Badger vs Boar

Discussion in 'The Brush' started by jgreenepa, Dec 5, 2019.

  1. Robert1955

    Robert1955 Well-Known Member

    I have mostly badger and boar, one horse hair which I keep reaching for now, one synth which I have used half a dozen times and do not like it at all, maybe something to do with my soaps but I doubt that. So for me...currently horse first, boar next and badger last, but even badger being last does not mean it is the worse brush...just my current preference.
     
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  2. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    After my ordeal with my Omega boar brush break in period (2nd boar brush) with the funk smell that seemed to hang on for ever and after washing and Micro waving it in water and mr clean a half a dozen times. All the worst things you could do to a boar brush- I have to admit it is a well made brush and is broken in nicely now and of coarse I would break it in differently now.:rofl:
    I use pretty much synthetic brushes that are better at scrubbing and painting the lather IMO, they clean up well and dry out for the next shave and seem not to collect mildew. Synthetics have come a long way in feel, I recently bought 2 Yaqi tuxedo 24 mm knots and I'm impressed. Razorock Plissoft makes a good knot also like so many other brands now a days. I find synthetic brushes very reasonably priced and you can abuse them a little like slapping them on a towel to help drive moisture to the tips to dry and swirl them on the towel to collect the last moisture and put in rack to dry. My 2 Plissoft brushes are 3 years old and are almost like new still and they work well but we will have to see about how long these Yaqi brushes last with a little similar abuse that I do to all my brushes.
    I still use that Omega boar brush every once in a while for a different feel and is nicely broken in.
    Have some great shaves!
     
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  3. DaltonGang

    DaltonGang Ol' Itchy Whiskers

    I like the looks of Badger brushes, but prefer the feel of Boars. Especially, my brushes with custom handles, by fellow members.
     
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  4. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    My Omega 49 was the smelliest knot I ever experienced. Even now, when wet, there still remains a "funk". However, it is a terrific latherer and a pretty darn soft. The BEST boar I ever owned, was a Mondial 26mm. Broken in after 10 shaves; no funk, soft as a pillow.
    Other than my one boar, I have two and three band badgers from Simpson. Mostly from the Grey Box era, best badger and super badger. They are glorious to use, no scritch at all. The two-bands have noticeably more backbone than the three, but I enjoy the variation. When I am feeling adventurous, I grab my one Pure Badger brush, that my son gave me some years ago. Prickly, floppy, scritchy, yet wonderful to use.
     
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  5. Keithmax

    Keithmax Breeds Pet Rocks

    I prefer my favorite badgers by a razor thin margin over my well broken Omega Pro knots. Synthetics are great at lathering bust just don’t like the feel. Not a fan of horse.
     
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  6. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Lot of good answers. My thoughts? Boar users luck out. Boar knots are inexpensive and when broken in, offer a universal softness.

    Badger users usually must use several brushes to figure out their preferences. That can get expensive quickly.

    If they are really lucky, they can articulate exactly what they are looking for in a brush, and then get steered towards the brush they need by experienced badger users. From the number of $300 brushes I've seen in the BST area of forums, it can still be hit or miss.

    What surprises me, is the lack of boar brushes with really nice hand turned handles.

    Part of the problem, as I see it, is that the "high end" brush manufacturers don't make boar brushes, and those that do, clearly make them as an afterthought. Boar brush manufacturers simply make better boar brushes... But they don't always make the best badger knots. Part of that is probably due to supply chains. The long term manufacturers have spent decades building hair and bristle sources, and when they go outside their usual chain of supply, things get iffy.

    Each "house" (to borrow from perfume and fashion) has it's own style. Semogue is different than Omega, Simpson/Vufix is different than Rooney/Morris & Forndran. Both are different than Shavemac or Thater.

    There are also regional differences. Knots from the U.K. are different from German made knots. Built for different tastes and preferences.
     
  7. Carson West

    Carson West Well-Known Member

    This synthetic below cost me $9. It looks and performs like boar. It has good backbone, yet splays well. I can use it for soaps or creams. If a guy can get $200 worth of pleasure out of a brush, more power to him, but I get more fun out of finding good value.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2019
  8. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    As an addendum to what I've said previously, I can make my boar perform exactly like my favorite badger knot. A 15 second soak and we're off to the races. :)

    The downside of course, is that it's not really good for the boar brush. Boar bristle is hollow, and if it doesn't soak up enough water, it will also soak up soap, and long term, that's not good for the brush. You can't very well clean the insides of the bristles.

    If I soak it for a minute or more, then it starts to get floppy and loses much of what makes boar great; it's backbone.
     
  9. I didn't used to like boar but lately I have been favouring them more.
     
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  10. Mike LeFebre

    Mike LeFebre New Member

    I prefer to use a boar or horse brush on harder soaps, but the badger do feel softer on my face. I must say I like all the brushes I own.
     
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  11. stewie3128

    stewie3128 New Member

    Zenith Boar is super-duper soft right out of the box.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     
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  12. stewie3128

    stewie3128 New Member

    Where can I find knots from Germany or the UK? I thought they all came from China.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     
  13. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    I have badger, boar, mixed badger/boar, horse, and synthetic. Throughout the last few years, I’ve gone through stages of differing preferences. I finally grew impatient picking shedding hair off my soap and/or face. Nowadays I reach for synthetic. The new man made hair doesn’t shed and can be as soft ( or softer) than badger along with the backbone of boar. No soaking, no funk, no shedding = no brainer :)
     
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  14. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    I'm not picky on bristles...the grip of a handle is a bigger deal for me...but I know what doesn't work and that's the super soft badger that goes all floppy on the face. When I think of brushes my mind always goes first to one I don't have anymore, a red 1950s Fuller with white nylon. It performed wonderfully and felt great on the face. Nice and scritchy, I believe is the word. Pretty much indestructible, too.
     
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  15. BigD

    BigD Well-Known Member

    I have all the above so to speak. Here's how I use my brushes;
    Boar;
    Hard pucks and harder soaps. These seem to be able to make a great lather quicker with these kinds of soaps.
    Badger:
    Mostly for creams, but I have been known to use it on a croap once in awhile. I find these make cream into lather quicker.
    Horse:
    These I mostly use on softer soaps and croaps. The Zenith Horse both the Traditional and Extra Soft are wonderful. If you have used horse hair before and didn't like it, these will change your mind.
    Synthetics;
    I use these for travel. I have a stiffer bristle Zenith S6 which is great for soaps and face lathering shave sticks on the go. I use my Zenith N2 for creams on the go. It also works well as a face lathering tool for shave sticks as well, but not as well as the Zenith S6.
     
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  16. BigMike

    BigMike Well-Known Member

    I've tried badged, boar, and horsehair. Survey says...

    Badger !
     
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  17. EnglishChannel

    EnglishChannel Well-Known Member

    I always feel that since I have never spent more than $25 on a brush, that maybe my experience is lacking in the "brush wars."

    But since you are seeking opinions, take mine with a "grain of salt."

    I actually have a few of each type - boar, badger, horse hair & synthetic, and except for the shedders, I enjoy using ALL of them.

    I find that each brush takes some finesse to get the best lather, so you need to spend time with each one to figure that out. Obviously, the knot material (boar vs. badger) plays a big part in how a brush performs. But other variables can also be important.

    For instance, a small synthetic knot works differently than a larger one. One brush can produce very different results with a variety of soaps/creams.

    Experience is key. It is up to you whether you want to learn what makes each one tick. Some prefer to learn and use just one favorite but I enjoy learning what makes my brushes work well and rotating through them.

    So for me, boar or badger (or horse hair or synthetic), I say YES.
     
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  18. brit

    brit in a box

    i like a little back bone with the badgers so i like the 2 band ones.pure was to scritchy,or at least the example i had was.boar is nice from the start and gets a little softer..,with back bone.good synths offer both advantages.i hope a $300.00 brush would lather itself but i am naive in that department..so many variants..
     
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  19. oscar11

    oscar11 Well-Known Member

    I don't know if this will make sense but my favorite type of brush is boar but my favorite brush is a badger. I don't do horse, synthetics can be excellent but I do prefer natural brushes. I have a bunch of synthetic brushes that I just started to do some comparisons with and we'll see how that turns out.
     
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  20. Campion

    Campion Active Member

    I have terrific boars and badgers.I like Simpson Duke 3 size knots and have them in best, silvertip, and manchurian. I also have Chubby 1's in best and Manchurian, an Eagle 3 in pure and in super, and as I like to use a mug I have a couple M7s and an Emperor 3. Finally I have a nice Zenith Manchurian and a special Paladin El Dorado that is an amazing brush. As guys said above, it took an awful lot of investment to figure out what I liked. There were a few Chubby 2s, a Thater, an Omega silvertip, some Semogues, and a few other badgers that came and went as I settled on what I most enjoyed.

    Not so with boars. With the exception of dyed band knots I like almost every boar I've tried. I prefer the big knots from the Italians. I have several Zenith, Omega, and Mondial boars. I clearly have more than I need. So over the past few years I've settled into using badgers for the colder months, and boars between May and October. Otherwise I'm always feeling I'm not using my kit. Which, of course, I'm not doing, but at least this way everything gets used at least a half dozen times a year. Some probably more.
     
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