Hi Im wondering if I can get by with only one shaving brush or will I need a collection of brushes with different characteristics?
Have tons, I USE my VDH badger everyday. The rest decorate my den. At first I didnt want to wear out my $100.00 plus models, then I got the VDH badger brokeen in so sweet, I just prefer it now.
My latest purchase was an Art of shaving fine badger, cost me a fortune and SUCKS, floppy, seperates, wipes off more lather than it leaves. My wife is so tired of hearing me gripe. She keeps telling me to send it back.
Of course you only need one. I have two though. A HIS Synthethic and a Omega boar. I'm happy with just those. I've never gotten a case of BAD (I had RAD bad though). I need no badger because I have the HIS which I find performs similarly. I use the HIS for bowl lathering creams and the Omega for face lathering soaps. I find they are best used for those purposes.
If it was expensive and it sucks I would listen to the wife hahaha. I think some companies have bad quality and try to pass it off as something great because of its name. Maybe u had bad luck and got the only bad brush made, or maybe it just sucks and u paid a fortune for a pretty worthless piece of... Brush =P
I wont do it again, from here on I'll use what works. I don't mind paying for quality, but it would be nice to get what you pay for. Every now and then you get a product or good that far surpasses the cost. Tweezerman, Omega ang VDH are good examples. And yea, the wife is right.
I share fram's point of view on brushes, I'm over it. Razors I can never get enough of. Brushes, Im done. Until I wear out the badger I have now, I have no desire to add to the decorations in my den. Mugs, the same way. I prefer apothecarry and have several, I also have mugs of all shapes and sizes. Done on those too. Razors? Yea, allways on the lookout for my next prize.
I have three. An Edwin Jagger best badger I bought when I first started back shaving. (I wore a full beard for over 25 years.) the second is a Shavemac silvertip badger that I paid a wad for but would do it again in a heartbeat. I'll give the EJ to my 12 year old when he starts shaving, but I may be buried with the 'Mac. The third is a Jagger best badger travel model in a stainless steel tube. I've been tempted to try out a boar but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
I have a perfect 7 and rotate every day...do I need 7? Nah...Just one or perhaps 2 to let the other fully dry between shaves.
In my opinion, boars are no better or worse, just different. IMO boars are for lack of a better word, rougher. Not uncomfortable, they just seem kinda stiffer, stronger, hard to describe. Ill stand by rougher. Complete different feel.
You only NEED 12. But why stop there? So many to try! Badger, Boar, Horse, Unicorn. Make it a policy to obtain 1 every month or two until you run out of space. Then build a new shelf...
Everyone knows that badgers are disease spreading vermin and I consider it my duty to see that I rid the Earth of as many as possible. To save the children of course.
Im also tempted to try the boar, just because it is different. It looks rougher actually, almost so that i think it would Wipe off more lather than it leaves. But I cant afford to collect hahaha, at least I cant buy one once a month. I told myself I have to controll my spending. Last purchase was an alum block
Okay, you only need one brush, but the same goes for razors, aftershaves and soap or cream. One is enough. Hm. Should be enough. But it ain't. Not by a long stretch. Do you need only one set of clothes? One pair of shoes? More razors, more brushes, more soaps & creams, more aftershaves let you enjoy the difference between each utensil. Today you might feel like using one and tomorrow you might feel more like using another. Enjoy. But if you are happy using one brush that is great as well.
I think how many brushes or razors or even soaps/creams you need depend on a couple of things...There is no wrong or right!! 1) What stage of shaving are you in Beginning,Middle or End may make a difference...Certainly in the beginning(unless you get lucky ) you need more than one of eveything because your trying things out to see what fits you best, middle is the same thing, only less because you've tried so much stuff by now,in the end probably one or two will be more than enough "UNLESS".. 2) Of course that brings us to the "type" of shaver you are..A rotation shaver who likes to use different items to accomplish the same task or the guy who likes to use/do the same equipment/product day after day because you know how it will work, it works so well and you find the consistency comfortable.. 3) The different AD's come into play also(which ones do you have), as does the amount of money you can afford to spend on your equipment.. 4) The experimenter who knows what works for him,but has the need to try different things just because... Ahhhhh So many choices to mix and match I LOVE THIS HOBBY!!!
