How much hair / bristles loss is within acceptable range?

I recently bought my first silvertip – a Muhle model 091 B 258. For the first month, the brush did not loose any hair.

After a month’s use, it has started shedding approx 1 hair per shave – lets put it like this, I shave 6 times a week, and the hair loss would be about 4-5 hairs / week.

Is this something I should be concerned about? Will this hair loss stop over time? Since the average loss is marginally lower than 1 hair / shave over the last 2 weeks – is this an acceptable level of loss? Is there something I can do to stop this hair loss?

 

I'm no brush expert, but from my experience, and from what I've read from others, if a brush is going to be acceptable, the 1-2 hairs it sheds per shave should come in the first few weeks of using it, not after.

What say thou, ye fellow Den members?

 

Hrmmmm.... well, I have had a brush or two that were shedders, but they were all re-knotted brushes. My current fleet of PanChango Re-Knots do not shed though.

The only factory made brushes in the fleet are Omega Boars and they do not shed, so I cannot comment on the Muhle, or what is normal or acceptable, but someone around here is sure to chime in. Ultimately, you are the person that has to accept the shedding or not.

My suggestion; contact the house you bought the brush from and ask what they think. Perhaps there is a warranty period?

 

My EJ shed at about that level for a couple months, then slowed down and eventually quit. I've heard of cases where instead of quiting, one day a large clump falls out. I certainly hope you're in the former category. What happens is an air bubble gets in the glue plug and some hairs aren't held in as well. It's impossible to keep some small air bubbles from getting in a few brushes and shedding lightly. If those air bubbles aren't small or you have several in one brush, the brush is defective.

 

Mine have run the gamut from no loss to losing some especially in the beginning.
I had one that might have lost half a dozen or so for about the first week. After that nothing. Makes sense since I'm sure there are loose ones, or not grabbed by the glue from the factory. But it does seem odd that yours started later. One here, one there isn't a biggie.

You don't mash your brush in the bowl do you? These things are pretty tough, but just offering a thought as to why it's starting now.

 

My Omega 10029 Baby-Pro, just a little over $10 cheepo- has lossed maybe 3 hairs in its first year...I don't have much experiance as I got this about the time I rediscovered TWS and it never loses a hair, and the unresponciple way I treat it is disgraceful...Although I love it crazy, It just seems to be bullet-proof...I had one Turkish brush before this one but it was leaving more hair on my face than I had before shaving...

 

My only brush is an Edwin Jagger Best Badger...I've had it since November and I've lost maybe 4-5 hairs since I've started with it.

 

Dense knot brushes can be prone to shed the odd hair over a course of a few months. This isn't uncommon. Due to the quantity of hair apparent in a knot a few hairs here and there are not a major concern. The main worry would be if 'sections' of hair started shedding which could indicate a knot base issue with resin cracking, etc. From my 50 years experience in brush making it would only be the latter issue that would set alarm bells ringing.

Jim

 

This may be of interest:

http://fidosshavingbrushblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/shaving-brush-care-and-shedding.html

The statement from Progress Vulfix and the Shaving 101 article are worth reading.

 

I think shedding is not worth worrying about. Look at it this way... a shaving brush will either last a long time or it won't, and none of them last forever. If the thing sheds like the family pet and doesn't last as long as it should, then just chalk it up to experience and avoid that brand in the future. If it does last a long time, then you can be satisfied as all getout for decades.

I don't mean to sound smart-alecky or flippant with that reply. IMHO there is a lot fretting in the wetshaving world, splitting hairs so to speak, and it really need not be that way.

 

This forum probably has the most shedding questions I have ever seen...

 

prolly because people treat their things like gold...lol. like my VDH boar brush...lol....if that thing started givin out on me, I'd flip....LOL....we've been thru so much together, LOL!!!! JK!!! I actually have 2. I'm breaking one in now, and for the past week, I've lost about a hair a shave so far. I've used it 4 or 5 times.

yeah, people spend so much money on a brush, and if it craps out on them, it's like MAN!!!! I wonder if people are like that with blades.........like they just can't let it go......LOL!!!

Just got done learning the 4 noble truths of buddhism in my world religion class: I think this would be interesting to the shavers out there...LOL

1:Life is suffering
2:Suffering is CAUSED BY ATTACHMENT
3:TO END SUFFERING, END ATTACHMENT
4:Follow the 8-fold path

Just something to reflect on when preparing yourself to say goodbye to a piece of equipment....LOL!!!!

 

Well OK then,,,,,
Been following it for the past 20+ yrs. Give it some time and you may start to understand what you just said.

 

Jason, its more of a case of people buying brushes with plugs, I haven't had an issue with any of my hand-tied knots. Granted, nothing is perfect.

 

Let the brush dry and then run a fine tooth comb through it for a couple of minutes. Any loose and ready to come out hairs will be removed.
Use it every day for a week or so and if hair is still being shed then I would suggest the knot is suspect.
talbot

 

It will take more than a weeks worth of use to prove/show that a knot is 'suspect'. I have brushes that are over 40 years old and still shed the odd hair now and again. They are still great brushes and don't warrant a return!

Jim

 

my VDH brush shed like crazy. I mean clumps at a time during each shave. Probably just a bad brush.