that this will be your last or only brush, and that "SBAD hasn't really gotten ahold of me." We need a good laugh.
This brush will be the alpha and omega of my shaving universe from now until the end of times, or at least until something else catches my eye and I have some money burning a hole in my pocket.
