I was wondering if somebody could explain why badger hair is preferred for shaving brushes. Also I was wondering what the advantage is of getting a silvertip badger hair brush from Art of Shaving ($195) vs. a Fine badger hair brush ($125) vs. a pure badger hair brush ($60). Is there an advantage or is it just marketing? I was told that the bristles are softer but what does softer bristles do for you?
I'm not sure I know the whole answer, but apparently badger hair has exceptional water retaining capacity, which makes it ideal for shave brushes. There is no uniform standard for all grades of badger brushes. The pricing is based on the relative rarity of the grade of hair. For example, pure badger is only badger hair, but can be taken anywhere from the body of the badger. Silvertip can only be taken from the neck of the badger (more rare). As grade increases, so does softness and water retention. The only agreed up on grades are pure, best, super and the Silvertip in that order. What does softness do? Feels nice on the face. However, some people like some scritch, which tends to exfoliate more. Another big question is whether you bowl or face lather or both. Some brushes are better suited for different tasks. Also, are you using hard soaps or soft or cream? This may also change the hair type you use. If you are interested in Silvertip (which I love), try a whipped dog. Awesome brush! Way cheaper than anyone else. Larry (the owner) is awesome to deal with! If you drop him an email he'll help you pick a knot size and loft. Here is my 24x48mm WD Silvertip. Very versatile! Makes great lather! I love it and it is a great intro to Silvertip brushes. Mine ended up costing $38 USD including custom loft set and shipping.
I prefer boar over badger as well, and synthetic over all of them. I'm not sure it's accurate to say that "badger hair is preferred for shaving brushes." According to THIS POLL more people prefer boar over silver tip badger.
At this point, I would have to say I prefer boar also... that could change after I get my first Silver-tip. Right now I have a Pure Badger which is kind of on the low end of the badger scale..
Ahhhh,,then you can also get a boar-badger mix,,just to make it more interesting. I have a Semogue Mistura thats made that way.
As a New shaver begin with Pure badger to learn some things As your experience expands try some more soft kind of brushes. There in no something "magic" in silvertips,in the past were the most expensive kind of badgers Now with China brands into the game you can buy many of them because they are cheap. Silvertips are soft,is your skin wants them go and buy,i have 7 silvertips in rotation but due to my sensitive skin + tough beard i can't say that they satisfy me more than Black Badgers or Boars.
It is all a matter of personal preference, however, badger does seem to last the longest based on my years of experience. Also, badger is very soft on the face. Lately i have been designing my own brushes and will be offering them for sale in the months to come. I like a brush with a long handle and the one pictured below is the first prototype I had made. The handle is acrylic but many of them will be high grade woods like cocobolo and ebony. Any product sold by Art Of Shaving will be very high end and also way over priced. You can get a decent badger brush at Target for $20 as I recall.
I'll steal this quote from Winston. Just substitute badger hair for Russia or shaving brush for Russia. It's a very personal thing (brushes and hair and/or fiber type) and you'll have to figure out what you like. Believe me, silver tip is not the panacea for a good brush. Though it could be if you get the right silver tip hair but don't be surprised if it takes some cash to find it.
