Hi all, This is my first post on the forum. I was recently gifted a 3 piece Gillette Double Edge razor from a friend and decided to give wetshaving a try. Having had a beard for several years now, I'm unsure as to whether I'll even be shaving long term and therefore can't justify investing too much money straight up. After buying a cheap 'Badger Hair' brush on a well known auction site (mainly because I liked the handle), I have just received the brush only to find the knot smells like paint... Has anyone had experience buying brushes from China? Would it be unsafe you use this brush on my face after a thorough wash? Perhaps replacing the knot is an option.. I'll include some images of the brush. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks guys. Steve.
Go ahead and use it. Lather up a time or 2 and rinse it out well and then go ahead and use it to shave with.
Welcome to The Shave Den. Give it a few lathers, or do what I do, shampoo it and let it sit for a couple of minute, then rinse. Unfortunately some of the brushes that come straight from China don't hold up well, over time. Yours might. Just buy some good soap, lather up, and enjoy. Please introduce yourself in the Newbie section.
Rinse/soak it in Dawn dish detergent overnight. Then make a few test lathers with it. Many times new brushes will have an odor about them. If you'd like to try a really inexpensive brush check out bestshave.net. Their #6 horse(?) hair is very inexpensive and I've used mine for many years now. Another thing if you want to you can separate the knot from the handle on the #6(you'll have to split the cheap wooden handle) and put it in your nicer Chinese brush handle.
If this one doesn't hold up, think about a synthetic. They can be had inexpensively and work very well
On the third hand, or are we up to fourth yet? Badger, Horse, Synthetic, -> Boar! Then there's Goat, also. Generally badger is the most expensive and tend to have the nicest handles to match. They are also softer of bristle. Not as soft as goat or horse. If you want to try a stiffer scritchier exfoliating brush boar and synthetic offer a generally less expensive option. If you stick with this wet shave program, like many of us you may collect several of these varieties. For evaluation purposes. It has nothing to do with Acquisition Disorders.
Follow the clean-up advice above. Then, go to Whipped Dog and order one of his Silvertips. Your shaving world will change. An inexpensive, not cheap brush.
Yes, follow the above advice,I'm sure that brush will come around and be useful. Watch some You Tube videos on how to make lather, and how to shave in general. And welcome to The Shave Den, a great place to hang out!
There's some great advice on here already, but I will add to it with some specifics. I agree that you should first clean with dawn dishwash soap and give it a go. If it works for you, then great. A lot of these Chinese brushes are simply inferior, however, so if you are looking for another brush...here's what i recommend. From a value standpoint, synthetics are the way to go. Horse hair and boar are typically more expensive and badger tends to be the most. Omega puts out a boar brush called the pro 49 that rivals many top quality brushes and its only about $10. Find them on ebay. Proraso puts out great brushes of many types for around $10 as well. Find on ebay as well. Stirling soap company makes some high quality/low dollar brushes for around $10-$15. Find on the stirling soaps website. If you just have to go with badger, i suggest ponying up a bit more to get something worthwhile. A tweezerman x2 will run about $15 on the 'bay or a nicer edwin jagger badger brush for about $20-$25 on the same site. These will all last much longer and greatly increase the joy factor of your shave. Shave well, my friend
Cleaning has been covered, I would add that you may want to soak the brush in hot water for a few minutes prior to starting your lather. My experience has been that this reduces some of the "scritch" of the brush and makes it feel a little softer.
Thank you for all the advice and warm welcomes. I have given the brush a decent soak and am ready to give it a whirl. Will post a few pics of my setup in the Newbie section too Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
Welcome! If this brush is anything like the cheap Chinese brush that I tried, then you might be wasting your time. Larry from Whipped Dog has a good selection of value for money brushes, as do other reputable vendors. Good luck!
I totally agree with Bobcat. Whipped Dog sell some great brushes at good prices. Oh and welcome to the shave den. Sent from my LG-V480 using Tapatalk
Agree completely, whipped dogs are great bang for the buck. I found an eBay outlet for frank shaving brushes, i got two For next to nothing
Hope this brush works well for you, but if it does not some great inexpensive options are: Plissoft type synthetics ( Maggard, RR, Stirling, Fine, etc.) Omega brushes can be found for around $10 Semogue brushes work quite well and are a good value.
