Best low priced brush --- Tweezerman , Escali , etc ?

[ThurstonHowellIII]

I have had my Tweezerman for three years. Still is fine, in fact better than when it was new. But Omegas, Vie-Longs, Semogue, Turkish #6 are all good options too. There are a lot of choices to get an outstanding brush at a small price.

Not that there is anything wrong with higher priced brushes either. Decide what you want and how much you wish to pay.

 

[Hurling Frootmig]

On a budget I would go with the Omega 48 or 49. Great brushes for very little money. Break in is pretty quick and they work equally well with soaps or creams.

 

[lancj1]

I am not sure if you can get either of these where you are. I only have two brushes - a Vulfix 404 mixed and a Wilkinson sword bristle. I use them a week about and both knock up a great four pass lather with my preferred Palmolive stick and face lathering. I keep looking at Simpsons and Rooneys but for the first time in my fifty years it seems I am able to maintain control of my AD predisposition.

Both the above great for me.

 

[goatee]

my only experience with boars have been the three pictured in my profile here. the two are GARBAGE and the home made handle one got better after i broke it in a little and use a better soap. boar + Williams = no good.
with that being said,, im sure there are good boar brushes. i just haven't tried them.

as for badgers,, (besides the tweezerman) i have two with similar knots as the twzr. and one with a big ole fan knot.
pretty sure all came from china, all were under $12. ...$10/$12 right in there. all perform alike. (differences too close to call)

 

[RABIDMONKEY]

vie long horse , semogue boar , vielong horse/ boar combo for $40 you should easily be able to get a boar and a horse brush

 

[Comet]

The Shea Brush at Target is a great deal at $9. A tad floppy, but the O-ring mod helps this problem.

 

[byscott]

Simple answer, although perhaps not the one you expected: forget about wasting your money on a $13 badger brush and spend less on an Omega boar brush (the Pro 49 is what I have). I also have a few mid to high end badgers and, once that Omega broke in, it was every bit as soft as my badgers which cost 5 times the price.

If cost is the issue, boars will always outperform similarly-priced badgers at the low end.

I've got a Tweezerman from Amazon and an Omega boar/badger mix (11047, I think) that I got from WCS. Of the two, I prefer the Tweezerman, but it's entirely subjective - it just feels better, and I think it does a better job of lathering my face. Your face and your lather are likely to be entirely different.

I think both are good value are are good starter brushes. For me, both will soon be replaced by various others (restorations or homemade). Of the two, I think the Omega is better made - the Tweezerman is all about the knot, and has a wood handle that looks and feels cheap.

FWIW, my Tweezerman had a noticeable animal smell that has dissipated over time.

Also FWIW, I usually use cream rather than soap.

 

[badrunner13]

On a budget I would go with the Omega 48 or 49. Great brushes for very little money. Break in is pretty quick and they work equally well with soaps or creams.

+ 1

 

[ulbador]

I would definitely recommend the Omegas being tossed around. I ordered and sent back three Tweezerman's from two different vendors because they shed like crazy.

 

[rearviewmirror]

Omega. Low price badger < Boar < 'best badger' in terms of brushes under $50.

If you're going to spend less then 50, get a boar. if you're going to spend more then 50, get a simpson in best.
this is just to start though. simpson best badger is a gateway drug to Lee Sabini, Lee Sabini is a gateway drug to Thater and Plisson

 

[VGA Ubersoldat]

I have been using Parker's Black Badger (at Amazon for $25 plus stand and free shipping) since July this year and absolutely love it. I used a cheap Sally's synthetic brush ($5) until the Parker came in and never went back. I have not noticed it losing any hairs whatsoever which is a plus for me. I tried a VDH brush that came with the Deluxe kit ($10) I recently snagged at Rite Aid. Not so good. As with all things, YMMV.

 

[luvmysuper]

I was pretty surprised that I was so far down the page before I found this;

Tweezerman brushes have great bristles, but the handle is total crap and the knot has a tendency of falling out.
I'd put my vote on the Shea Moisture brush that some Targets have - $9 can't be beat.

I couldn't agree more.
The Shea isn't as "prickly" as the Tweezerman. Though some feel it lacks backbone, I've never had an issue lathering up even the hardest of triple milled soaps.

 

[itsmedave]

You really can't go wrong with a Tweez, Shea, or Omega 10049. I have all 3 and use them regularly along with a Vie Long Horse hair brush. I've had no problem with my Tweezerman and haven't lost any hair short of the 4 or 5 that were lost when breaking it in.