I've seen a lot of brushes selling online for around $200 and more. I've also seen where you can get some really nice bagder knots online for like $20 and put them in a nice restored handle for around $10. I'm sure I must be missing something. Thanks in advance for any info!
What makes some brushes sooo expensive?
- Thread starter Howl1nWolf
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well depends. i buy tgn brush knots, $35-45 each new knot. quality badger.
handles- vintage or buy them from the vendors like whipped dog or the golden nib, aka TGN.
a $200 brush has quality badger, excellent craftsmanship in the handle and assembly. some you can get with initials. For my sisters wedding I bought my brother in law a custom shavemac razor & brush set, name engraved. pricey but timeless and memorable.
handles- vintage or buy them from the vendors like whipped dog or the golden nib, aka TGN.
a $200 brush has quality badger, excellent craftsmanship in the handle and assembly. some you can get with initials. For my sisters wedding I bought my brother in law a custom shavemac razor & brush set, name engraved. pricey but timeless and memorable.
The really expensive brushes are mostly expensive due to the rarity of the badger hair that they use.
Ben
Ben
Try whipped dog shaving. $35 for a silvertip and its handmade 
You will find that expensive brushes have hand tied knots and are made to a little higher standard than "store brand" knots you can get online. Not to bad rap the $20 knots. They are very good for what you pay for them.
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- Thread starter
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Good advice. I think I`ll check out WD or TGN and put together my own. I read in another post to use marine epoxy.Should be interesting.
You might want to spend some time on the brush making and restoration forum to get a handle on what to do.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/54-Brush-Making-and-Restorations
Glad to hear this question asked. Was wondering myself. Thanks for the answers guys.
Thanks for posting this video. It's beautiful. I've got both the cheaper badger brushes and the more expensive ones. And the difference in quality is not and day. A whipped dog $35 brush might be darn good, but it's never going to compare to a Chubby. There's a reason that these companies can charge what they charge and have knowledgeable people, pay for them. It's just simple economics.
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The price is based upon what people are willing to pay. There are different levels of craftsmanship, but no brush is worth $200 to me.
I bought a TGN knot and put it in a handle. It's a usable brush, but nothing special. My Rooney and my Savile Row are light year's ahead of that TGN knot in terms of performance. To a point, you get what you pay for. My most expensive brush is my Savile Row, and it's not where near $200.00.
I find brushes in the $120-130 are the sweet spot for luxury vs cost vs performance.
as Foyle said, you get what you pay for. They are made by artists/makers who will stand behind them. many are customizable at this price point, such as Shavemac and M&F and RV and others, so you will get exactly what you want for the same or less then other production mass produced brushes, so custom handle shape, material and a knot exactly how you want it.
you have to also figure in the # of brushes they are supplying. it's not like you can walk in to a Walmart or Target and pick out a luxury brush, it's still a niche market and you have to pay a premium to get a good handmade item.
as Foyle said, you get what you pay for. They are made by artists/makers who will stand behind them. many are customizable at this price point, such as Shavemac and M&F and RV and others, so you will get exactly what you want for the same or less then other production mass produced brushes, so custom handle shape, material and a knot exactly how you want it.
you have to also figure in the # of brushes they are supplying. it's not like you can walk in to a Walmart or Target and pick out a luxury brush, it's still a niche market and you have to pay a premium to get a good handmade item.
+1
(Though sometimes the "luxury/treat factor" make some of us buy a bit pricier....
)
This statement is generally true, as far as it goes. But it doesn't serve to explain why there are different price/demand curves for different brushes. Most buyers who are willing to pay up and establish the market price at a given level of demand for a Simpson Duke 3 in 2-band Super Badger or Manchurian wouldn't be willing to pay those prices for a Duke 3 in Pure or Best Badger. In part, price disparities are reflective of differences in supply. But there are also significant disparities in demand that reflect differences in the characteristics of the various grades. Not everyone places the same value on those differences, and some don't place any value on them at all. But enough do to establish market price/demand relationships based on what people are willing to pay, which in turn is based on how people perceive value. And perceived relative value is based on discrimination of both objective and subjective product attributes (including reputation, what is "trending", resale value, etc.). In other words, there is something more behind what people are willing to pay than simply what people are willing to pay.
I'm pretty sure that if Simpson Duke 3s in Best suddenly became rare, not many would pay $200 for one. There is a good reason for that. And craftsmanship wouldn't be the issue.
This statement is generally true, as far as it goes. But it doesn't serve to explain why there are different price/demand curves for different brushes. Most buyers who are willing to pay up and establish the market price at a given level of demand for a Simpson Duke 3 in 2-band Super Badger or Manchurian wouldn't be willing to pay those prices for a Duke 3 in Pure or Best Badger. In part, price disparities are reflective of differences in supply. But there are also significant disparities in demand that reflect differences in the characteristics of the various grades. Not everyone places the same value on those differences, and some don't place any value on them at all. But enough do to establish market price/demand relationships based on what people are willing to pay, which in turn is based on how people perceive value. And perceived relative value is based on discrimination of both objective and subjective product attributes (including reputation, what is "trending", resale value, etc.). In other words, there is something more behind what people are willing to pay than simply what people are willing to pay.
I'm pretty sure that if Simpson Duke 3s in Pure Badger suddenly became rare, not many would pay $200 for one. There is a good reason for that. And craftsmanship wouldn't be the issue.
I've done several restorations using different TGN knots, and they were fine, but none of them felt as good to me as Simpsons Best Badger. My four Simpsons (Case, Commodore X1 and 2 Colonel X2Ls)are relatively inexpensive brushes, all in Best Badger. I prefer them to the much more expensive Kent B&B SE that I used to have. I judge brushes on how they perform, how they feel on my face and to a lesser extent, how the handle looks and feels. I won't pay a lot for a brush just because it is rare or expensive. I definitely like the very dense, medium loft, medium size brushes that have some backbone and a little bit of scritch. I think the Colonel X2L is just about perfect. The Case and Commodore X1 are a little small but work great and fit in a Cella container very well.
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What makes some brushes sooo expensive?
The price.
Last time I laughed that hard may have been the first time I watched Spinal Tap.
