Why So Many Brushes?

[squank]

As I browse the forums here, I often see collections or references to large numbers of brushes in people's shave dens (and I'm envious!). Sometimes the differences in the brushes are vast -- high versus low loft, wide versus narrow diameter, and stiff/scratchy material versus pliable/soft.... However, sometimes the differences are minor and nuanced (to me, at least). For example, I sometimes see a progression of brushes that look like Russian nesting dolls - each one is only slightly larger or taller than the next.

I'm curious -- and I ask with the utmost respect -- if you have an assortment like this, what led you to choose brushes that seem (again, to me) so similar? What made you seek out a loft that is just 2mm taller than the last brush you acquired? (And, once they are in your den, do you then say, "I feel like the Duke 3 tonight!" or "Given the day ahead, I need the Mondial Heritage?")

I may be naive in my question and I know it basically boils down to personal preference (bless us all!), but I look forward to reading about how and why you built your collection as you did. Thank you in advance!

 

[EclipseRedRing]

Good question - I have about a dozen brushes, the same number of razors, and a lot more vintage soap and aftershave. After I acquired my first items I began to add more so as to add variety to my shave, to keep it interesting. Soon I began to purchase at increasing frequency, as I enjoyed the thrill of buying new things, rather than enjoying the things themselves. I would buy very similar, even identical items, often before the previous purchases had arrived, and could not remember what I bought the previous week or what was awaiting delivery. I soon realised that very few of my purchases provided any real lasting pleasure or satisfaction; I had tried to convince myself that I was a 'collector', but in reality I was simply shopping, just as I would for groceries.

I found that owning too much shaving inventory had removed the fun from shaving and was causing me anxiety, for many others that is not the case. Now I try to be much more selective with my purchases and I have disposed of a lot of stuff. I see many members here with huge collections and I too wonder what they are searching for, in truth it does not matter as long as they derive pleasure from the hobby. We are all looking for different things, the secret is to find out what.

 

[wimbouman]

Guilty as charged.
I have way too many items. At least from a rational point of view.

As for your question, now that I come to think of it, two reasons come to mind.

First, I like to have different types of handles.
For instance, I love the variety within the Simpsons range and it feels like owning a bit of shaving history to own and use some of those iconic designs.

Second, i tend to collect specific knots.
The Selected Silvertip, to name one. Or Wiborg brushes.
I like those a lot, so I buy it whenever available and funds allow.

And as for your questions, 2 mm really make a difference.
A loft of 54 mm can be vastly different from a 52 mm loft.
Espcially when using creams or soaps interchangeably.

But in the end, it's all for fun and hobby and not a necessity per se.

My 2cts.

 

[WThomas0814]

I like boar and I like specific knots (Zenith 507, 27-28x57 and Semogue SOC 24x55). These are all very dense knots. I arrived at these by trial and error.

I also like a variety. I get that from different handles. All told, I have 9 of the above-mentioned knots in various handles. I have them in groups of three, each for a specific soap. I only use three soaps, but I rotate my brushes weekly. This way, each brush gets 72 hours to thoroughly dry, then gets a two week vacation.

I will occasionally throw in large, short, scrubby brushes, but I’ve grown a bit watery of them. That aren’t as good for loading soap in my wee containers, so, I’ve started to reserve them for shaving sticks.

Could I use one brush? Yes, and I did for 15 years. Since shaving became a hobby as well as a necessity, I’ve expanded my collection.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I don't have a lot of brushes by B&B standards, maybe a dozen... I bought a few in different configurations to figure out what I liked. I bought a couple more once I figured out what I liked. I bought a couple just because they were pretty. As it turns out, I like most of them, for different reasons, so I'm glad to have variety.

 

[Mojo88]

I had way too much of everything except cologne. It became an issue of storage and waste. Creams went to waste, soaps were used a couple times and stored and brushes went unused. I gave away all my brushes except for a couple and saved a handful of razors. I made it a priority to use things up before I bought something new. For me it became repetitive, I didn’t see much difference in the new things I was purchasing.

It’s a personal financial question. Can you afford something? I have spent far more on guns, boats and golf than I ever will on shaving. I don’t regret anything I have bought in any category.

As to why people collect? It’s basically because they can and it can be a bit of an obsession at times.

 

[mikhou]

I hear and understand your question. I have 2 brushes - a cheap one off of Amazon and an inexpensive Yaqi off of Aliexpress. I put the Yaqi to the back simply because I'd rather wear out the Amazon one first and then come back to the Yaqi. I'm also down to really only using one razor - a Henson+. I still have a cheap Baili and a pre-war Tech, but I'm considering selling or PIFing the Tech and throwing the Baili in the back of the drawer in case something happens to the Henson. The only other razors that I'd like to try are the Henson++, the Karve Overlander, or the Karve Bison, but it's not absolutely necessary. If I could have them all in my den for a month, I'd probably try them all, choose the best and send the rest back. Bottom line is that I'm a cheap son of a gun, and if what I've got works then I see no reason to change anything.

That being said, I am all for the people on this forum buying whatever they want and hoarding it as long as they want to. If that's what is fun to them, then enjoy it! (And I get to live vicariously through them as they give us razor and brush reports and reviews in the forums.)

 

[AimlessWanderer]

It took me a while to discover what works best for me, and each new discovery, led me to wonder something else...

I started with boars, but kept killing them due to hard tap water and not letting them dry properly, and moved to a few synthetics. After being gifted a badger, and liking it, I found that I really liked the small Simpson pure/best badgers, and ended up collecting all the ones under £40 that I liked the handle shape of.



They actually feel more different in use than they look. I enjoy them all, except the wee floppy Scottie.

Along the way I tried one of the Vulfix London Series mixed hair brushes, and that led to me collecting a few of those too, both in mixed and pure badger.



... plus a few Vulfix Old Original brushes.



It wasn't long before I started wondering about other makes though. So I decided to try a few Jaggers and a few Kent's.





Over time, these accumulations mount up, until one day you put them all together, and it looks ridiculous.



For the most part, barring the exceptions as can be seen in that last pic, I have stuck to "ivory" coloured for the brushes from the Isle of Man, and "ebony" coloured for everything else. So looks wise, they are all of an ilk, but in use they are very diverse in feel, and what handling they need to deliver the best lather.

Any regrets? Not really. I do like most of them, and even the ones I am not overly enamoured with have taught me something. Of all those shown above, having now understood what works well for me, and what doesn't, these are the only ones I am considering getting rid of.



I want to have a few more shaves with each, just to be sure I'm happy to let them go, and then pass on those I'm sure I won't regret parting with. The rest will stay. I do like the mini collections within the overall spectrum, and they do all have their own character and charm.

Yet despite all this, I tend to only pick two brushes to use each month, as two is as much choice as I want to face every time I go into the bathroom to shave.

 

[DrStrange]

The problem is that you can find sincere product endorsements
for almost every brand of brush ever made.

If you whittle it down to just the ones that almost everybody seems to like,
there's still a lot of different ones.

 

[Eric_75]

I only have four brushes. That's enough for me right now.

 

[SgtCrppls]

I have 11 different brushes, I exclusively face lather and shave every other day, since I face lather there are certain great brushes that my face is to sensitive to use.
I use 3 different brushes, Varlet (4), DG (5), Allan Long (1), Mozingo ZT4 (1).
Slight variation in the knots for variety, when I finish using a brush it goes to the back of the line and use the next.

I have one razor WR2 Ti SB 1.25, that I use and 2 different blades, Timor & Perma Sharp

I only use soap from 2 vendors, Grooming Department and Ethos.

This has taken me 3 years to refine my den to its current status.

I only envision making very small changes in the future.


Enjoy the journey.

Doug


PS You can always PM me if there is anything I can help with

 

[ButterfaceX]

It is like pairing a fine wine with great cheese..
or
Behind every successful razor / shave there is one great brush....
or
man, it is just fun to have a variety ....

BFX
If you are not having fun the you are doing it wrong.

 

[Chaucer]

I have 9 brushes--too many, but I'm fond of all of them. Some of the differences are subtle, but they're there.

Eight of them are 2-band or Manchurian badger. I face lather, and I like some stiffness (usually called "backbone" here) and feeling the tips on my skin. My 9th brush has a Muhle STF synthetic knot. It's much softer than the others, but I like it for its own charms. I usually alternate brushes two-by-two--one shave with soap, one with cream, and on to the next brush. The routine is comforting even though I don't always follow it.

Some folks prefer the greater stiffness of boar or pure badger, and others prefer softer, more pillow-like brushes. It's all about what it takes for you to enjoy your shaving experience. There's no right answer and no rush. So try a variety. In the process and over time, you'll figure out what you like. If you sell or give away the others or mothball them, it's OK.

 

[Bsamps]

I’m probably very limited according to B&B standards. I have 5 badger brushes, 3 boars and, 3 synth’s. I try to cycle through them all but, not always. Some sit longer than others however, I like them all. I probably won’t be purchasing any more unless there’s a group buy that I’m allowed to participate in. In that case, I’ll probably get rid of one or two. I admit, I like variety and, that’s the reason I have them.

 

[mikhou]

I have 11 different brushes, I exclusively face lather and shave every other day, since I face lather there are certain great brushes that my face is to sensitive to use.
I use 3 different brushes, Varlet (4), DG (5), Allan Long (1), Mozingo ZT4 (1).
Slight variation in the knots for variety, when I finish using a brush it goes to the back of the line and use the next.

I have one razor WR2 Ti SB 1.25, that I use and 2 different blades, Timor & Perma Sharp

I only use soap from 2 vendors, Grooming Department and Ethos.

This has taken me 3 years to refine my den to its current status.

I only envision making very small changes in the future.


Enjoy the journey.

Doug


PS You can always PM me if there is anything I can help with

I very much identify with this. Use what you love and stick with it. (And early on, you gifted me some blades to try, so thanks again for that. .)

You mentioned being a minimalist with soaps, too. I'm finishing a tube of Palmolive Classic right now to get it done because I prefer Proraso Green. And I like Palmolive; I just prefer Proraso. (Palmolive is more slick, but Proraso has better post-shave feel.) And I'm also polishing off a tub of PdP No. 63. After that, I want to try a Stirling Soap. I anticipate being very pleased with it because of the many reviews, and if I love it, I could see myself just sticking to that for at least a season. I just don't ever foresee hording a bunch of stuff in order to have more options. I'd rather use what I have and then either replace it or try something new.

So, yeah, I'm a minimalist (and a cheapskate) at heart.

 

[gpjoe]

Often there is no rational reason.

Oooh...that one is nice...I like the handle shape...I like that color...I want a specific brand that I haven't tried...what?, that Omega boar is only $15?...I want a vintage brush...I need a butterscotch handle...wow, that one beautiful...I'm bored, I think I'll buy another brush...oooh, it's on sale...boy, that brush gets a lot of positive buzz...I gotta have it!

...at least for me.

I think I've got around 15 brushes, 14 more than I actually need, but none that are very exotic.

 

[shaveandleather]

I used to have multiple brushes, higher end ones. Then one day I just didnt care anymore. None of them feel discernibly different, they all create white goop to take hair off, i think mine is just an old Omega now. I cant tell the difference between it and the simpsons, muhles, plissons i used to own. Usually I just use a brush to rub over my face with some shaving cream, until it lathers, and then drag sharp metal over face to take off hair, and go do something interesting. But YMMV.

 

[thombrogan]

There’s something with my noggin’s reward center.

Also, the Wee Scot I bought is scratchy and has a towering 40mm loft, so it didn’t fill the infinitely void chasm in my soul.

Now, I have a brush with an etched dinosaur on its handle and its colossal 44-46mm loft is tempered by its dummy-thicc 28mm diameter.

I still look at other brushes, but I’m crushed by the overwhelming guilt of looking when I have a soft and scrumptious knot in a handle with a dinosaur skeleton. Only a brush with an ankylosaurus (skeleton or whole) etched in its handle with a 20mm G5A knot set at 36-38mm above the handle (please, @apshaveco , please) would tempt me to buy another (please…).

 

[spacemonkey42]

I swore I wasn't going to fall down the brush-hole, but I did. And I am glad I did. I now like nearly the exact opposite of what I thought I liked originally. I wouldn't have known that had I not tried a bunch of things. Most of what I tried were inexpensive synthetics, so it wasn't a lot of money. Along the way I also learned I was lathering all wrong and learned how to fix that too. So I have more brushes than I need, but I learned a lot along this path.

 

[nemo]

Funny, I was just looking at all my brushes the other day and asked myself this same question ... why so many?
I realized how ridiculous it would look to the normal observer ... huh? But which ones to cull? I love each one.
Well, it will soon begin as I really should pare it down to something reasonable, like 10. OK, 20. ... 25