I have not tried Franks but my Lijun has been great and was a little cheaper than Franks. I prefer it to my TGN and Omega boar.
I have the same brush as in this post. Mine has not bloomed out the way that Dridecker's brush did. In fact, that picture was taken after roughly 10 uses. Van Der Hagen has a badger brush as well, that I found on the Walgreens website. but I can't speak about that brush as I have not tried it. A friend of mine that has said he liked his a little better than the Tweezerman HIS brush that he has. I will say that while the website says "NOT SOLD IN STORES" both of the local walgreens I have checked have this brush on the shelf as well as the Van Der Hagen Shave Set.
I believe that one to be boar. Boar doesn't bloom the same as badger. The all black one is badger. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
While it is possible, I also have the VDH Boar and a cheap Omega Boar and the Shea Moisture Shave is MUCH softer. The package also stated "100% Pure Badger Hair". Dunno what thats worth but its there I think it to be Badger, but I can tell you that it is not a dense brush, the one I have is exceptionally floppy. All that being said, its still fairly nice, holds plenty of water, builds later fairly quickly etc. For a $9 brush it does quite well. I just attribute its lack of bloom to the lack of density. *Shrugs* At the end of the day it feels good on my face and does the job it is said to do.
I started with the Shea moisture badger brush from target. It still is used more than any other brush I have. I enjoy my omega boar but the Shea feels better on my face when I face lather. Which has become more frequent now that I am sporting a beard and shave to shape. For $9 it's well worth trying!
My Shea Moisture brush (badger), is so floppy I find it nearly unusable. I pull it out every now and again just to use it, but I'll probably get rid of it eventually.
On the inexpensive side, I like mixed knots of badger and boar. The Vufix 404 is a nice brush with a good solid handle. I think I paid about $20 for it shipped from Diamond Edge Ltd. A slightly smaller, but also excellent brush is the Omega 11047 mixed knot. The handle is a little on the small side, but is definitely usable and can be had for under $15.
What about simpson Berkeley or commodore. I think they are good. If you don't have a bowl on hand that you like yes you can go to the market or wherever. I think I paid 4 bucks for mine at a department store. I think the Vulfix 2233 is inexpensive also it is super badger.
A few cheap brush options in no particular order. Omega boar are decent and can be very cheap. Semogue boar are a little nicer ( IMO), and can still be found for under 20 bucks for some models. Another option worth considering is Horse. There's a $2.50 #6, of coruse, btu you can also get a vie-long horse for about 20 bucks. I generally aren't a huge fan of the cheaper badgers, but there are those, too, of course.
Not sure if this will still help, but I just bought a Badger brush from Target for $8.00 US. It was marketed over here as a Shea butter brand brush. The shave cream isn't to my liking, but the brush is worth more than $8.00 IMHO.
I just bought an Omega 49 and Semogue1438 off eBay. The both are great brushes. Semogue's handle is a little bit small. The Omega is huge! The both are boar but Semogue does not smell anything but Proraso after just one use, cannot say the same about Omega yet. You can get them for about $14 shipped on eBay.
The Omega 49 a great brush? You betcha! I have one and love it. By the way, welcome to the Den! Make sure you check in with our November Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win free stuff.
The Omega 49 is a little too big and too floppy for my liking, but it is still a very fine brush, worth well more than it's cost. On the Omega lines, the total opposite of the 49 is the mighty midget. It's small but one of the most usable small brushes available IMHO. I enjoy it every time I put it into the rotation. It is one of my favorite brushes. Also as Steve said in a previous post the Vulfix 404 mixed is possibly one of the best value brushes out there. The 404 should not be overlooked.
Escali is a good badger brush for cheap. They can be found on Amazon, all you have to do is type in "Escali." Cheap doesn't always mean crap like it has been said before. I bought an Escali for someone on here and they loved it. However, you won't know until you try it. You have a multitude of options, good luck!
Boar brushes are a great value, and will whip up a rich lather, and is good for exfoliating your skin. Omega 10290 http://www.shoeboxshaveshop.com/om10avintwoc.html http://connaughtshaving.com/10290.html Semogue 620 http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Semogue-620-Pure-Bristle-Shaving-Brush_p_1505.html Semogue 830 http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Semogue-830-Pure-Bristle-Shaving-Brush_p_1510.html
Go to whippeddog.com and check out the silvertip brush options. These brushes are excellent quality, made to order, modestly priced and are comparable to $100+ name brand silvertips out there.
