What type of brush?

[chamm]

Ok, I know this is a cliché question, but I know relatively little about brushes. I started wet shaving in July, and through lots of trial and error, and buying 20 different razors, I finally found the blade/razor combo that's perfect for me. I don't have the cash to go through that many brushes...

I currently have 2 brushes; my first was the $6 boar brush from Wal-Mart which I used about 3 times. It was so stiff and hard, it nearly took my skin off. The other is a Parker Pure Badger that I've been using since. It's really OK, but I'm eyeing some of the brushes in this forum and wondering if an upgrade might be in order. I'm a 100% stick/face latherer, and the Parker whips up a nice creamy lather pretty easily, but feels a little large and floppy. I'm gathering that the floppier brushes excel in a bowl rather than on the face. I look at the Simpson Chubby with envy, but I think it's probably a bit out of my price range. Even if I could sell a few of my razors to fund it, I'd be pretty upset if I spent that much and hated it. Knowing my two reference points, what should I be looking at in brushes? I like the feel of a stubbier handle. Would I get better results from something a little stiffer? Maybe something smaller? How are the horse hair brushes? Should I be looking for a big, fat, dense knot? What kind of loft should I be looking at?

I know it's a lot of questions packed in a small space, but I'd like to find the right brush faster than it took me to find the right razor/blade combo.

 

[Matt_Bloodletter]

There are a million choices out there but it is not complicated. Pure badger is a great improvement over boar (there, I said it) but what you need is a step into Best. The Simpsons bests are generally quite dense and will give a great feeling of luxury.

Then comes size - I prefer a medium to smaller brush. Those big brushes sounds good but for face/palm latherers like me, I think a medium is perfect. Do you face lather or bowl? My thinking is that a brush has a number of miles in it, why not use it on my face rather than in a bowl!

For all intents and purposes, an excellent, upper end brush for an upgrade is a Duke 2 or 3, or a Colonel or virtually any of the mid size Simpsons. I'd suggest keeping an eye on deals on here where the seller describes the brush as a non-shedder.

There are plenty of other options out there including dirt cheap numbers on the bay but I can't speak to those. A Simpson will be a prized possession.

 

[aihpcfl]

Actually, if you had broken in that boar you may have liked it.

But I'm not a brush aficionado. My regular is a EJ silvertip. It's great. That's all I got on the subject.

 

[DTrem5]

I suggest a Simpsons Duke 3 for sure. Its a pretty good one for face lathering creams or soaps. Shavemac's are really good deals and he fed ex's them to you for a pretty good price. I bought the D01 silvertip that is listed under "powerful ones" and its a really nice face lathering brush.

I found after doing the soap "break in" thing they recommend here and a few shaves too, my Semogue 830 and 610 have quickly become favorites of mine. They have nice acrylic handles and get pretty soft after breaking in. They carve soaps awesome. I use them mostly for the Italian soft soaps like Cella and Prep because they just seem to go perfect with them.

 

[chamm]

Those Shavemacs look superb, but there are so many customizable options, and I'm a bit at sea. It sounds like I'd do best with short loft, fan shaped cut, but when it comes to knot size, I'm lost. I'd love to be able to see and touch these, but there aren't any retailers near me who carry wet shaving supplies, apart from Art of Shaving, and I've never liked any of the brushes I've seen there. Looking at the different sizes, it's really difficult to gauge which ones might work best for me just by looking. And while I think the way I hold the handle would lend itself to a stubby type brush, I really don't have much idea what the different shapes would feel like in my hand.

Just wish there were retailers out there that had selections of these on display so that I could make an informed choice without buying 10 brushes.

 

[DTrem5]

I bet you that you can find MANY people on here who will recommend the Duke 3s. Maybe even a Simpsons Classic 2. These are a face latherers dream!

I suggest going to thesuperiorshave.com website. This guy knows his brushes and he really has nice write-ups on each brush on his website. I emailed him a few times and he was really nice and informative.

 

[August West]

I think the Omega Boars are excellent face lathers.

 

[AABCDS]

B&B Essential

 

[chamm]

Great recommendation on thesuperiorshave.com. Looks to be a most excellent resource.

I'm also thinking about an Omega 346235 Synthetic. Looks to be somewhat stubby-ish. Maybe an inexpensive alternative to a high-end Chubby?

 

[bosseb]

The problem with evaluating brushes is that everybody seems to have a different approach to what is a fact (badger hair vs horse) and how this translates to the user experience (how does it feel on the skin) and how much do I care about it.

I have tried to organize the comparison of some of my brushes here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/359040-Stick-brushes-shootout .

One thing I have found out the hard way is that there isn't necessarily a strong correlation between price and perceived quality.

These are the brushes I compared:

 

[jazzguy]

You're going to get recommendations that are all over the map. It's helpful if you set a budget and stick to it. My favorite face lathering brushes are my Duke 3 best and A Shavemac D01 3 band with a 22mm knot.

 

[Icebear]

Here my best value recommendation for face lathering in three different hair types:

Boar:
A steal of a deal at Vintage scent about $28 incl. shipping for a SOC boar (either ash or cherry wood handle).
Use coupon "forfeitado" for 10%off.

Horse:
Custom fan shape Vie-Long white horse from Gifts and Care

Badger:
TGN finest knot fan shape 24mm / 46-48 mm loft, in a custom RV (Rudy Vey of ultimatependesign) handle.

 

[Mitty]

Well, since you don't want a brush that is too big or too floppy, and are focused on face-lathering, I suggest the Duke 2, if you go the Simpson route. It is a very popular and well-liked brush, at least by me!!

I think your process should be to establish a budget, identify what you don't like in your current brush(es), and find a few brushes that are within your budget and address the shortcomings of your current brush. For example, we know you don't want a large or floppy brush, that's a great start. Go for a shorter and denser loft. What do you think about the handle size and shape of your Parker, and of your cheap brush? Then look for some handles that might appeal to you.

Sorry to sound so didactic, but the choices can be overwhelming so I find it helpful to be methodical about it.

Good luck and enjoy the search!