My first brush (advice)

Hello from New Jersey!

Have been shaving with throw away razors and gunk for shave cream for years with the occasional electric razor use too but lately I have wanted to try shaving with warm shave cream so I explored the purchase of a machine that would heat my can of gunk. I realize though that those machines are basically junk which led me to explore the web some and find this forum.

Now I am inclined to buy a decent brush and upgrade my razor to something better too. I was hoping to get some purchase advice for the brush primarily and am considering these brushes as my first one:

Thater 4125 for $118.99 shipped
Thater 4292 for $104.99 shipped
both are silvertip finest badger

or for a more economical choice at a sale price

Omega "Green & Gold" badger silvertip brush for about $60

I'm probably going to go with a shaving cream via a tube and my upgrade razor may well be a gillette Mach 3 with disposable cartridges.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed! Sure wish I knew what brush I really should be buying...

Welcome to B&B!

I don't know any of the Thater brushes. They might be good but I also can't find any reviews.

Omega is good brand of brushes. I would recommend an Omega bristle/boar to start with (~$10).

For the shaving cream, Bigelow/Proraso is a good pick.

For the razor I would advise a Double Edge safety razor with a few blades (razor blade sample pack). It will be much cheaper in the long run. If you don't start buying a bunch of different things with it!

Welcome to B&B!

I own a Thater 4292, but not a 4125, so I am biased. However I can say that it'd be hard to go wrong with either choice, especially since you have no preference in brush styles yet. A less expensive alternative is the aforementioned Omega or even a Tweezerman badger brush (~$18 shipped). All of them will perform admirably but the Thater would be the softest of the group. This isn't to say that softer is better. Its just a preference.

If you're considering a cartridge system, perhaps a Trac II style would suit you. However, I would personally seconds Luc's recommendation of a Double Edge.

Luc said:

Omega is good brand of brushes. I would recommend an Omega bristle/boar to start with (~$10).

For the shaving cream, Bigelow/Proraso is a good pick.

For the razor I would advise a Double Edge safety razor with a few blades (razor blade sample pack). It will be much cheaper in the long run. If you don't start buying a bunch of different things with it!

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This.

Welcome to B&B!

Welcome to B&B, and Happy Shaving!

Edwin Jagger Best Badger Brush in medium size is often recommended as a good starter brush. Around $40, it is widely available from a number of online vendors.

The EJ-BBB's specifications are smack-dab in the middle of the bell-curves for all the things we look for, i.e. softness, density, knot-size, etc. It provides a good reference point so you can figure out whether you want a larger knot or a scrubbier feel or a different shape handle or whatever.

Don't go spending $100+ on your first brush ... to borrow one of my favorite quotes from The Whole Earth Catalog: "You can't buy Quality. You have to Grow into it."

Welcome to B&B

dpm802 said:

Welcome to B&B, and Happy Shaving!

Edwin Jagger Best Badger Brush in medium size is often recommended as a good starter brush. Around $40, it is widely available from a number of online vendors.

The EJ-BBB's specifications are smack-dab in the middle of the bell-curves for all the things we look for, i.e. softness, density, knot-size, etc. It provides a good reference point so you can figure out whether you want a larger knot or a scrubbier feel or a different shape handle or whatever.

Don't go spending $100+ on your first brush ... to borrow one of my favorite quotes from The Whole Earth Catalog: "You can't buy Quality. You have to Grow into it."

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Until you develop some good technique and feel out a brush for a while then you can figure out your preferences and decide if you really want a more expensive alternative. If you have $100 to spend, you can get a whole beginners DE set up including a nice vintage Gillette DE, some blades, a brush, a decent cream and an after shave. Take a look at the Buy/Sell/Trade- B/S/T board. Good luck and welcome aboard.

Welcome.

I would agree with Luc on getting an Omega Boar as a starter brush, it's only $10 so you are not $100 in the hole if you find out it's not the brush for you.

natchez said:

Until you develop some good technique and feel out a brush for a while then you can figure out your preferences and decide if you really want a more expensive alternative. If you have $100 to spend, you can get a whole beginners DE set up including a nice vintage Gillette DE, some blades, a brush, a decent cream and an after shave. Take a look at the Buy/Sell/Trade- B/S/T board. Good luck and welcome aboard.

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+2. $100.00 is a lot of coin for your first brush. Like the others, I suggest a more inexpensive one, and get your razor, soaps, creams, A/S and blades. As time goes on, you will know what you want/expect in a brush and you can buy accordingly.

I will go for 1 of this fantastic brushes if I was you, quality is up there with the best brush makers.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=156035

I got 3 of them, just brought 1 more, as you can see from this thread and at $58 delivered is a steal.

For your brush at the midpoint between the Omega/Tweezerman and the Thaters, you could look at a Simpson Berkeley, Case or Special, each of which come in Best Badger hair IIRC.

DFrancis said:

I would agree with Luc on getting an Omega Boar as a starter brush, it's only $10 so you are not $100 in the hole if you find out it's not the brush for you.

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+1, or a horse brush, about same price

Getting a good boar bristle brush, like an Omega, is probably the best bet for the time being. Once broken in, they are soft on the face when wet, can later well and are ideas for loading up from a hard shaving soap.

OK, dumb question but do drip stands come in different sizes for different sized brushes?

I appreciate all the input, especially about the brush. I am now leaning towards a large sized Edwin Jagger super badger brush as my first one and would like to find a stand for it as well. Any suggestions where to find one? I see many package a stand with the medium sized brush, but not the large.

I checked out the EJ-BBB brush and read the reviews but also saw that some say it sheds too much, so I figured I may go with a super BB instead.

rodeo said:

OK, dumb question but do drip stands come in different sizes for different sized brushes?

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Yes. Make sure to get one that is the right size.

And then there's this route too:

http://www.nashvilleknifeshop.com/mehdshset.html


It's just that I'm the kind of person that hates to buy "beginner" quality type of stuff when that money could have been initially applied to something better and more desirable. Once you out-grow this beginner set, that money spent was a waste. Sooo many choices.....

rodeo said:

And then there's this route too:

http://www.nashvilleknifeshop.com/mehdshset.html

It's just that I'm the kind of person that hates to buy "beginner" quality type of stuff when that money could have been initially applied to something better and more desirable. Once you out-grow this beginner set, that money spent was a waste. Sooo many choices.....

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Normally I would agree with you that buying beginner stuff means you would have to replace it rather soon. But, with something as personal as shaving, I have found it is better to define one's preferences before plunking down the big bucks. Are you going to bowl or face later? Are you going to use soaps or creams? Will you prefer a larger or smaller brush? Will you prefer a stiffer or softer feel? All of these things matter in brushes.

For me, I have found that I like a little stiffer brush and I have come to use soaps more than creams. With creams I like a slightly softer brush. I have also come to a 20-22 mm knot size as right. It also happens to be in the middle range. I would gather there are more than a few fellows here that have put out money for some 26 mm brushes that they rarely use.

By the way, my least expensive VDH boar from CVS has become a very nice soap brush over time. I still use it regularly. Semouge has some really great brushes in the $20-30 range. I also have a fancy silver tip that I rarely use; found it was just too soft for me.

But, it is your money and your choice. We can only give you some advice from the experiences we have had. Good luck and, of course, any brush is more fun than no brush.

Shaving is very personal, and price is no guarantee of quality and suitability. I don't believe that going large to begin with, assures you of anything except buying tools that cost the most money.

Most of my best stuff was the cheapest. My brush wasn't, but I had a cheapish one first up, to know what I did and didn't like about it, and where to go from there.

As the above poster says, if you find that a stiff scrubby brush is what you like, then you'll find one for a lot less money than a high end Silvertip badger.

Ultimately, they both make lather and put it on your face.

rodeo said:

OK, dumb question but do drip stands come in different sizes for different sized brushes?

I appreciate all the input, especially about the brush. I am now leaning towards a large sized Edwin Jagger super badger brush as my first one and would like to find a stand for it as well. Any suggestions where to find one? I see many package a stand with the medium sized brush, but not the large.

I checked out the EJ-BBB brush and read the reviews but also saw that some say it sheds too much, so I figured I may go with a super BB instead.

Click to expand...

You can get a great E&J brush (E&JBB is my favorite), stand and razor (DE89L) all at the English Shaving Company. They occasionally offer B&B discounts as well...
http://www.theenglishshavingcompany.com/cgi-bin/psDept.cgi?Shaving%20Sets

I have to agree with the other comments here, while you can go BIG right out the door, it can mean you'll end up getting equipment that doesn''t suit your style, which is why it is recommended to ease into it.
Some people like stiffer bristles for soaps, while others prefer softer for face lathering. Some like a large brush, vs a medium or small, for similar reasons.
This way you get the technique sorted before you figure out your product needs.