Advice Needed For A Brush Choice

Hi there to all from The Netherlands,

I'm new to the forum, but not new to wet shaving. I have almost everything except a good shaving brush. Now I'm in search of a good brush. My problem is that I have a very hard beard and a sensitive skin. I have a few brushes of Omega and two of them are badger, but because they are trimmed I feel the edges of hairs on my face, which is not a nice feeling and on the other side the hairs are a bit soft so the hairs are spreading when I apply a bit pressure. I think that I have to look for untrimmed silvertip with a bit stiff body. I have no brand preference. Total brush lenght of max. 4.5 inch/11cm with a bristle length of max 2.2inch/5.5cm will be nice I think. Any suggestions?

Welcome Bytebuster! What sort of pricerange are you looking at? There's no point in us suggesting $200 brushes if you only have $100 to spend (ditto in Euros, but no such key on my keyboard ... )

Bytebuster said:

Hi there to all from The Netherlands,

I'm new to the forum, but not new to wet shaving. I have almost everything except a good shaving brush. Now I'm in search of a good brush. My problem is that I have a very hard beard and a sensitive skin. I have a few brushes of Omega and two of them are badger, but because they are trimmed I feel the edges of hairs on my face, which is not a nice feeling and on the other side the hairs are a bit soft so the hairs are spreading when I apply a bit pressure. I think that I have to look for untrimmed silvertip with a bit stiff body. I have no brand preference. Total brush lenght of max. 4.5 inch/11cm with a bristle length of max 2.2inch/5.5cm will be nice I think. Any suggestions?

Click to expand...

Welcome to B&B from a fellow Dutchie! I'm sure people with more brush experience will drop by soon, but it might be worth to try the review section on brushes as well.

Doc4 said:

...snip (ditto in Euros, but no such key on my keyboard ... )

Click to expand...

Try pressing the Alt (right side of keyboard) and 5 (top of keyboard) simultaneously...

Welcome aboard!


==Tom

The hard beard isn't really a factor as the brush itself doesn't soften the hair - the sensitive skin on the other hand suggests that you might want to try a silvertip with soft tips (most silvertips are handmade and have untrimmed tips).

A couple more questions before makings specific suggestions:

Do you use soaps, creams or both?

Do you lather in a mug or directly on your face?

If you answer these questions and give us an indication of your price range, you'll get much better advice.

Suzuki said:

The hard beard isn't really a factor as the brush itself doesn't soften the hair - the sensitive skin on the other hand suggests that you might want to try a silvertip with soft tips (most silvertips are handmade and have untrimmed tips).

A couple more questions before makings specific suggestions:

Do you use soaps, creams or both?

Do you lather in a mug or directly on your face?

If you answer these questions and give us an indication of your price range, you'll get much better advice.

Click to expand...

I use both; creams and soaps. Also both for lathering; sometimes directly on my face and sometimes in a mug. My price limit is 100€-110€ which is 150$. I'm not looking for a fancy thing with an ivory or any other expensive handle.
Functionality of it is important to me.

If there are any other questions, then let me know please.

Welcome!

Omega silvertips are very soft but may lack backbone, if you want a bit of it.

Rooney Super Small Style 1 might just be the ticket, and it's in your range.

I am sure other brushes may work well, too...

Cheers
Ivo

Some quick suggestions:

The Rooney brushes in super are quite good - you can see pictures of the three styles here:

http://vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/home.php?cat=152

The small size is a nice, middle-of-the road 22mm and the super hair has nice soft tips, but good backbone. Mine is very well made and the knot is very dense.

I only have the style 1, which is the shortest in terms of both handle and loft, I use mostly soaps and lather on my face, which the #1 is perfect for. Some have commented that the short handle can make lathering in a scuttle a bit of a pain - unless its wide enought for you to get your hand in there.

The #3 looks like a good all-around brush - slightly longer loft and handle.

Another good choice for a nice all-around brush would be the Saville Row brushes sold by QED - very nice brushes, soft hair and a nice variety of sizes/handle shapes.

Since you're in the EC, you might also want to consider the Shavemac brushes, which are made in Germany (you'll save on shipping duties).

I don't have one, but they get consistenly good reviews the website is here:

http://www.shavemac.com/index.php?lang=en&area=men&sel=2

I would suggest either the finest badger (around $70 for a 23mm brush) or silvertip (around $100 - 110 for a 23mm brush).

There's also a custom tab on the lower left side and you can actually design your own brush - handle shape, material and grade of hair - for the same as any of the pre-made brushes. While its not an option on the menu, you can select larger or smaller knots - which will impact the price accordingly.

If you have questions, you can e-mail or call Bernd to discuss what you're looking for - he's great to deal with.

Other good options include Edwin Jager:

http://www.theenglishshavingcompany.com/cgi-bin/psDept.cgi?Shaving%20Brushes

As well as Muhle Pinsel:

http://www.muehle-shaving.com/shop/shaving_brushes/classic/3/11/1

I've not used the Muhle brushes, but Joel just did a review (look in the brush review section) and thought the brush he tested was quite good.

Actually, I suggest you go through the brush reviews generally to see what people have said about various brushes - both manufacturers and specific models.

Hope this helps.

You won't be disappointed by a shavemac.

A 23mm finest was my choice a little while ago, and I think it could fit your needs well.

Its tips are silky soft. I don't own a silvertip version, but people who own both the silvertip and the finest grades say the finest is a bit more beige than white silvertip, but the softness is the same.

It has good backbone. I think the small Rooney is rated a bit stiffer, but again, you will not be disappointed.

It works well for both soaps and creams

You get to pick a handle according to your own aesthetic.

A handmade brush of this quality is a steal at $70-$80 (depends on handle)

Please do read the reviews before making a choice. It's my opinion however there is no better choice considering the outstanding quality, price, and looks.