Does anyone use the Escali Badger brush? Any other recommendations for a brush around the same price ($12.99 on Amazon.com) that is better?
I've had mine for two years now and it's still going strong. I've seen where some people have had trouble with them shedding mine lost a few hairs early on, but not many and has stopped. To me the brush is a bit scritchy, but has a lot of backbone and lathers great for me. Personally I don't regret buying mine and definitely recommend it, however if you want a softer brush in the same price range checkout the Omega boars. Most of the members here would probably recommend the same.
I've been using one since I started de shaving in November. I lose a hair now and then but no big deal. I haven't felt a need to upgrade yet. Wish I could say the same for razors.
I hear about a lot of people who buy the Escali brush because it's the cheapest badger on Amazon, and then are quite disappointed in it. It's made from the lowest grade badger hair (pure badger), which some people are fine with, but many people find scratchy and uncomfortable. And quality control seems to be lacking; there are a lot of them that shed like crazy or otherwise fall apart. In my opinion, an Omega boar brush would be a Much better buy. The Omega 10048 and 10049 are both great brushes, available on Amazon and are cheaper than the Escali (boar hair is less scarce than badger). Or visit a shaving specific vendor's site for a wider selection.
Well, I had some rewards points from amazon, so I ordered the escali. It's got to be better than the Vam Der Hagen Premium Boar that came with the shave set I started with right? We'll see how this goes.
I bought one too. It has a funky smell and sheds quite a bit, but I have used it only a few times. It may get better with age......I hope.
I purchased the Escali through amazon as my first brush. I cleaned it with shampoo a few times to get rid of the smell. I did have a problem with some of the glue that crept up past the knot during the manufacturing process. Had to take a flat head to break apart all the hair that stuck together. It did shed alot initially but has gotten alot better. As everything is in shaving ymmv. Had I the option to do it all over again...and joined TSD earlier, I probably would have gone with a whipped dog, but the Escali is usable nonetheless.
I read somewhere that the Escali is the same as a Tweezerman. I know they don't look the same, but they do look similar. I have a Tweezerman and used it a long time before upgrading. It and I assume the Escali are great brushes for the money.
Finally got my escali today and it lathers really well and is SUPER soft compared to the VDH "premium" boar I started with. The only problem I've had is the smell. This thing is RANK. I didn't notice it until I was face lathering and it overpowered the smell of my soap! I gave it a few baths today with my son's Johnson's Head to Toe baby wash. It's lessened the smell a bit, but I'm going to let it dry and wash it a few more times to see what it will do.
I had the escali brush and its a good brush but has the same issues as others in its price range. 1/200 are shedders. I unfortunately got a shedder other than that fact it felt great and performed well. I gave it to my youngest brother to use as an intro to de shaving and he enjoys it even though it sheds. Though for a time the omega pro 48 was available for some time at $8, a great option there boar wise. Just double checked and there are Omega and Semogue brushes on Amazon in the teens, though they are boar brushes I would recommend going with these.
If you wanna try a boar brush try an omega 49 pro. I've got the 49 pro and its excellent, its only shed like 5 hairs in two months. Great backbone and pretty soft. The stink went away after one tobs sandalwood lather, it now smells of sandalwood even after using other scented soaps. The brush is like $14 shipped too. The longer you use these the softer they become.
i bought a Escali but i also picked up WSP and it works great for the price broken in and feels soft also ! http://www.amazon.com/Boar-Bristle-Density-Shaving-Brush/dp/B00COC2QL8/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1397957173&sr=1-1&keywords=Boar Bristle High Density Shaving Brush by Wet Shaving Products http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004HJ6CFM/?tag=thshde-20
My friend brought in two Escali Badger Brushes from Amazon, one for his dad and one for me. Six months down the line the brush is gone. The knot area seemed clumped. The other one simply lost hair to the extent that it had simply to be discarded. Even when new, it was prickly and very floppy. not great for latherbuilding and very clumsy to use. By contrast, both my Omega 46065 and Pro 49 are far better brushes. So is a cheap local horse hair brush that i bought earlier. My recommendation is that you do not be swayed by the word "badger". Buy a good Omega boar. Yes it is smelly to start with (unlike a badger), but is a super performer once broken in. It performs similar to some of the expensive silvertips.
As others have stated get a Boar. I only have two, a semogue 1250 and a Omega 49. I love em both and for me The Semogue seems to work better with creams and the Omega better for soaps, IMO. Just grab yourself an inexpensive Omega.
I bought an Escali Badger brush for my dad a few years ago. At first it shed a bit but wasn't too bad. Recently I got him a new brush so I took the old one and it's shedding like crazy every shave. Losing 20-30 hairs every shave. I thought a first it might have been improper drying but looking on Amazon and other places it seems like this seems to happen to these brushes. It's the luck of the draw as to whether you get a shedder or not.
Now with Yaqi, Frank shaves and other brush retailers it's easy to find a good badger brush for $20 and under. I just make or restore mine.
Its a cheap badger brush, so I wouldnt expect much. When you go really cheap on badger brushes, you tend to get a brush that is a mix of the cheapest badger hair and some other hair, usually goat. If it were me, Id get a Yaqi from Aliexpress. You could get a much higher quality brush for about the same amount of money.
