I'm trying to get some gear together to start wet shaving. Any recommendations for a starter brush? I don't want any synthetics and I'd prefer very little to no scratch. Also cheaper is more convenient, but I don't want quality to drop with the price. What did you guys start with and how did it end up for you? Have you upgraded since then, and what did you upgrade to? Also would you or do you still go back to your first brush? All input is much appreciated Thanks, Alex
Alex, Some one told me you won't fall in love with your first brush, I think that's true. But I'm going to tell you one brush you should have that you will love! And it's under $10.. An Omega 10066. It's going to be scratchy at first, after about 10-15 uses it'll be soft. You'll love this brush as much as I do. Kerry
I just loove silvertip badger. It is probably the least scratchy type of brush. You can get one pretty affordably at www.whippeddog.com. Many of us have bought from this site, with good results.
I started with the lowly Burma Shave brush, after that ... well just look through my threads. Well again, it goes back to what you want to experience in a brush or your user mode. Here is how to determine your user mode. 1. Do you want to face lather, bowl lather, or both? 2. Do you want to have strong backbone, moderate backbone, or weak backbone? 3. Do you want ultra soft tips, tips that are soft with slight scritch, tips with moderate scritch, or tips that ex-foliate strongly (close to scratch)? 4. Do you want natural or synthetic? 5. If you want natural do you want Badger, Boar or Horse? Now please answer all five of these questions (unless you choose synthetic in question #4 then you can skip #5). At that point we can better deal with what you really want in your price range with a better understanding what what your parameters are rather than by haphazard guessing. As Kerry said earlier, "you won't fall in love with your first brush" and it is true. You may be nostalgic but eventually you will begin to know what you want over time and that will lead you to another brush.
My first badger brush was a Tweezerman. It served me well for a year or so until I got Brush Acquisition Disorder.
Totally agree with this one. You can not go wrong with an Omega. The price is great and so is the quality.
After using a brush that came with my Burt's Bees shaving mug for a few years I bought a Frank Shaving silver tip. It has been a really good brush and I still use it every now and then. You can find them on eBay at different price levels.
Buy an inexpensive boar (sold as a horse, but a great brush at a great price) go to bestshave.net. Omega has nice low priced synthetics and badgers, and do try a horse. They'll make a great rotation, won't cost much. When you find your true love you can go high end.
If its a starter brush for boar or snythetic go Omega, if you want a badger got for a Frank Shaving finest
Hi there! Highly suggest Omega 10066, or something similar. Great price, no scratch, and very soft tips after few uses. Tried other brushes, ended going back to my Omega. Nothing is this soft and performs better at a low price point (i personally can't let myself spending more than $20 on a brush).
Those brushes looks very much as boar, and not horse. Anyway, this might be a good thing, as, honestly, i wouldn't recommend horse hair brushes. They feel scratchy and they are more "delicate" than boar, badger or synthetics, requiring a special technique, as you might break some of them by using the popular "swirl" moves. I know i broke my Vie-Long after about 20 uses, so yea, not gonna spend my money on them anymore.
I've come to realize that my favorite brush (for face lathering) is my lowly, but well used Omega Pro 48. I would choose this $12 brush over a much more expensive Silvertip for my preferred way of lathering.
Hi Alex and welcome to The Shave Den! Your question is easy for me to answer. I agree with Albert, a 10048 is hard to beat. But if you'd like something a bit smaller and a bit less expensive then here you go.. Nobody beats Omega for value. It's not overly large or small, and the handle is very easy to hang onto. This brush is incredibly soft right out of the box. It will last for many years, and is very reasonably priced. Works well with hard soaps, soft soaps, and crèmes.
Do try an inexpensive Vie-Long horse. I face lather and if I only had one brush it would be a Vie-Long. The great quality brushes from BestShave are boars, not horse as they are sold.
The one piece of advice I would give is to not get a cheap badger as your first brush. I went this route and wish I had gotten an Omega or similar instead. The Whipped Dog suggestion is a good one for a badger brush. I also use a horse hair and like it quite a bit.
