Loking at the brush types I can understand the different in the badgers, the boar hair and the syntehtic. However what I cant figure out, or decide on is what is the best brush to use for using shaving creams, and lathering in a bowl. I can see the quality differece, but I just cant bring my self to wanting to spend anymore than like 30 or 40 bucks on a brush. The super expensive ones for me are just silly.. I currently have a very very cheap Boar hair brush. It is very floppy, and works ok. However, I cant seem to get any really good lather. It is due partly to inexperience as well as the brush, but I fugre I can become better at it faster with a better brush. I am looking to you people for a recomendation on a decent brush that would be an upgrade from the cheap boar hair brush that I have that wont break the bank. Thank you for your time.
I would and will recommend the H.I.S. Brush, on Amazon. I believe it comes to about $32 $34.95. That being said, you can buy a high quality badger, boar, horse or synthetic for under $40. A really high quality badger brush (if you want the most bang for your buck and need a badger) can be built for about $40. Check out The Golden Nib. When you read about people replacing their brush knots with a TGN knot, that's what they are talking about.
Just so you know, there is no such thing as "a face lathering" brush, or a "soap" brush, or a "bowl lathering" brush, or a "cream" lathering brush, only "personal preferance" brushes.
Franks Shaving - Badger on a budget Semogue - Boar on a budget HIS - Synthetic on a budget I personally really love my Semogue boars right now, they're affordable and break in wonderfully.
Ah.. ok.. I just always read people saying that certain brushes are best for face lathering etc. So I assumed there were brushes that were better suited for specific jobs. Thank you all for the help. I will check out TGN and the HIS..
Flat topped brushes are favorites with face latherers, and (going out on a limb) stiff but softer brushes (i.e. two band badger) tend to be favored by face latherers. A really stiff prickly brush will tear your face up if you have sensitive skin. Aside from that, anything goes, and even what I said in the first sentence is very much a YMMV thing.
Semogue SOC boar at I think 45 clams,great all around brush,good for soaps,creams,face or bowl lathering.
While "YMMV" I use a #6 Turkish horse hair brush from "bestshave". I've used this brush for over a year with no problems, it has good backbone, it's kinda scritchy and mine at least is very comfortable to use and lathers well. I use $5 a puck glycerine soap and use the brush for both face lathering and bowl lathering. Having used bager,boar and synthetic, I'm a total horse lover now and when you consider the price for a #6 Horse I.M.O. its worth giving one a try.....
I am still a padawan shaver, but so far I have two favorites that I can use for everything. A broken in Proraso boar brush. And a Frank Shaving Finest Badger. Both give me excellent result when bowl lathering, face lathering and work just as well with soaps and creams. The Proraso is perhaps a trifle better at picking up the hard to get soaps. But the FS brush is no slacker either and is a good wing man in that department also. Good luck
I use a silvertip, but I find it difficult to lather harder creams with. I'd like to use creams from D.R. harris and such, but they're usually too hard to break down with my brush. I usually end up going with C.O. Bigelow's Proraso cream.
If you're still needing info on products a great resource is Gourmet Shaving by Michael Ham. Tons of info on equipment and technique.
I only have one. I have the Art of Shaving Genuine Badger brush. Its not the high end one, but it works well. One recommendation that someone gave me: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WR3QSG/?tag=thshde-20
For value, Semogue and Omega boar are both great choices, especially if you like soaps ( I think of boar as a soap brush, more than a cream brush). Horse hair is another option, ranging from 20 to 40 ( or $2.50 if you get a Turkish #6). Finally there are synthetics. Muehle black and silvertip badger brushes are really amazing, and the black can be had for around 40 ( though it is more of a creams brush, IMO being very soft). There are some badger brushes to be had in that range, but I personally haven't been very fond of the less expensive badger brushes that I've tried, although YMMV and all.
While I agree that there is no such thing as a "bowl lathering brush" or "face lathering brush" or "soap brush" or "cream brush" in an official or even general sense, I have found that specific brushes, regardless of their hair type do better at one thing over another while others do everything well. For instance, my Omega 11126 boar is great for face lathering, it doesn't have the same feel and lathering characteristics in a bowl though (not that it can't it's just different and not always as smooth going), while my Semogue 830 boar can go either way and perform beautifully, yet both are boar. In this case I think it has more to do with the fullness of the knot, length of the hair, and especially the way the hair is knotted. Too, I think some extremely soft silvertip badgers have some trouble getting up a good lather from hard soaps in a timely manner - not to say they can't do they job, but that it takes longer compared to a "pure" or "best" badger on the same soap. I can only speak from the experience of my nine brushes and five that were loaned to me once by a friend. In your stated price range and a tad higher, I'd have to recommend the Omega 6217 aprox. $50 or similar $35-$48 Omega black badger. They have a wonderful spring, build perfect lather from any source be it soap or cream, and are impeccably crafted. They also build beautifully in a bowl OR on the face. Many, many Omega's at The Shoe Box I personally would avoid the cheaper "pure" grade badger by Omega. My wife has #13109 for her legs, and it is very rough! I couldn't use it on my face if I had to. It it sells for about $28 I think. For boar brushes, you can't go wrong with a any Semogue. Have you considered horse hair? Vei-Long makes a wood and metal handled barber style brush that is a super bargain and a great lather maker, especially for bowl latherers, in my opinion. Bull Goose has them last I checked. Hope that helps!
I'm a newbie who had a cheap van hagen badger brush. After reading the forums and Leisureguy's Gourmet Shaving book, I was torn between trying an Omega 48 boar brush or the Beauty Strokes H.I.S. I got the H.I.S and I have to say it's a vast improvement over the cheap badger. Much softer, but firmer. I have to thank all the guys that recommended the H.I.S.
Just pulled a trigger on Parker Pure Badger Brush, with Deluxe Handle. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RJC1HC/?tag=thshde-20
