I've found Silver tips to be too soft, fluffy and floppy. Using a 28mm overstuffed silvertip reminds me of painting lather with a soft fluffy cloud. It seems to contradict the act of shaving. Painting lather on with a soft, fluffy , floppy brush so that it can be removed with a cold harsh steel blade seems kind of odd to me. What is the advantage of silver tip? Does it ex-foliate? Or is it just the luxury of using soft fur ?
Tough question. I like my silvertip I lather with it fine, get good shaves. However like you said its a cloud. You might enjoy that or not. It is up to you find what you enjoy and works for you and stick with that. Then can change it up later on to more choices.
I have a few silver tips and like them. They aren't my favorite brushes, but they are nice when I want a change. I really don't look for a brush to ex-foliate much as dragging a razor blade across your face seems to do a good job of that. I think it is just a personal preference. Some people drive subcompacts, some full size sedans, and others everything in between. They get you to the same place, but have a different feel getting there.
More than just stuffing to me, loft is critical with a silvertip brush. I do like the really soft tips, but like a short loft so I get good backbone, which is critical to a silvertip IMHO. But, it's all a matter of personal preference. Some people like the scratchy feel of pure badger, which is terrible to me. But one isn't right and the other isn't wrong. As an aside, the next best thing to a good silvertip for me, is a well broken in quality boar brush. For me, the biggest downside to the boar (once broken in) is I need to reload my lather for the third pass. Not a huge downside considering the difference in cost.
As has been said, it all comes down to personal preference. I have a 24mm and that is just on the verge of being to large for my liking. Knowing that, I know I would not like anything larger. Bottom line, it's designed for one thing - getting lather on your face. Bottom line, cars are designed for one thing - getting you from point A to point B. How do you want to get there? How many bells and whistles do you want? etc., etc. What do you like?
Because most people don't use larger brushes :happy102 It really depends on the brush, and your own taste. Simpsons best is essentially just as soft as some other manufactures Silvertip, but most of the models are densely packed and make for awesome soap brushes. EJ Silvertip isn't quite as soft as some other manufactures and is a little floppy, still works just fine for soaps. (My favorite shave stick brush btw) TGN Grade A, almost as soft as Simpsons best, but neither of mine 18mm and 24mm were/are floppy. Do you want flow through, do you want a lather hog, do you want a large cloud, do you want just pure performance? With the exception of pure just about any badger hair type brush can be made to what you want, you just need to find the right brush that fits you.
IMHO the biggest difference comes in how you lather,,, People that use a bowl or new fashioned scuttle tend to like the action that the Silvertip provides when building a lather... Those that lean more toward building a lather on the face tend to like stiffer brushes... Myself I tend to be fickle and change my mind as the mood suits me, and change my brush to suit my mood...
The silvertip: ~Provides a better lather ~Provides a thicker Lather ~Retains moisture better improving the quality of the lather ~Boar brushes or best badgers etc. are awesome, they exfoliate, etc. THey have their place. Yes, they can be floppy IF you don;t handle it right. I pinch the bristles with my thumb & index & middle finger as I lather. NO flop. Lather density improves with a silvertip. Silvertips are NOT for exfoliating, though it may occur to some small degree. I LOVE silvertips, in fact, my workhorse is a Parker silvertip. I use it every day! I use it on soaps, creams....I love it! Some people are all about the exfoliating. I use a face scrub in the shower, so I'm not overly concerned with exfoliation. I think the blade on the razor exfoliates better than a brush can IMHO...LOL! To each their own though. I use a silvertip, a scuttle, I spoil myself......because I can..LOL! Enjoy!
Lather is the process of getting the right mixture of water and air into the soap. I beleive that any brush can do that with the right technique.
What's better? Soap or cream? Badger or boar? Open comb or straight bar?' DE or SE? Coffee with cream and sugar or black? Cheese steak wit or witout? Chevy or Ford?
Wit of course. None of that canned cheese whiz crappe either. Please make mine provolone. I also prefer Dalesandro's to either of the South Philly places. (I know this wasn't the point of your post, but cheese steaks need fried onions and real cheese.)
Answers: I think I got them right? 1) Soap 2) Horse 3) Open comb 4) SE, that's one's easy 5) Black, add sugar and it's desert 6) with, without is just plain crazy 7) Neither... Trucks=Dodge SUV=Jeep, Car= any one you like
IMHO, may I suggest trying whipping up a lather with a boar, and then doing so with the same medium with a badger & notice the density of the lather. Look at how the lather goes from the brush to the face. Look at how MUCH lather moves from bristle to face. Moisture retention in a silvertip is second to none. This is awesome in making a lather. I've used from boar to silvertip & I'm here to tell ya there is a noticeable difference on the spectrum ~ from infrared to ultra-violet.....boar to silvertip, there IS a huge difference in the quality of the lather which DOES have an impact on the quality of the shave. I'll make this challenge. Make a lather with a boar, then squeeze whatever is there in the bristles when the lather is made. feel the density. consistency. THEN do it with a badger. I guarantee you, the lather will be MORE in quantity & more dense. THIS is due to the moisture retention qualities of the grade of hair in the badger. It's the difference between painting your house with a broom and a roller. yeah, you can move paint around with a broom, but a roller is softer, holds more paint, & overall awesome in doing its job efficiently. Same goes for a boar & a silvertip. Anyone who's been wet shaving for 2 or 3 months should know that. It's just something you figure out.
So try this. Whip up the Best Lather you can with a silvertip. Using Wilkinson sword Blue Bowl. In the time it takes you to get a good lather from the Sword with a silver tip. I could whip it up with a boar or Horse (horsehair is my preference), shave, hone a straight, smoke a cigar, all while singing the star spangled banner and skipping rope. :happy102 Anyone who's been shaving more than just a few months, has figured out that it's not the tools that make a good lather or good shave even, it's technique. More power to you if you prefer a soft, fluffy and gentle brush. But truthfully, your lather is not better because you use silver tip.
Well, I always post my SOTD before I shave, that's why I never have a comment about the outcome. That said I took up the challenge and changed out my brush that I usually use most of the time, an EJ badger in best. I don't have a silver tip. I used my trusty Omega boar #81052, and actually got the same lather I get from the badger. I face lather and was a little surprised to find that the boar produced lather faster than the badger, now the badger will hold more lather but the boar holds plenty for 3 passes. I only do 2. I noticed no difference in the quality of the shave or quality of the lather, I will be in the market for a super in the next month or two, just to say I have a higher end brush.
you going for a record there speed racer? CLEARLY it's all about the tools & what sort of function they provide being both available based on budget and taste, technique develops over time. What does this brush do? How long do these blades last? Why did that soap suck? What's the face lather all about? In the end you're telling me & the rest of the world there's no difference between a silvertip...& everything else...lol. A real experimenter would know this. A true experimenter would say challenge accepted. Yes, my lather IS better using a silvertip vs. a boar. Try it first instead of throwing out the "oh yeah? so.... " routine....lol. I'm not out to get you. The rest of the world may be, but I'm not....LOL Give it a shot first before you think you understand me & my lather, LMAO!!!
I'll break down why I no longer use a boar, shall I? Moisture retention is not as good as a boar. Lather density is better. I like the way it applies better than a boar. I don't have to reload the brush w. more lather. Consistency of the lather is a better quality than a boar. I can lather tabac w. a boar & get a descent lather. Tabac has a rich lather. BUT, using a silvertip, there's a HUGE difference in thickness & density. There's a reason I stopped using the boar. It was the "whoa" factor when I experienced a change in the quality of the lather, no matter what I used. There's a noticable difference. I'm not sayin boar brushes stink, I still have mine, (though I haven't used it since March, lol), I'm just saying people don't go koo-koo for cocoa puffs for nothing over these silvertips, they have a good reason for going ga-ga over them, LOL! =):happy102
