Which brush to choose!

[JamesBlades]

I'm now about 8 months into my DE shaving journey, and have happily been using a cheap Van Der Hagen Boar brush for pretty much the entirety of that time. I also have an AoS Badger brush that says "Genuine Badger" on it that came with a travel set. The VdH I have does pretty good, but the AoS brush is pretty much worthless as it has absolutely no backbone.

Anyway, I feel like I've reached a ceiling in my shaving and the main piece holding me back from even better shaves and a more enjoyable experience is a quality badger brush. I know very little of quality brushes, so I need advice here.

I enjoy face lathering hard triple milled soaps and am looking for a brush that does well with these and has a great backbone. I've been debating between a Simpson (like the Colonel X2L) and a Silvertip from Whipped Dog in the same price range. Which one do you think would be better for face lathering hard soaps? If I were to go with the Whipped dog, which size should I get? Is bigger generally better? I like the sound of a 30mm knot!

 

[JamesBlades]

I just wanted to add that I know that both choices here are very good brushes. I just want your opinions on which would be better for my intended purpose. If you were new to brushes, which would you choose?

 

[djh]

I am a fan of Simpson's Best hair and accordingly would choose the Colonel (I happen to think that the handle is cool as well) but these are two very different options. Do you prefer your brush to be super-soft or to have some backbone and give a scrubby feel?

 

[JamesBlades]

I am a fan of Simpson's Best hair and accordingly would choose the Colonel (I happen to think that the handle is cool as well) but these are two very different options. Do you prefer your brush to be super-soft or to have some backbone and give a scrubby feel?

I definitely want some backbone, but a soft feel is important too. My VdH boar has plenty of backbone and is very soft and comfortable, but it doesn't lather as good as I'd like.

Would a Whipped Dog in Silvertip in 30mm have plenty of backbone and be soft?

 

[Mick]

I definitely want some backbone, but a soft feel is important too. My VdH boar has plenty of backbone and is very soft and comfortable, but it doesn't lather as good as I'd like.

Would a Whipped Dog in Silvertip in 30mm have plenty of backbone and be soft?

Bigger is NOT better. It takes a lot more work, effort, and product to build a lather with a larger knot. At least for me anyway.... but as my sig says..... YMMV

In the Simpsons line: Case, Special, or Colonel should fit your needs. Get one in "best" badger not "pure" which will be too stiff for what you are looking for.

 

[Monsieur Blaireau]

Another popular choice around here is the Semogue Owner's Club in two band, or finest badger. Its tips are slightly scritchy, at least on mine they are, but it's got plenty of backbone and no mercy for soaps. I ordered mine from Vintage Scent and got a nice price, though delivery takes a while.

Sounds like you won't go wrong any way you choose, though you seem perched above the precipice of a mild acquisition disorder.

 

[JamesBlades]

I'm liking the Simpson Case in Best, mostly because it fits inside that nice little travel container. With that one, I figure I can always use it for travel even after I eventually upgrade it to a nicer brush.

19mm just seems small though. Do any of y'all have one and find that it works well with hard soaps? Is it something I could expect years of use from if used exclusively?

 

[njpaddy]

I've had 8 Simpsons and I personally think there are better Simpsons for face lathering hard soaps than the Colonel. I liked mine but gave it to a friend when I switched from bowl to face lathering. In the Simpson line I would recommend a Duke 2, Duke 3 or Rover. Rover is my favorite hard soap brush, but the knots on the Duke 2 & 3 are very similar. The Berkeley was the best in the less expensive if you don't mind some scritch.

Don't overlook the Silvertip Rooneys. They are great brushes with no scritch. A Rooney 3/1 is right behind my Rover as a favorite hard soap brush. It may not have quite as much backbone as the Rover, but it does a bang-up job with hard soaps. And I prefer the 3/1 over Rover for my occasional cream use. A Rooney 1/1 has become my favorite glycerin mug soap brush and I'm looking to add a Rooney 1/2 or 1/3 to the group soon.

 

[Oscroft]

For lathering hard soaps, Simpson Best hair is hard to beat.

I don't know what Whipped Dog silvertip hair is like, though it gets a lot of rave reviews here, but the various silvertips I've tried have less backbone than Simpson best - I can still get good lather using a silvertip on a hard soap, but it takes a bit of practice.

As for a 30mm knot, I'd forget that idea for now. Some people do like very large knots, but the idea that "bigger = better" is very much a false generalization, and most people go for knots between 22mm and 24mm. The sheer amount of soap that you need to get into a 30mm knot in order to produce lather can make the task harder rather than easier.

Anyway, considering what you have said, I'd be very surprised if you were not delighted with a Simpson Colonel X2L in Best.

 

[Mick]

I'm liking the Simpson Case in Best, mostly because it fits inside that nice little travel container. With that one, I figure I can always use it for travel even after I eventually upgrade it to a nicer brush.

19mm just seems small though. Do any of y'all have one and find that it works well with hard soaps? Is it something I could expect years of use from if used exclusively?

I like my Simpsons Case brush a lot. At first look it may seem small but it is almost the size of the Duke 1 brush. I find that short loft small knot brushes are great face lathering machines.

 

[Owlbass]

In the Simpson line I would recommend a Duke 2, Duke 3 or Rover. Rover is my favorite hard soap brush, but the knots on the Duke 2 & 3 are very similar.

+1. I just got a Duke 3 and I can't tell you how much I love it for hard soaps. That being said the only other brush I've tried is a shavemac silvertip.