Brush manufacturing concerns

[evilEgg]

I would like to start using a shaving brush and I am told badger is the best, but I have a concern. Are the badgers killed to make the brushes like minks etc for coats or are they shorn like sheep?

I am not an animal rights activist and have no problem with the boar hair (they use the meat). But I do worry about unnecessary cruelty to animals.

 

[northpaw]

They are indeed killed, not shorn. Their meat is also eaten, I believe, and their little ears used for necklaces, etc. (kidding)

 

[jkh]

There have a number of passionate debates regarding this matter. Badgers are indeed killed for the manufacture of badgers brushes. Most, if not all, badger hair is sourced from China. From what I understand, the Chinese do eat the badger meat, so the badger is not killed solely for it's coat. Whether or not the badger is killed in a humane manner is another topic for debate. Unfortunately, most badgers are raised and slaughtered in rural China, so there is very little information about the process.

EDIT - if you are uncomfortable with using a badger or boar brush there are synthetic brushes available.

 

[tlanning]

After unfortunate, (for me) encounters, (2) with Mr Badger in my past life I can safely and authoritatively state that if Mr Badger had the opportunity to kill you, HE WOULD!!
I totally enjoy using my Badger brush each time I do
They are unbelievably aggressive/vicious, (at least the 2 I met were)

 

[luvmysuper]

The meat of the badger is consumed. The badger has long been a staple food there, and the coat was and is still used as clothing articles.

No more and no less badgers will be killed, eaten and have their skins tanned if you buy a brush or not.

If the badger hair brush market came to a screeching halt tomorrow, they would still kill and eat the badger and use the hides for other purposes.

 

[gollum83]

If you are uncomfortable with using a badger or boar brush there are synthetic brushes available.

Exactly. If it is an issue with you in any way, by all means feel free to go and get a synthetic brush. It will still do the job you need it to do. Personally, it doesn't bother me in the least since the badgers are killed for food. So it isn't like they're being killed just for their pelts. Additionally, badgers are considered a crop nuisance in parts of China because they are so numerous, which I believe makes killing them just as justifiable as if they were being killed solely for food. Of course, you can feel free to disagree with me if you like to. In all honesty though, just use what you are most comfortable using. No one here is going to berate you for using a synthetic brush if you choose to do so.

And while we are on this topic, does anybody know if they also kill the animal for boar bristles? I'm assuming they do, but the topic never really seems to come up.

 

[northpaw]

And while we are on this topic, does anybody know if they also kill the animal for boar bristles? I'm assuming they do, but the topic never really seems to come up.

They do. After the animal has been killed and drained of blood, the carcass is dunked in scalding water, then the bristles are scraped off.

 

[gollum83]

They do. After the animal has been killed and drained of blood, the carcass is dunked in scalding water, then the bristles are scraped off.

That's kind of what I thought. Thanks!

 

[evilEgg]

if you are uncomfortable with using a badger or boar brush there are synthetic brushes available.

The only reason I asked is because everyone says badger is the best and brushes seem very expensive so I don't want to buy more than one. This especially true because I don't know if I am going to like using it or not. So if I get a brush that stinks I may just not like it because I got a lousy brush.

 

[Bertilak]

Using a badger brush is not that much different from having a (cow) leather belt, watchband, or shoes.

Assuming you are not from India.

 

[gollum83]

The only reason I asked is because everyone says badger is the best and brushes seem very expensive so I don't want to buy more than one. This especially true because I don't know if I am going to like using it or not. So if I get a brush that stinks I may just not like it because I got a lousy brush.

Expensive? It depends. There are some brushes that you can quite literally spend a couple hundred on, but there are badger brushes out there that sell as low as $14 or so, like the Tweezerman brush.

 

[DanOK]

Have you decided on a budget for a brush yet? Like others I would recommend a Tweezeman, to start, if cash is tight.

 

[futurman]

I had a stinky brush, and the smell went away after a few weeks of daily use.

 

[DSB]

The only reason I asked is because everyone says badger is the best and brushes seem very expensive so I don't want to buy more than one. This especially true because I don't know if I am going to like using it or not. So if I get a brush that stinks I may just not like it because I got a lousy brush.

A lot of gentelmen around these parts prefer boar. I personally prefer badger, but you shouldn't discount boar out of hand. One nice thing about boar is that it is relatively cheap (when comparted to high-end badger). There are many good choices out there.

 

[Vlad]

Welcome to the board! Make sure you post in the newbie forum about your favourite shaving equipment..

 

[Tha Baron]

I always thought the term "humanely killed" was an oxymoron...

 

[Slash McCoy]

Badgers are pretty feisty, mean and grumpy, I am told. I would rather spend the afternoon sorting wildcats than to shave a badger. Which is probably why badger bristles come from dead badgers!

 

[kongjie]

The meat of the badger is consumed. The badger has long been a staple food there, and the coat was and is still used as clothing articles.

Badger is eaten in China but even if its consumption could be called widespread, it's inaccurate to call it a staple of the Chinese diet. Rice, wheat, pork, cabbage, etc. but not badger.

 

[luvmysuper]

Badger is eaten in China but even if its consumption could be called widespread, it's inaccurate to call it a staple of the Chinese diet. Rice, wheat, pork, cabbage, etc. but not badger.

You are quite right, I should have said widespread or common.
Much of China outside of the Eastern / South Eastern coastal region have a diet that is basically whatever is available at the time, and badger is one of the items that is eaten whenever possible.