Please help me decide

PeteG1027 · May 27, 2011

Hello All,, With so many shaving brushes out there, my hair is falling out, as well as the hair on my VDH Boar hair starter brush, trying to decide what to buy.. After reading all the reviews and opinions on here, I cannot figure out what Bager Hair brush to buy. I have a VDH boar, as well as an Semogue 1305 boar brush. I am looking for a Badger Hair brush, in the $30-$50 dollar range, that will last a while. I have medium size stubby fingers as well as a big fat face, kind of like Mr Potato head, with hair :glare:

.. Any opinions?? Thanks..

YankeeBoy · May 27, 2011

If you have a budget of about $30-$50 concider looking at the Omega line. Good, dependable, and will get the job done. They also do not have a reputation for shedding.

Docd · May 27, 2011

I bought a Penworks Silvertip and never looked back. Works great for me and blooms Wonderfully! It was around $40 USD.

PeteG1027 · May 27, 2011

John,, that penworks is a beautiful Brush.. I'm going to have to google that. Thanks for the reply..

PozzSka · May 27, 2011

A Simpson berkley is close to that price. Nice brush for the price.

Other than that, a handle and knot from thegoldennib.com

PeteG1027 · May 27, 2011

I just ordered 2 knots and 2 handles from the Golden Nib.. It was more than I wanted to spend, but I always wanted to try assembling them myself anyway's. This way, I have what I was looking for as far as size, and handle. Now I have to scour this site to make sure I do it right.. Thanks

PeteG1027 · May 27, 2011

PozzSka said:
A Simpson berkley is close to that price. Nice brush for the price.

Other than that, a handle and knot from thegoldennib.com

Pozz, I placed the order with The Nib 5 minutes before you responded.. .. Do you have any experience asembling brushes?

Docd · May 27, 2011

That's a good idea too. I thought of doing it myself, but just bought one from penworks. I think their brushes are TGN knots and handles, just assembled. Good choice, enjoy your project, and the great lathers they will yield.

PozzSka · May 27, 2011

PeteG1027 said:
Pozz, I placed the order with The Nib 5 minutes before you responded.. .. Do you have any experience asembling brushes?

I do.

I have a thread of restorations and things in the restoration sub forum.

Your handles and knots should be ready to go...drop the knot in without glue and see how the loft is. If it's too high, try and push the knot in as far as possible, without going too low. Check the website or email Tony at TGN and find out the depth of the hole, so the loft is what you want. He can drill them deeper if you need them deeper. The lower the loft the scrubbier the brush. When you like it, put a little epoxy or superglue in the bottom of the hole and push the knot into place.

What knots did you order?

PeteG1027 · May 27, 2011

I ordered the 22mm Black Badger , and the 22 mm Silvertip Hair Knot. I was going to get the 24mm size but thought it's a little to big. 22 should be perfect for me.. The Black badger really spoke to me. it's going to look great with the new cocobolo wood handle.. I can already see where this is headed. I'm going to end up buying a bunch of different handles, and Knots.. Or looking for vintage handles, restoring them, and buying new knots.. But Really,, how much is enough??? This get's addicting..

ssultan · May 27, 2011

The 22mm knot size is a good middle ground, after using it for a while, you'll be able to determine if you would like to move on to large knots or smaller...heck, you may just love the 22-24mm size and decide to stay there...you'll never know till you try them all!!!

PozzSka · May 27, 2011

PeteG1027 said:
I ordered the 22mm Black Badger , and the 22 mm Silvertip Hair Knot. I was going to get the 24mm size but thought it's a little to big. 22 should be perfect for me.. The Black badger really spoke to me. it's going to look great with the new cocobolo wood handle.. I can already see where this is headed. I'm going to end up buying a bunch of different handles, and Knots.. Or looking for vintage handles, restoring them, and buying new knots.. But Really,, how much is enough??? This get's addicting..

Restoring and making your own is fun...you might just get carried away :w00t:

My personal preference would be to set the black badger at 50-52mm and use it mostly for bowl lathering, it will be scritchy on the face. It will still have plenty of backbone at this loft, because of the type of hair.

The silvertip I would set low, approx 44mm (give or take a mm) this will preserve the backbone and make it suitable for soaps and creams and it will be a great face lathering brush. if you set this much higher than 48mm it will get floppy fast. But, that may be your thing, I don't know.

Just my thoughts. Call or email Tony and make sure the knot will allow for the loft you want.

PeteG1027 · May 28, 2011

PozzSka said:
Restoring and making your own is fun...you might just get carried away

My personal preference would be to set the black badger at 50-52mm and use it mostly for bowl lathering, it will be scritchy on the face. It will still have plenty of backbone at this loft, because of the type of hair.

The silvertip I would set low, approx 44mm (give or take a mm) this will preserve the backbone and make it suitable for soaps and creams and it will be a great face lathering brush. if you set this much higher than 48mm it will get floppy fast. But, that may be your thing, I don't know.

Just my thoughts. Call or email Tony and make sure the knot will allow for the loft you want.

Thats the one thing I worry about the most. I do not like Floppy... that's the main reason I ordered the Black badger. For future orders, does anyone know if Tony will drill holes for a specific knot on a Turning Brush Blank? That would make things a whole lot easier. I could then just adjust it to my preference, but having it started would help. Thanks

kbuzbee · May 28, 2011

ssultan said:
you'll never know till you try them all!!!

That kinda says it all, my friend! :thumbup:

Ken

CyberJCM · May 28, 2011

Just an FYI, maybe it helps, maybe it wont. And of course YMMV.

I set a 22mm Black Badger in a vintage ER handle at about 53mm. It has bloomed out like crazy, and it is kinda floppy. However, like many, I didn't find it particularly scritchy. I think it's face feel was pretty balanced between soft and scritchy. But if I did it again I would definitely do a shorter loft.

Heres a pic of it:

Ryvin · May 28, 2011

@PeteG1027 - Wish I could offer some help, but I can't since I've only had one brush (tweezerman - beginner brush). Best I can offer is my what i plan on doing to find what i want in a new brush which is heading into a few stores here in Chicago and just playing with the brushes if i can to get a feel for the hair types and sizes.

See if you can find any local shops or take a day trip into a city to try to play with some new brushes.

PeteG1027 · May 28, 2011

CYBER JCM,, That came out real Nice.. Is that an EverReady Handle?? I am looking to make my Black Badger Knot set a little bit Deeper in the handle, but If mine came out like that I'd be happy!! Nice work!!

CyberJCM · May 28, 2011

PeteG1027 said:
CYBER JCM,, That came out real Nice.. Is that an EverReady Handle?? I am looking to make my Black Badger Knot set a little bit Deeper in the handle, but If mine came out like that I'd be happy!! Nice work!!

Thanks Pete! It was my first, and I'm overall pretty happy with it! It's my cream brush :biggrin1:

Learned a good lesson on loft doing it though. My latest one is a TGN silvertip in a Dymondwood handle, and it is awesome at 50mm! Except the handle wasn't sealed... grr

Oh right! Yes, it is an Ever Ready 300PBT. I liked the Black Badger with the red and black handle. Many guys are saying it's a scritchy brush. I honestly don't think so! I compare it to my first brush, a Rooney 22mm in Pure Badger, which is nice, but the BB is a little bit softer.

Look forward to seeing your results! And thanks again for the compliment!

PeteG1027 · May 28, 2011

CyberJCM said:
Thanks Pete! It was my first, and I'm overall pretty happy with it! It's my cream brush Learned a good lesson on loft doing it though. My latest one is a TGN silvertip in a Dymondwood handle, and it is awesome at 50mm! Except the handle wasn't sealed... grr

Oh right! Yes, it is an Ever Ready 300PBT. I liked the Black Badger with the red and black handle. Many guys are saying it's a scritchy brush. I honestly don't think so! I compare it to my first brush, a Rooney 22mm in Pure Badger, which is nice, but the BB is a little bit softer.

Look forward to seeing your results! And thanks again for the compliment!

I'll post pic's when I'm done.. that's why I bought the Black Badger, It's supposedly a bit stiffer, and I love the look myself.. The Black with the red that you have done, makes it a very elegant looking brush. Enjoy your weekend.

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Please help me decide

PeteG1027

YankeeBoy

Docd

PeteG1027

PozzSka

PeteG1027

PeteG1027

Docd

PozzSka

PeteG1027

ssultan

PozzSka

PeteG1027

kbuzbee

CyberJCM

Ryvin

PeteG1027

CyberJCM

PeteG1027

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