What's new

"Poor Man's" Brushes: A Guide to 5 Good Cheap Brushes

Great thread. Thanks Krona! Anybody know how the Omega Mighty Midget compares to the Omega #40033 in terms of scrubbing and scritch? I know the 40033 is bigger (23mm knot with a 48mm loft).
 
I love my VDH Pure Badger, it bowl lathers great for me. However, I have come to the conclusion that this is for a newbie as after a few months you will probably need to replace it if you're like me. I soak my brush but I'm very careful with it, and it sheds 4-5 hairs/use consistently, it hasn't really changed since the begining.

If mine was a faulty knot I think I would want another, but it seems like they're all the same, so I'm looking into finding a replacement 2 months later because it probably has another 2 months of daily use in it, but that's about it. Plus I've been getting sick of having Badger hairs stuck to my face...
 
Great thread. Thanks Krona! Anybody know how the Omega Mighty Midget compares to the Omega #40033 in terms of scrubbing and scritch? I know the 40033 is bigger (23mm knot with a 48mm loft).

The Mighty Midget has badger in it which contributes to the light scritchy feel. The 40033 is all boar bristle which will break-in to be a soft scrubber with good backbone.
 
I love my VDH Pure Badger, it bowl lathers great for me. However, I have come to the conclusion that this is for a newbie as after a few months you will probably need to replace it if you're like me. I soak my brush but I'm very careful with it, and it sheds 4-5 hairs/use consistently, it hasn't really changed since the begining.

If mine was a faulty knot I think I would want another, but it seems like they're all the same, so I'm looking into finding a replacement 2 months later because it probably has another 2 months of daily use in it, but that's about it. Plus I've been getting sick of having Badger hairs stuck to my face...

Same here, I love everything about the brush except the hair loss. In fact, if it didn't shed so bad, I don't think I would ever buy another brush. But like you, I am tired of pick loose hair out of my lather. I am probably gonna end up with a badger from whipped dog, it seems like they are great brushes at a low price.
 
Same here, I love everything about the brush except the hair loss. In fact, if it didn't shed so bad, I don't think I would ever buy another brush. But like you, I am tired of pick loose hair out of my lather. I am probably gonna end up with a badger from whipped dog, it seems like they are great brushes at a low price.

It's one thing if the knot was loose or just doing something funny. It's even a little floppy, but for me bowl lathering, I love it, more than more expensive brushes I've tried.

Picking badger hairs out of your lather that's already painted on your face gets really gross though. It would be one thing if it would one in a while shed, but I would say I get an average of about 4 hairs/lather just about, it's getting crazy. Feels like it shed, stopped, then shed again!
 
Thanks for the images of your brushes and where to get them. Right now I am using my Father's brush that my Mom got him. It's been 35 years since he pasted, so it is fairly ancient already. I am not really sure how old the brush actually is, but I think Dad got it probably in the 70's before he past. It is a Best Badger, probably. In the near future I believe I will begin my own collection of brushes and razors. I went to your site and enjoyed all the shaving paraphernalia that you have. Thanks for sharing. Now I am waiting for my DE, a Weber. Doug
 
Thanks for the images of your brushes and where to get them. Right now I am using my Father's brush that my Mom got him. It's been 35 years since he pasted, so it is fairly ancient already. I am not really sure how old the brush actually is, but I think Dad got it probably in the 70's before he past. It is a Best Badger, probably. In the near future I believe I will begin my own collection of brushes and razors. I went to your site and enjoyed all the shaving paraphernalia that you have. Thanks for sharing. Now I am waiting for my DE, a Weber. Doug

Thanks. You might just want to soak your brush in a light white vinegar solution, give it a good rinse, and treat with hair conditioner. That should clean it and bring it back to life without too much shedding. It's special to have an intimate item like a razor or brush that belonged to a loved one.
Enjoy your Weber, I've heard great things about it and I'm sure you'll succumb to RAD and SBAD. Enjoy!
 
Great thread.

My Tweezerman keeps chugging along. It gets lots of use.

My Omega 49 is a champ for the price. It eats up hard soaps.

I have a Chinese Ebay special that was free...long story, but it lathers great.

The Shea Moisture brush I have is a fine performer, too.

I've been largely immune from SBAD, but that might midget looks tempting.
 
I din't know about the conditioning. I found about the vinegar on Youtube and my brush has been vinegar cleaned. I may put the conditioner on it too.

Here is picture of my brush if I can get it uploaded.

$brush 1.jpg it is weighted with a brass plugin the bottom of the black portion of the brush.

Take care and have a great week.


Doug
 
My No. 6 brushes are lather hogs, but I found this brush I bought maybe ten years ago in my Dads house on the weekend, it was dried and stunk of canned goo from years ago, stuck together. Cleaned it upwith some shampoo.

It can't have cost me more than 5 euro in TK max, but is it any good? (will shave with it tommorow) It's a vulfix bristle. seems they changed the design from the new ones, I prefer the handle I have.

proxy.php



Top view, Turkish No. 6 on the left, Vulfix Boar bristle on the right.
proxy.php
 
Yep, I trid it this morning, and it was firm enough to make a great bowl lather with Mikes soap, but transfred it so well to the face, and was very gentle too.

This is a bloody great brush, delighted I re-found it. If you are looking for cheap boar, this one should be up there.
 
My favorite inexpensive brush is a Semogue 610. It takes a couple of weeks to break in, but once it does, it is the perfect tool for face lathering soaps. It isn't just a great, cheap brush; it is a world class brush that compares, quality wise, with any out there. I have half a dozen much more costly brushes, but I reach for the little Semogue more often than any of them.

Mike

I bought one of these brushes a few weeks ago and as I rotate it has slowly been breaking in. I had had a break with this brush and P.160 and re-visited it this morning with the 610 and I used it slightly wetter than normal and the result was phenomenal. The brush has been breaking in slowly and is clearly in a better shape than when it was new but it really working with this soap today, very thick creamy yoghurt like lather and the brush had enough lather for 3+ passes for a great shave.

It doesn't get much better than this.
 
1.Jaguar 1071 boar on amazon (u get a rebranded shave factory brush), $14, and u get a stick of arko, and a pack of Astra platinums too.
2. Omega boars, I prefer QED USA vendor (Charles is awesome), u can get one <$15-20 shipped
3. Vulfix 404 Grosvensor (100% boar) connaught shaving vendor forget the price, but a good deal and it ships suprisingly quick for overseas.
4.semouge 1305 from various vendors, around $20 mark, but a top notch contender.
5. Best shave #1 boar brush (from best shave), $4.50 brush, 27mm knot x 68mm loft. One of the greatest deals out there in my opinion, like $8 bucks shipped from turkey. For that price u can throw in a few sticks of arko and some blades and still come out ahead!!!
 
Great thread.

My Tweezerman keeps chugging along. It gets lots of use.

My Omega 49 is a champ for the price. It eats up hard soaps.

I have a Chinese Ebay special that was free...long story, but it lathers great.

The Shea Moisture brush I have is a fine performer, too.

I've been largely immune from SBAD, but that might midget looks tempting.


Really? You have four brushes :001_tongu
 
Top Bottom