Wood and Boar??

[Loner16]

I like some of the boar brushes I see, but I question the use of wooden handles.
To my way of thinking, and I certainly could be wrong, very few species of wood get along with water very well on a constant basis.. at least without and awful lot of maintenance and care to keep the wood sealed from the moisture.
Now, I know that boats have been built from wood for eons, and done quite well at it. But again, there is the maintenance issue, and the fact that some discoloration and staining from moisture is not so much of an issue.
So, for those that own brushes with wooden handles... How do you find the wood has held up over time and extended usage??

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

So, for those that own brushes with wooden handles... How do you find the wood has held up over time and extended usage??

I only use boar, and all my brushes have wooden handles. I still have some from my younger days (I used them back then too; started wet shaving with brush again last summer) and they are still good, after many years, and years of use. I did and do nothing special, just dry the handle after use and put the brush in the stand.

 

[KiltedShaver]

From the brushes I've seen, most have a lacquer or varnish that does not allow the water to penetrate to the wood keeping it from discoloring.

 

[gollum83]

Well if it concerns you, you can always buy one with without a wooden handle, but honestly I haven't had any problem with mine.

 

[Thebigspendur]

It all depends. If you are really careful and limit water contact and keep some oil on the wood that would limit any damage over time. On the other hand if you soak your brush in water and allow it to have alot of water contact eventually it will begin to stain and then deteriorate. That's just what happens to wood when its around water.

 

[cooncatbob]

I like some of the boar brushes I see, but I question the use of wooden handles.
To my way of thinking, and I certainly could be wrong, very few species of wood get along with water very well on a constant basis.. at least without and awful lot of maintenance and care to keep the wood sealed from the moisture.
Now, I know that boats have been built from wood for eons, and done quite well at it. But again, there is the maintenance issue, and the fact that some discoloration and staining from moisture is not so much of an issue.
So, for those that own brushes with wooden handles... How do you find the wood has held up over time and extended usage??

Dense tropical hardwood are very moisture resistant and durable.
I don't understand what you mean by high maintenance, I wipe off my wooden handles with a towel before I put them away and after over 3 years they still look as good as when I made and finished them.
As with anything else if a person takes care of their possessions they will last a long time and give faithful service, if you don't take care of your stuff it won't last as long.
Since you have questions about the durability of wood, for your own piece of mind it's probably not the material of choice for you.
The small custom brush makers like Tony at the Penworks/Golden Nip and Rudy Vey are making fantastic brushes out of Synthetic materials.

 

[Loner16]

Dense tropical hardwood are very moisture resistant and durable.
I don't understand what you mean by high maintenance, I wipe off my wooden handles with a towel before I put them away and after over 3 years they still look as good as when I made and finished them.
As with anything else if a person takes care of their possessions they will last a long time and give faithful service, if you don't take care of your stuff it won't last as long.
Since you have questions about the durability of wood, for your own piece of mind it's probably not the material of choice for you.
The small custom brush makers like Tony at the Penworks/Golden Nip and Rudy Vey are making fantastic brushes out of Synthetic materials.

That's good to know about the tropical hardwoods. I have a minimal amount of experience with Teak, but that's about it..
Wood is not my element, and I admittedly have little experience working with it and it's application.

Hence the question... Thanks for all the good answers. Maybe it's really not something to worry about.