How many do you have? (just for fun). Then, could you recommend a good brush for face lathering and a good brush for bowl lathering. I use an Omega high line; a really great all rounder, it is the only brush I own. I really recommend it, but I would like to try a boar brush. I'm drawn to the Semogue 610, I like the style of the brush, with the acrylic handle but it seems a little short. I'm open to all suggestions, I'd like to know your favourites please. Thank-you.
Right now, I have about 40 brushes. Most of them I made myself. Since I started making them, I rarely use a store bought brush. I still have a few, but they rarely get used. I am loving the Maggard knots right now. They are great face lathering knots. The boars are good bowl lathering brushes, but since I gave up bowl lathering a couple of years ago, I am speaking from memory which at my age is not at its best. I put up four of my brushes for sale this month and there is only one left. You can take a look if you like. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/jayaruh-brushes-for-adoption-one-left.50159/#post-1009599
Two badger, one boar, one horsehair, one synthetic. I may consider getting a silvertip/high mountain badger at some point. My boar is the Omega 11575, and is shaping up to be a great latherer. I face lather almost exclusively.
3 boar, 3 synthetic, 1 badger and a few knots waiting on me to stop procrastinating and make handles for them. I am not a bowl latherer but the badger and synthetics seem to work better with a bowl then the boar do.
Without counting I'll guess maybe 20. One badger and the rest are boars. I should probably try a few more badgers. I very rarely face lather so I can't help you there. Favorites include VDH Deluxe boar (white handle), Semogue 1305 boar, and four vintage handles re-knotted with some good stiff boar knots by a fellow TSD member. I like a brush with backbone vs. floppy so a shorter loft seems to work better for me. I also like a longer handle that keeps me from getting my fingers full of lather when I'm working the bowl with gusto.
One badger for home (Parker). One synthetic for travel (Maggard). I think I'll try a boar and then call it done.
9 badgers, 2 boars, and 1 synthetic. It's pretty much a loaded question as which is best for each application. I exclusively face lather, and use all of them. Each type of brush has its own personality, and it's own fans. I always recommend a Omega 10066. It's cheap, breaks in great, and is a good all around brush. My favorite badger is my father in law's old C40 with a 22mm TGN Finest Fan knot. Sounds like you like boars, and I hope you find one that suits your taste.
A dozen or so…or at least thats what I keep in rotation. I've outgrown my 10-brush carousel… Six boar, 3 badger, 3 synthetic.
Same here. The Maggard I got last week will be my "at home" brush, while the cheapie I got with the stand I bought off the 'bay a few months ago will be my "away" brush. Fits perfectly in a little pickle jar my landlady gave me.
First brush was, and still in my rotation, a VDH boar. It hardly sheds more than three or five bristles each shave. The next two I purchased were Omegas boars. A Pro 98, classic handle shape in black with long bristles. Then a Pro 248, looks like a #48 with chromed handle, but the dyed bands to mimic a badger coloration. I do enjoy all the boars for face lathering. My most expensive brush is a Vulfix 660S Medium Super Badger. It seems to do best bowl lathering, especially creams. I got it in a trade with @BigCabDaddy . I hope he enjoys the Gillette Slim Adjustable
Brushes have turned into my total, BAD. From what you say, I recommend two -ish: the Semogue 610/20.. 820/30... Any of them will treat you well. Just be prepared to have to break it in hard for a month or two. It will be a real treat after. I always say that my 830 looks like a new kind of road-kill after every shave. But I always towel buff it out later and it earns/keeps its place up on top. I LOVE IT! If you want to go Badger, I will totally recommend going to TGN (The Golden Nib) and getting a "Two Band" Finest knot. Handle options are limitless, but TGN used to sell them installed if you want, Whipped Dog will sell you the handle, a dozen x2 different artisans will sell you a handle, and you could end up with a serious performer of a two band badger for under fifty bucks. (Whatever you do, please remember this part of the advice before you spend big coin on badger; You just maybe wanna dip in slow, and TGN is a great place to start...) Synthetics are seriously good performers; maybe outperforming everything else, if you don't want any scrub feel to your face. If you like or envision the softest thing ever on your face, you are in serious luck. Maggard Shaving, Stirling Soap and Italian Barber all offer a top of the line synth brush at a super good price. The whole brush question can go on forever, but the truly good news is that you don't have to spend a ton of money to really have a good brush, but the fun of the search for the best one goes on forever.
9 with 2 on the way. 5 badgers, 1 synthetic, 3 boars. 2 more boars on the way and a badgers knot that I need to find a handle for. It's too many but not enough for me to get rid of any.
I hope your hearing you don't need big a quantity of brushes, or expensive brushes. I have one each boar, horse, badger and synthetic. I only face lather. Maggards $15 synthetic, including shipping,on Ebay. Bestshaves.net from Turkey has great low priced boars, they sell as horse. Do look at my favorite, the horse on this recent Shave Den thread. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/vie-long-and-epsilon-horse-hair-brushes.50562/#post-1026466
Some of you guys are brush fanatics! Thanks for all your suggestions. I think I'll stop with the two brushes; I love my Omega hi-line synth but really wanted to try a natural hair shaving brush. I can't see me ever owning a badger hair brush. So, I have a decision to make. Ho hum...
20 ish. May be missing one or two. Favorites? All of them or I'd pass them along. Kent BK4 Shavemac 2 band Simpson Chubby 1 Simpson Commodore Simpson Polo 8 Vulfix 377 Silvertip Brad Sears 30mm BeeHive Kent BK8 Simpson Chubby 2 Thater 26mm Vulfix 2235 Silvertip Vie Long Bee Hive VP LeonHardy Semogue Vie Long 2 band Brad Sears Fat Arley Paladin PK47 2 band VP LeonHardy 2 band Tulip Rooney Simpson Colonel
I have a total of 15 brushes; 11 badger, 4 synthetic and 1 boar brush. I exclusively face lather so I am not much help on the bowl lathering. I do prefer badger brushes and like those with good backbone and scrub. For the money, I highly recommend a TGN 2 band Finest knot in the handle of your choice. I find them to have very good backbone and to be relatively soft as well. The TGN Finest will give you a good baseline to compare other knots if you begin to have BAD (Brush Acquisition Disorder ).
