Call me crazy but...
- Thread starter bleddy
- Start date
I thought that at first. Now I grab a badger more often. I think tastes can change over time.
It depends on how you define "better". I'm with doofus; I know what I prefer simply by what I end up using. When I make a choice, it isn't based on functional analysis. I just pick a brush. It's a little like water-witching. My hand seems to be directed by some unseen force. There isn't much, if anything, empirical about it. Whatever informs the choice, however, it clearly doesn't come down to just one thing (e.g., whipping up lather). For me, shaving experience happens as much between my ears as on my face.
I've got a couple of boar brushes, Semogus, and they are decent brushes, but a Shavemac D0-1 two band, Simpson Super or Manchurian, Plisson HMW are far preferable to me. As you noted in the OP, YMMV. 
I tend to grab my silvertips the most, but every once in a while I still enjoy whipping up a lather with a good boar. Only one I can't get the hang of is a synthetic. Love the face feel but can't seem to find the best way to get the lather worked up with it.
Boar is very good. Though I only have one I think it might be the most versatile of the bunch and maybe the one I prefer the most
I only have two brushes, and I use my silvertip badger 99% of the time. The boar is nice and old and broken-in, but I use it for travel and for one or two creams and soaps that seem to like it better.
I'm reminded of the old adage: "Those who like this sort of thing will find this to be just the sort of thing they like."
In my mind it's strictly a personal preference thing. I like boars, I like badgers.
And both, IMHO, are WAY​ better than synthetics.
In my mind it's strictly a personal preference thing. I like boars, I like badgers.
And both, IMHO, are WAY​ better than synthetics.
I am boar-ing solely. Just prefer it to badger. YMMV.
Have you tried an Omega S-Brush (synthetic boar)? I used to have trouble with synthetics, but after about 5 shaves with the S-Brush it entered into my rotation as a stellar performer.
I currently prefer boar and horse to badger. I think I might need more practice with my badger, but the boars work so well for me that I rarely reach for the one badger I own. I'm getting better with the badger.
I also think boars are more cost efficient, and I need to save $ for more SRs.
I really like boar once they are broken in. I have three that I use regularly and one back up. I have gotten rid of most of my badger as they don't do much for me. I kept one and I have a badger/boar which will probably exit soon. I also have three horse hair and three plissoft synthetics, but still prefer boar over the others for heavy duty shaving.
It really depends on my mood, thee soap I'm using, and whether I'm bowl or face lathering on which I perfer. Even a synthetic has it place in my brush usage.
Soft, scritchy badger for croaps and creams, firmer boar for the triple milled soaps.
AA
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I have a couple of Semogue boars and a Semogue badger. I do prefer the badger, partially because it is slightly larger, but I don't think that it is worth 3+ times the cost of the boars.
Not much better than a well broken in boar.
- Thread starter
- #16
Yes I think I agree!
I don't think you're crazy. Funny thing is I just created a post saying the exact same thing.
Boar, badger, synthetic...I love em all(have yet to try horse). They all lather great for me, and one is usually chosen based on my mood or whether the color matches the soap and aftershave containers.
Wait until you have more time and experience with shaving brushes and generating lather. They all work very well depending on how you use them once you understand their individual characteristics.
A good 2-Band badger knot is just as good as any boar brush and even softer with more backbone if you get a proper knot.
I really enjoy using my Zenith boar brushes, but I gravitate towards my 2-Band badgers, almost exclusively.
This will always be a YMMV thing.
A good 2-Band badger knot is just as good as any boar brush and even softer with more backbone if you get a proper knot.
I really enjoy using my Zenith boar brushes, but I gravitate towards my 2-Band badgers, almost exclusively.
This will always be a YMMV thing.
Both of my badgers have relatively small knots (Wee Scot @ 14 mm, Simpson Special @ 20 mm), so that's less of an issue for me.
