Forget scritchiness, softness of tips, backbone, etc.

[DFSDAILY]

I like my Omega Pro for soaps and my EJ medium best for creams. It might only be best badger but it feels pretty lush on the face with no scritch.

 

[musicman1951]

I find the Kent BK8 has just the right amount of backbone. I have a huge Parker silvertip that makes great lather and then holds on to half of it.

 

[ricardo9505]

why some people can not get a lather is beyond me, its not that hard just swish around in soap or cream-----------i think some people just expect too much, every brush i have /had works great, soap or cream--yes there are brushes with more backbone, its a given, but they all will get lather fine, size would be the factor small for face lather and bigger for soap bowls- but i use my rotation as follows, boar for soaps and badger for creams------- but they work great in either situation

hahaha. Honestly I gotta agree with cavefish here. However, some are better overall. As mentioned backbone is great for lathering. I'm a face latherer myself and someone started a great thread with favorite face brushes. Many have options strictly for soaps (more backbone) and creams (less). After my first omega badger I knew I needed more backbone but not as much as I initially thought. U really do learn so much along the way. I'm amazed when members here who have wet shaved for decade(s) and still learn new tricks or tips. awesome/

 

[bastimret]

So far it's my restored ER 200 using a TGN Finest XH 22mm Bulb knot. I love this thing. It makes my Duke 2 feel so thin and airy now by comparison. Fantastic backbone, great soft scrubby feel. It's wonderful. And less than $30 for the knot!

 

[SliceOfLife]

I am curious if anyone has found if one brush, or one kind of brush lathers significantly better than others. To me they all pretty much do the job. For now, do not consider the asthetic aspectsof a brush, i.e., backbone, tip softness, scritchiness, etc. Just the ability to lather.

Rooney finest and Synthetic Kabuki's. Fine, resilient hair packed extremely dense and low enough to have backbone. It (they) just does (do) what a shaving brush was meant to do more effectively than the vast majority of brushes can. It's hard to explain, but it's something that's easy to see. TGN finest are great knots and are strong latherers, but if I lather with one of my TGN's and then with my Rooney finest, it's an extremely evident difference in how they perform.

 

[Loric]

Rooney finest and Synthetic Kabuki's. Fine, resilient hair packed extremely dense and low enough to have backbone. It (they) just does (do) what a shaving brush was meant to do more effectively than the vast majority of brushes can. It's hard to explain, but it's something that's easy to see. TGN finest are great knots and are strong latherers, but if I lather with one of my TGN's and then with my Rooney finest, it's an extremely evident difference in how they perform.

+1 Synthetics and synthetic Kabuki's in general lather better than anything else. HIS lathers at least as efficiently and quickly as a Kabuki, however the lather is not quite as slick IMO. If perfect lather is your objective go synthetic and dont overlook a Kabuki.

 

[tfinch]

So far the Kent BK4 for me. Some brushes seem a little tricky to get the best lather but the BK4 seems just about a sure thing every time I pick it up. The Semogue 1305 is very close though.

 

[AABCDS]

Ignoring everything else but lathering ability, I'd say that the H.I.S. synthetic is the best brush lathering brush I've tried.

 

[Teddyboy]

Kent and Vulfix 223x are infamous with the notion they are soft, floppy, and with not enough backbone. I don't want to give an opinion about that. I'm just saying that those two are my fastest lather making badger brushes. My opinion is not based only on loading time alone but on the overall capability to make high quality lather easily and quickly.

Excellent, b/c that's exactly the kind of info I was interested in. I see no reason why backbone would necessarily contribute to whipping up a lather. It may decrease loading time, but for me, that's another issue.

 

[Teddyboy]

I think the Semogue 620 fits the bill for all of these. It's soft with great backbone and feels as good on the hand as it does on the face. Not to mention that it's cheap. I love my Chubby 2 to chew up soaps but it still isn't as luxurious as my 620.

That is unexpected; that your Chubby 2 is not as luxurious as your 620. I have a 620 and am only now, after a month, beginning to see its virtues. I'm still a badger guy.

 

[breadstick]

That is unexpected; that your Chubby 2 is not as luxurious as your 620. I have a 620 and am only now, after a month, beginning to see its virtues. I'm still a badger guy.

It took two or three months for my 620 to really hit its stride. I got two boars at the same time (that were still half the price of most badgers) and I alternated days with them. Letting the brush dry for 48 hours between uses will speed up the hairs splitting and the full break in. 620s are notorious for pushing you to your breaking point, but you'll be glad you stick it out.

I will say that my Chubby2 is an absolute soap destroyer.

 

[Scritchnscrub]

Savile Row.