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Is Silvertip not all its cracked up to be?

Ever since I started wet shaving and researching brushes I couldn't wait to get my hands on a Silvertip badger brush. From the beginning I used a classic shaving brand pure badger brush and liked it, but thought that silvertip must be amazing.

fast forward about 8 months later and I find my self in an Art of Shaving store getting a full size kit of their product which comes with a badger brush. If you get a silvertip brush with the set it saves about 80 dollars off the cost of a brush purchased by itself so I bought the kit with a silvertip brush.

I have since used this brush exclusively, but struggling to make a good lather every time I shave. no matter how much creme and water I use I can only get enough lather for about a pass and maybe another half. the lather doesnt seem to penetrate the brush and stays only on the surface. The other day I returned to my pure badger and was about to create huge amounts of lather with the same amount of creme, like I remembered doing.

Is this a YMMV issue with my silvertip brush or are there others out there that find that maybe they aren't all they are cracked up to be. Also, is this an issue that people find with AOS brushes, that other brands may not have.

Here are some details about the brushes to see if their properties may have something to do with the issue.

Classic brand pure badger
-fan shape knot
-about 1/3 of an inch taller than the AOS brush

AOS silvertip
-bulb shape brush
-very dense knot (but all silvertips are supposed to be more dense)

also, i don't have calipers to get an exact measurement but both knots seem to be about the same size of 20mm
 
Hard to say what's up with your brush. Silvertips generally ARE all they're cracked up to be and have no problem producing lots of rich lather. Have you tried cleaning it with shampoo or vinegar?
 
the lather doesnt seem to penetrate the brush and stays only on the surface.

Do you face lather or use a bowl? When I face lather, I use painting strokes to help work the lather deeper into the brush.

It takes awhile to get used to a new brush. It may take more time to work up a decent lather. And you may need increase the amount of cream & water you use (though, you say that you don't think this is an issue, so maybe not).

Give it a few more tries, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it!
 
Silvertips are pretty great. You do, however, have to keep in mind that they retain a LOT more water than other brushes. You may be suffering from wet-cream syndrome. Be sure to squeeze out the excess water before give your soap the old one-two.
 
If you are right that the cream stays on the surface only, then you need more cream. Dense silvertip brushes beg for more product. If you're mistaken that the cream is on the surface only, then you don't have enough water to release the dry cream from inside the knot. Dense silvertip brushes beg for more water too. So, use more water and/or cream.
 
I noticed with my old VDH badger that one pump of KMF gave enough bowl lather for 3 + passes.
My new Kent silvertip needs 2 pumps of KMF to get 3 passes...But is sooo much softer.
 
The more dense a brush is the more product it will need. A really dense brush might need double the product to produce the same amount of lather. Badgers really absorb lather when their dense.
 
I've been in and looked at the AOS silivertips. They are definitely something to look at, but I passed. The silvertip knots are so densely packed I imagined them having issues with hogging lather and flow through, in fact I imagined them having the exact issues stated in the OP. I took that money and bought a Kent bk 8 and have been extremely happy.

Silvertips can be all they are cracked up to be, but as with any item, design of product will influence the function.
 
AOS silvertip
-bulb shape brush
-very dense knot (but all silvertips are supposed to be more dense)

also, i don't have calipers to get an exact measurement but both knots seem to be about the same size of 20mm

I have a few silvertips, and none of the knots are packed as tightly as the AOS brush.
 
Anyone know if the AOS brush might be a restamped Rooney (for instance a Stubby 2XL) or Simpsons brush (for instance a Chubby 2), which might explain why they are lather hogs :)
 
I actually do not think that silvertips are all they are cracked up to be. Though, to avoid derailing this thread by getting into a silvertip, vs boar, vs finest debate, I will say that your silvertip should offer positive lathering properties that your pure can only have wet dreams about:drool:

Others probably have it right, try using more product. You are using more brush, so more product should follow. Denseness is a good thing, you just need to learn how to accommodate for it. You have honed your lather whipping skills with the pure badger brush, now you just need to find the right adjustments in order to transfer those skills to your silvertip. Also keep in mind that from time to time you will find good reason to pull out your original brush – the new one is probably better, but need not completely replace its predecessor:thumbup:
 
There are Silvertips and there are SILVERTIPS. I notice that you are using a small brush (20 mm+/-) and that may be part of the problem. You might want to consider a brush in the 23mm - 25mm range - you'll be surprised how much more lather it will produce. I have one silvertip that produces an incredible amount of lather and another one of similar size that is a total lather hog. As you may imagine, the lather hog is extremely dense. If you are using cream, density isn't as important as it is if you're using soap. With soap, you need a brush with backbone, and dense bristles (especially dense short bristles) provide that.
 
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