What's All the Fuss About?

[SparkyLB]

I thank everyone for their excellent replies. Epiphany is a bit strong, but I had a realization. I love my $12 brush. From the pics in the stickies, it always appears to be in bloom, even when dry (which might indicate something negative for all I know), but I like how it feels, it creates and distributes lather wonderfully, and always smells great when I pick it up. I realize the scent thing is probably not unique. And also know the funk of some natural hairs like boar--I don't think the handle would make it through an autoclave!

From what I gather through reading only--not experience; is that silvertip is softer, holds more water, and will perhaps cover a tad more area. From the responses here and my preference, I think I'll miss the scrinch of a "lesser" quality brush. Part of the pleasure of my cheap brush is that it lathers my face and massages it at the same time. I hypothesize that stimulation makes my hairs stand up a bit more.

I'm going to hold on to my brush until I find a compelling reason not to. It performs its job as it should, and that's good enough. Do I have to add a disclaimer that as time goes by, one day I will find an excuse to get a new brush? One day. Not today.

 

[kingfisher]

I have tried badger brushes of all grades, boar brushes, and a bunch of synthetics.

For ME, and MY tastes, I actually prefer my synthetics to any natural brush I've tried. That said, fine badger and good boar brushes work just fine and have their own delights.

Synthetics work best for me because they don't have to be soaked, they produce a good lather faster, they are soft on my face, and they dry very quickly. If any of those qualities are important to you, you might want to try a synthetic brush. They are quite inexpensive, so not much lost if you find it doesn't suit you.

They are fantastic for travel because of their quick drying, as well. I am fond of my Sagrada Famiglia (might actually be Sagrada Familia, not sure) brush by Yaqi; it's a mid-sized, mid-grade synthetic that would be a good starting point and it's dirt cheap.

 

[Markdad2]

^^^^
This

I've paid stupid amounts of money for brushes only to discover my two favorites are an Omega boar and a Simpson Trafalgar synthetic.

Experimentation is all part of the shaving journey.

I have both brushes, the Omega Boar is my favorite. Thanks for your advice, now I don't have to waste money on brushes like I did trying to find the one razor. Damn this hobby!

 

[Scrubby]

Thank you, @macintoshBR. My $11 brush makes superb lather, and I rather like the scrinchy feeling borne of what might be a lack of quality. I suppose it's all subjective. I'm starting to think that where the money goes will depend on the day.

Lately, next item in line is Myrsol Emulsion in Limon. Next might be a Chevalier. After that, a fair chance of a divorce.

In my experience you will not get better lather from an expensive badger than from a cheap boar, but the face feel (“luxurious feeling”) will be better, and you might enjoy having nice handmade brushes for your shave. If you want functionality go for boar/synthetic. When you want luxury far in the domain of diminishing returns go for a large limited edition Manchurian badger from Simpsons or similar extravaganza.

 

[SparkyLB]

Thank you, Scrubby. BTW, your signature is hilarious!

 

[ShaverAZ]

I fell for the tale that you "gotta go badger, or go home", and that 'spendy is better'. While I do have several badger brushes that I would be happy with if they were all i had, I discovered many years ago that even the cheapest synthetics perform amazingly well, are easier to use, lather quicker and are easier to maintain than badgers.
There are so many variables governing 'quality' of badger brush that go beyond just bristle quality. Often a fancy handle adds more cost than the actual knot.
Synthetic costs, OTOH, are influenced more by cool looking handles than by bristle quality - they they all perform about the same no matter the cost.
My cheapest synthetic outperforms any of my badgers, even though they aren't by any means all that spectacular looking.
My ideal brush would be a turned birdseye maple or other fancy wood handle. And it would have a synthetic knot.

 

[musicman1951]

Thank you, @macintoshBR. My $11 brush makes superb lather, and I rather like the scrinchy feeling borne of what might be a lack of quality. I suppose it's all subjective. I'm starting to think that where the money goes will depend on the day.

Lately, next item in line is Myrsol Emulsion in Limon. Next might be a Chevalier. After that, a fair chance of a divorce.

I think it's great that you like your brush - no need for anything else (although I prefer to alternate so they have 48 hours to dry). It's absolutely subjective. Personally, the "scrinchy" feeling would drive me up the wall.

I suppose the only question I have is how you know your brush makes superb lather? Not that it really matters, it obviously gets the job done for you.

 

[SparkyLB]

I think it's great that you like your brush - no need for anything else (although I prefer to alternate so they have 48 hours to dry). It's absolutely subjective. Personally, the "scrinchy" feeling would drive me up the wall.

I suppose the only question I have is how you know your brush makes superb lather? Not that it really matters, it obviously gets the job done for you.

That’s a fair question. I have nothing to compare it to. When I face lather, I perceive a warm blanket of foam the more I intentionally scrinch it, the more it builds. Finally, when I drop a few drops of water on the already loaded brush, the lather becomes even thicker. I keep it quite thin, but it’s there if needed.

 

[SparkyLB]

I fell for the tale that you "gotta go badger, or go home", and that 'spendy is better'. While I do have several badger brushes that I would be happy with if they were all i had, I discovered many years ago that even the cheapest synthetics perform amazingly well, are easier to use, lather quicker and are easier to maintain than badgers.
There are so many variables governing 'quality' of badger brush that go beyond just bristle quality. Often a fancy handle adds more cost than the actual knot.
Synthetic costs, OTOH, are influenced more by cool looking handles than by bristle quality - they they all perform about the same no matter the cost.
My cheapest synthetic outperforms any of my badgers, even though they aren't by any means all that spectacular looking.
My ideal brush would be a turned birdseye maple or other fancy wood handle. And it would have a synthetic knot.

The descriptions I read about Manchurian bridges don’t speak at all. Like a stone, I’m a fan of feedback. From what I read, the white tip is so soft, I can’t see me liking it.

I might try one some day, but it’s not in the cards at the moment.

 

[Phoenixkh]

The descriptions I read about Manchurian bridges don’t speak at all. Like a stone, I’m a fan of feedback. From what I read, the white tip is so soft, I can’t see me liking it.

I might try one some day, but it’s not in the cards at the moment.

Brushes can get expensive, that's for sure... I think of the badgers I have, the one I started with is the least expensive and is very close to the more expensive ones... the Zenith M23 with the copper 506 handle... you can find it in several places, including eBay... that's where I got mine. It has enough backbone that you'd enjoy the scrub, if you decide to head down that road.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

After careful consideration I think the most important thing to consider when buying a brush is how attractive and comfortable the handle is, and whether the colour suits your bathroom decor. Then you will like the brush and will just adapt to whatever the hair feels like.

In terms of hair, if you want to get into that, it’s a very personal thing and like any natural product it is variable and you don’t completely know what you’re going to get unless it is artificially processed until it isn’t really natural any more. So I think you just find the general kind of hair characteristics you’re looking for and then adjust to what you get, or buy others until you get one you really like. The one you like best will probably be kind of random and not necessarily what people recommended, and not the same as other knots from the same brand. My favourite knots are lucky anomalies.

If you bowl lather then the hair doesn’t matter very much. If you face lather then face feel, stiffness, splay, etc. are more important, but we still all like different things. I usually prefer 3-band badger hair over 2-band because it is reasonably floppy, usually feels natural and interesting, and splays gently. I think 2-band and unnaturally white tips are more for show and I don’t personally get why ‘backbone’ is a desirable quality. But that’s just me. Others may enjoy a firm, scrubby feel, and less natural tips, though I don’t find backbone is at all necessary for building a good lather.

You might be able to get an approximate sense of how a particular hair often behaves based on the brand and hair classification, but words like ‘manchurian’, ‘high mountain white’, ‘silvertip’, ‘finest’ are just marketing terms and they don’t mean the same thing across different brands. The hair you get will still be different from what others got, to some degree, even if it is called the same thing and from the same brand.

I think with higher priced ‘artisan’ brushes what you are usually getting right now is processed 2-band hair that is engineered to look attractive and with tips that are chemically treated to be softer, whiter, and as consistent as possible between brushes. That seems to be the current vogue among affluent shaving enthusiasts, so that’s what the artisans offer. Almost by definition, therefore, your chances of getting a truly natural feeling hair with the characteristics you like is better with lower priced brushes - it’s still a bit of a crap-shoot but artisan brush makers do not offer this at all and their market is more concerned with predictability and consistency. Maybe you don’t want natural feeling hair. Maybe you do.

That’s probably a bit opinionated, and feel free to disagree vehemently, but it’s how I have come to see things after trying a lot of badger brushes of different types. As I say, pick the handle you think looks best and would be comfortable to hold, and you are likely to be pleased with your brush. I am not sure, after all the brushes I’ve tried, that I care enormously about the brush hair.

 

[SparkyLB]

Thank you kindly, Mr. Shavington!

 

[Phoenixkh]

I think we all have different interests in this hobby.. hopefully, not all at the same time... as far as purchases go...unless one can afford several rabbit holes at once. You are having fun exploring the different honing options at the moment. The brushes can wait until they come off the back burner, if they ever do. There are tons of great brush threads here. I've read most of them from 2019 or so. That gave me a foundation for my brush searches and subsequent purchases. So if the time is ever right for you and brushes, that will be another fun journey.

 

[SparkyLB]

I'm learning quickly that the future is about the only time when one knows something is "about to become important." At the moment, brushes are on the bottom of my list. If I were to build on anything, it would be first on hones, next on SRs. Brushes would be likely next.

Life is good. With luck there will be plenty of time to ponder these future purchases--and make them.

 

[ShaverAZ]

Thank you, @macintoshBR. My $11 brush makes superb lather, and I rather like the scrinchy feeling borne of what might be a lack of quality. I suppose it's all subjective. I'm starting to think that where the money goes will depend on the day.

Lately, next item in line is Myrsol Emulsion in Limon. Next might be a Chevalier. After that, a fair chance of a divorce.

I've got some spendy brushes like your $11 brush, but a couple of favorites are still a pair of $3 Chinese synthetic brushes with birchwood handles.

 

[RouxBlade]

I've got a synthetic and a badger brush. Neither are anywhere near top of the line.

The synthetic feels better and makes lather just fine. I found that each seems to make better lather in each of my 2 soaps. My lathering is still improving though so that could be me learning technique.

I'm going to stick with the synthetic for now unless I can talk my wife into using a SR. Then I'll let her take her pick. And hope she chooses the badger.