You can get an omega 10049 pro boar on ebay for $10, a stirling soap synthetic for 12.99, and a van der hagen set with a badger brush for about $25.
I used two van der hagen (or surrey) boar brushes daily for twenty+ years. I find their boars better than their badgers. Pity all those years, using a brush to half its potential, only because i didnt know any better.
Do you need a brush? No but you can make much better, thicker lather with one than you can with your hand. You dont have to drop a lot of money on a brush. When I first started, I used an Omega boar brush that I paid about $20 for. It wasnt a nice as my $100 Muhle brush but it did the job just fine.
A brush exfoliates your skin and lifts the beard from your face for a better shave. So yeah, a brush helps the shave be better.
I started with a VdH set its 12 bucks at Walgreens. Since then, I have made my own brush and won one at a meet up. But to me my brush also depends on my day. Luke every one else had said, it's your shave enjoy it your way. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
It isn't necessary for the new Clubman Barber Shave Cream, in fact some reviewers said they tried it with a brush, and ended up weakening the brush some. The cream is made to just dip your hand(s)in, and rub it on your face, neck, etc.
Isn't that sort of like saying cars are too expensive when you can just walk? As others have pointed out, you can get some damn fine brushes for under twenty bucks. It's also all relative to how much cash you have to spend and what brings you happiness and joy. A $200 brush might not be much different performance-wise than far cheaper brushes but if it gives you joy to spend that much on a brush, more power to you. Plenty of luxury cars and homes are "too expensive" when compared to more affordable alternatives but the act of splurging itself brings joy to a lot of folks.
I thought the first rule of your shave was not to talk about your shave? (and coincidentally the second rule as well... )
It is your shave so you have the right to do it any way you so choose. However, there are many other, in fact most of the members here prefer the traditional wetshaving way, myself included.
For me using a brush its easier to spread lather evenly. I also prefer to use a brush because I like the whole ritual of traditional shaving. That's me tho. It's always said on here "it's your shave" so you do what you like
Ummm.....there is no comparison. And synthetic brushes as well as boar brushes can be had very cheaply. About the price of 2 or 3 lunches at the work cafeteria or one movie with the wife. That's just my opinion, though; I could be wrong.
historically brushes as we know them are not very recent.... originally it would have been rubbing a wet piece of soap in the hands and rubbing the created lather on your face for the shave. I have seen some good medieval renassiance artwork that shows a shave brush composed of just strips of rags, and its considered fact that for a long time, folks simply rubbed a wet cloth on the puck of soap to generate lather.
Sometimes I am just too lazy to use a brush . I will use Nivea (in a can ) , Speick, Goop, or even a nice puck of shaving soap and use my hands to lather. It works for me,
Shave with a brush, or shave without. That's like, make a cup of coffee in a vintage Wearever dripolator, or have some swill from starbucks. It's not the destination, it's the journey.
Rubbing a rag for a period of time will produce lather. There's no replacement for the brush experience. Bbs can be had many ways. As far as being a necessity for lather, it's not.
