"Good" starter brushes for less than $20? $10?

I apologize if this has been asked before, but didn't see it in a quick search.

I'd like to give a few friends and family members some wet-shaving starter sets, razor, blades, soap/cream, and brush. Since I don't know that they will be "sold" on wet-shaving and will continue using them, I don't want to spend a lot, and am curious what options there are for brushes that are less than $20, and less than $10, that would give these folks a good experience in their trial runs. I know some of you are sold on the VDH brushes, and I respect that, but I picked up one at Walmart when travelling, and lost so many bristles during the three times I used it that I threw it away. I don't want these folks to have that experience. So I'd like to know if you can recommend a brush in either of these price ranges that 1) don't lose a lot of bristles, and 2) do a decent job lathering. Doesn't matter if it's boar or synthetic. I feel like if they have a good experience initially, they can choose their brush for the long-term. Or I should say brushes.

I would appreciate your recomendations.

Omega boar at WCS for 9 dollars!

mrbear said:

Omega boar at WCS for 9 dollars!

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Thanks, I saw that one and wondered if it is good, and if there are others under $10.

mrbear said:

Omega boar at WCS for 9 dollars!

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+1.....I'm really liking the smaller 10066 compared to the big Pro 49

Ha, funny you should mention this because I'm working on a video to be titled "Cheap Shaving Brush Battle Royal!" The contestants are:

VDH Boar Brush (~$8)
VDH Badger Brush (YES! They have a badger brush! $20 + 3 shipping but you have to email them about it, it's "off the menu.")
Tweezerman Badger ($15)
Omega Syntex synthetic (~$17)

I won't give away the winner (because I haven't decided yet ) but all will work for your purposes (though the VDH boar is the weakest of the bunch IMO).

--Mark

The Body Shop makes a synthetic brush for $11. If you join their club ($10 annual fee) you can get 10% off, and then you get your $10 back during your birthday month in the form of a gift card. You can read reviews of the TBS brush here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=T&t=27355

If you want to go with a badger brush, Tweezerman is available for around $15. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=T&t=16033

I don't have either of these brushes, so I can't give you any personal advice on either one. I have looked at them both in stores, and I wouldn't hesitate to give one to a friend in a newbie kit. Your friends need to start somewhere, and these two brushes look like they would be good jumping off points.

mrbear said:

Omega boar at WCS for 9 dollars!

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+1 surprisingly good for under ten bucks, and darn good for any brush under $30.

I have been giving starter sets at Christmas for the last two years. I have opted for the Tweezerman. At $15 its a great value and doesn't have quite the break in period you will find with a boar. I have my Tweezerman in my rotation and still enjoy it.

mantic said:

Ha, funny you should mention this because I'm working on a video to be titled "Cheap Shaving Brush Battle Royal!" ....

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Since your shaving instructional videos have been responsible for launching so many of us successfully into wetshaving using the proper techniques, I'm sure your "Cheap Shaving Brush Battle Royal!" video will become the standard for evaluating the performance of cheap brushes.

Any idea of when you expect to relase the video? (My friends and family may have to wait until I can watch this to ensure I make the right choice for them )

Mink said:

+1.....I'm really liking the smaller 10066 compared to the big Pro 49

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I'm glad to hear that. I was curious about the two brushes at the same price.

dpm802 said:

The Body Shop makes a synthetic brush for $11. If you join their club ($10 annual fee) you can get 10% off, and then you get your $10 back during your birthday month in the form of a gift card. You can read reviews of the TBS brush here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=T&t=27355

If you want to go with a badger brush, Tweezerman is available for around $15. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=T&t=16033

I don't have either of these brushes, so I can't give you any personal advice on either one. I have looked at them both in stores, and I wouldn't hesitate to give one to a friend in a newbie kit. Your friends need to start somewhere, and these two brushes look like they would be good jumping off points.

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Good advice. I'm guessing, like their new Macca shave cream that has replaced the old formula, The Body Shop only carries the new, improved brush?

soapbox said:

+1 surprisingly good for under ten bucks, and darn good for any brush under $30.

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Good to hear the Omega competes outside it's price range.

Thanks everyone.

DanOK said:

I have been giving starter sets at Christmas for the last two years. I have opted for the Tweezerman. At $15 its a great value and doesn't have quite the break in period you will find with a boar. I have my Tweezerman in my rotation and still enjoy it.

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Thanks! One of my nephews lives in your city. If I can get him started, you two could start a local B&B social group!

jakespoppy said:

Good advice. I'm guessing, like their new Macca shave cream that has replaced the old formula, The Body Shop only carries the new, improved brush?

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I've only seen one brush when I went there.

http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/mens-skin-care/prod6760003

Although you can't really get the whole story by checking out a brush when its dry, it does have a nice feel to it. Its a lot heftier than you would think by looking at the picture, and the bristles seem to be pretty dense, and nice and soft. I don't know how much water it would hold, since I've never used a synthetic brush, I don't have anything to compare it to.

I'll probably pick one up this summer.

dpm802 said:

I've only seen one brush when I went there.

http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/mens-skin-care/prod6760003

Although you can't really get the whole story by checking out a brush when its dry, it does have a nice feel to it. Its a lot heftier than you would think by looking at the picture, and the bristles seem to be pretty dense, and nice and soft. I don't know how much water it would hold, since I've never used a synthetic brush, I don't have anything to compare it to.

I'll probably pick one up this summer.

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I should probably pick up whichever one (or more) of the brushes that I decide on and try them myself, too, to make sure they are what I want to give away.

I don't think you could go wrong with an Omega Boar Brush. My first shaving brush was an Omega, and it is still going strong. I just bought two more of them. And another Badger, but I don't have SBAD, I swear.

10066 is sold out at WCS, but they have some over at Shoebox shave. I just got one of these for the shorter loft than my pro.

pcullens said:

...My first shaving brush was an Omega, and it is still going strong. I just bought two more of them. And another Badger, but I don't have SBAD, I swear.....

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Four brushes, hmmm....exactly how many brushes do you have to accumulate in your shave den before you are diagnosed as having SBAD?

The problem with any inexpensive brush is that it's going to be pretty prickly. If it's boar, it will break in a few months but that may be too long for someone with sensitive skin to tolerate.

If I were trying to convert someone I'd try to figure out a way to give them a softer brush. I suppose you could give them one of your old brushes after a thorough cleaning, or try to break the boar in for them by doing test lathers and carefully using a hairdryer.

I wonder how soft those eBay Chinese DeLong "silvertips" are. If they are softer, maybe you could work out a discount with the seller if you are buying more than one.

Wow, Randy - I wish I had you as a relative!

Certainly there are many choices in boar in your price range and experienced boar users have already given you great feedback. The only thing I would add is if you settle on a boar brush, try to choose one that is already reasonably soft or breaks in rather quickly. We don't want your family to ditch our fine lifestyle out of lathering frustration! Good luck...and well done!

jakespoppy said:

Four brushes, hmmm....exactly how many brushes do you have to accumulate in your shave den before you are diagnosed as having SBAD?

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Oops, I forgot about two other badgers. I was just talking about the Omegas.

cvac said:

....The problem with any inexpensive brush...may be too long (to break in and get soft) for someone with sensitive skin to tolerate.

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Exactly! The folks I'm talking about are not committed to trying wetshaving. Some will even just be humoring me to try it. It has to be good from the start for them to be sold on the experience.

cvac said:

....I'd try to figure out a way to give them a softer brush. I suppose you could give them one of your old brushes....

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I wouldn't mind sharing, but I don't have enough brushes for all of them, and most aren't nearby. I could mail a brush to two to a couple at a time, but would prefer to find something they can keep or pass along to a friend.

cvac said:

....I wonder how soft those eBay Chinese DeLong "silvertips" are. If they are softer, maybe you could work out a discount with the seller if you are buying more than one.

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I've wondered about those, too, and have seen a postive comment or two here on B&B about them. Not a bad idea to check on a quantity discount. Thanks for the idea!

texbilly said:

Wow, Randy - I wish I had you as a relative! ...

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Thanks Bill. I thought we were already like relatives, Brother!
But you don't need a $10 brush!

pcullens said:

Oops, I forgot about two other badgers. I was just talking about the Omegas.

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I've found the Burma shave brush to be perfectly acceptable for my first few months of DE shaving. It's a boar brush. You can find it at Meijer or Walmart for $5 or less. In my experience they shed a hair or two each shave. I think it's a fantastic way to start cheap.