Shaving Brushes

Hallucinogen

I've got a quick question for you wet-shavers. I'm switching back to wet shaving after having used an electric for 5 years, and I'm just curious how significant a difference there is between the pure badger and silvertip brushes? Is there that big a enough difference in comfort and lather to warrant the price difference?

Szechuanosaurus

If the price difference is like, $10 sure why not. They last for ages anyway. If it's $100, probably not. I had a shaving brush that may or may not have been badger or imitation badger and it worked fine. It didn't cost $SAUDI ARABIA though.


PS Some modern shaving gels and lotions are every bit as good as (and in some cases possibly even better than) a soap and brush, so long as they force you to lather rather than foaming up automatically. The important features are vigorously rubbing the face so the hairs stand up and providing some lubrication for the razor.

DrZiplock

There was a pretty comprehensive shaving thread here not too long ago.

Pages of information. Hmm..let me see if I can find it.


Edit: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=19969

There ya go.

Mishra

I got my Badger haired brush by buying a "test kit" from art of shaving. They give small samples of their stuff, which is pretty good, and a badger hair brush for $40. I wet shaved for two years after joining the Air Force and loved it but If I may make a suggestion try out some of the stuff by Billy Jealousy. No need for a brush and I get a much better shave which surprised the hell out of me.

Creepy

Never really been into the brushes & I can't stand to shave with electric. One thing I've found that works really well is King of Shaves AlphaGel. It's more expensive than the barbasol crap, made in the UK and not tested on animals. Couldn't believe how much of a difference it made in closeness of shave over the el cheapo cream I used to buy. I think it's $5 or so a tube and the tube lasts me about 6 weeks. You'll have to find a place that carries it though. No go at Walgreens or Target (Target used to). I pick mine up at Albertsons.

I just looked on their home page www.shave.com and they list products there and have a button at the top of the page for free samples but they're for USA only. I think you can order online from em too, but I never have.

I know this sounds like a goddamned commercial & it's not. It's just a really good product. Have recommended it to a few friends and they liked it too.

Hallucinogen

Thanks for all the info, unfortunately everything you guys suggested, I can't get. I live in Canada and I'm not keen on ordering online every time I need to stock up. Thanks, though.

Uncle Long

And you have access to these two different brushes? What's the price difference between them. If the price difference is about a ten dollar disparity than I'd say go with the pure badger hair. Otherwise go with the other, which I am assuming is boar or something similar. The difference exists but is marginal.

Creepy

not extensive list of Canadian retailers:


Mann Soins Masculins, 449 Viger Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, H2Z 1G6

S/HE & Co., 1361 Greene Avenue Westmount, Quebec H3Z 2A5

Studio D K Hair Design, 96 South Pinnacle Street, Belleville, Ontario K0K 2CO


Edit: They do ship to Canada but shipping was $15USD on a $5 product. For 4 tubes, shipping to Canada is almost $23 american, so I guess you save a little but $10 a tube after shipping is kinda pricy.

Proto

http://www.menessentials.ca is a good canadian site to order this kind of stuff from.

JWFokker

Hallucinogen wrote: »

I've got a quick question for you wet-shavers. I'm switching back to wet shaving after having used an electric for 5 years, and I'm just curious how significant a difference there is between the pure badger and silvertip brushes? Is there that big a enough difference in comfort and lather to warrant the price difference?

I'd write something up for you, but Wikipedia's got it already done for me:

Wikipedia wrote:

Bristle Load

A shave brush's value is determined more by its bristle load than any other factor. Prices range from $5 synthetic brands to $800 top-of-the-line brands made of the finest badger hair.

Synthetic shave brushes, made most often with bristles of nylon, comprise the lower end of the price and quality range. Detractors of synthetic materials criticize their poor water-holding capacity, their prickly feel, and difficulty in making a high-quality lather. Synthetic/natural blends combine boar's hair with synthetic bristles and do not greatly affect the quality of lather produced. Boar's hair is often as stiff and "prickly" as synthetic bristle, but has a higher water retention capacity, resulting in a fuller and more effective lather. However, boar's hair has a tendency to break more readily than synthetic bristles.

Proponents of wet shaving claim that badger hair is the finest and most luxurious material possible. The water retention capacity, smooth sensation on the face, and durability have are not been matched by other synthetic or natural materials. Three common gradations of badger hair exist: "pure" badger, "best" badger, and "super" (or "silvertip") badger. While some companies insist on using other gradations (for example, Vulfix's high-end brushes distinguish between "super" and "silvertip"), these three are commonly accepted among wet shavers and are most often used to describe the quality of a shave brush.

[edit] Pure Badger

Pure badger is the term used to describe badger hair brushes using the most common hair from the underbelly of a badger, the hair which covers around 60% of a badger's body. This hair varies greatly in softness, pliability and color. Pure badger hair is usually dark in color, but fluctuates from a light tan to a near-black or silvery sheen. The hair is coarser than 'best' or 'silvertip' hair due to its larger shaft. Brushes made exclusively with pure badger hair cost significantly less than finer badger hair.

[edit] Best Badger

Best badger is the term used to describe brushes made with the finer and more pliable hairs from 20 - 25% of the badger's body. It is longer in length and lighter in color than 'pure' badger hair. A 'best' badger brush is more densely filled with hair than the 'pure' badger brush and will produce a correspondingly greater lather. However, some wet shavers argue that the variance between the quality of a 'pure' and a 'best' badger brush is negligible.

[edit] Super Badger

A super badger brush is a more expensive than either 'best' or 'pure'. While some call this hair 'silvertip', it is often highly graded 'pure' hair bleached on the ends to resemble silvertip.

Though it is comprised of 'pure' badger hairs, 'super' is graded and sorted to such a degree that its performance is superior to that of 'best'. The brush is not prickly.

One way to determine if a brush bears a 'super' or 'silvertip' badger hair load is to look at the color of the bristle tips. A true 'silvertip' brush has tips that are an off--white. A 'super' brush on the other hand has bristle tips that are a more sterile, slightly greyed white; moreover, the light color of the tips does not extend as far down the shaft of the hair.

[edit] Silvertip Badger

Silvertip badger is the most expensive and rare type of badger hair. The tips on this hair appear white naturally, without bleaching. A "flared" bristle load gives results in the 'silvertip' brush's fluffy appearance and lends the brush its ability to hold a large amount of water. Due to its water retention capacity, a 'silvertip' brush can create well-formed shaving lather quickly and easily.

Some manufacturers such as Plisson, Simpsons and Rooney sell shaving brushes in a grade beyond silvertip. While the names these companies give this 'extra silvertip' vary, the properties remain fairly consistent between manufacturers as compared to the 'ordinary silvertip' brush. These brushes differ in appearance (the tip is whiter and extends further down the shaft; additionally, the hair under the tip is pure black as opposed to dark grey in color) and feel (the extra silvertip feels slightly firmer and less "prickly" on the face when lathering).

Brushes made of 'extra silvertip' with a high-quality handle can sell for as much as $500 USD.

You can even use an $8 boars hair brush and it won't make a bit of difference when it comes to shave quality, you just have to add more water to your mug when you lather.

Oh, and here's a pretty comprehensive article on brushes from one of the authorities on wetshaving.

http://www.classicshaving.com/articles/article/590351/5618.htm

And another one from the most prominent expert on wetshaving:

http://www.shaveblog.com/?p=136