Super Badger better suited to creams?

[RonPac]

I've been thinking of getting another brush. I've got a very nice EJ super badger but, it is so soft I am beginning to wonder if it is better suited to a shaving cream rather than a hard soap puck. From what I have read in these wonderful opinionated forums is that the Ej super badger is "floppy". Some people think a boar brush, once properly broken in, is even superior to a softy badger brush, when it comes to soap pucks.
BTW- I face lather with soap after load with my soap that is in a mug. I haven't done the bowl lather, yet. Is bowl lathering also a shaving cream thing?

[mftoms59]

I posted this on your other Thread;

You can bowl or face lather Creams & Soaps, doesn't matter since it's your preference, I've done both to both. At one time I had a FS Silver-Tip % a TGN Super Grade Badger, both were very soft & not so great for soaps, so they were relegated to Cream/bowl lathers.

Generally I like lofts between 45-50mm & a knot range of 20-25mm, using lower lofts, 45-47mm, for soaps & face lathering since they are generally stiffer. The lofts @~48-50 can work with creams or soaps, face or bowl lathering.

Nobody can really say what will work for you, trial & error are your only tools, I've tried ~16 different Horse Hair Brushes in the past two years to find exactly what I wanted. That doesn't count the many Boars & Badgers tested the past two years and I really would hate to count, ~98% of those that didn't survive were PIFed to others wanting or needing something new or different.

Each Hair type has different aspects that I like and aren't replicated by another hair type... so I say add at least one of each to your rotation. Use them for at least a year, keeping track of those you prefer & why, this will help guide you to what you may want to keep or replace.

[RonPac]

I posted this on your other Thread;

You can bowl or face lather Creams & Soaps, doesn't matter since it's your preference, I've done both to both. At one time I had a FS Silver-Tip % a TGN Super Grade Badger, both were very soft & not so great for soaps, so they were relegated to Cream/bowl lathers.

Generally I like lofts between 45-50mm & a knot range of 20-25mm, using lower lofts, 45-47mm, for soaps & face lathering since they are generally stiffer. The lofts @~48-50 can work with creams or soaps, face or bowl lathering.

Nobody can really say what will work for you, trial & error are your only tools, I've tried ~16 different Horse Hair Brushes in the past two years to find exactly what I wanted. That doesn't count the many Boars & Badgers tested the past two years and I really would hate to count, ~98% of those that didn't survive were PIFed to others wanting or needing something new or different.

Each Hair type has different aspects that I like and aren't replicated by another hair type... so I say add at least one of each to your rotation. Use them for at least a year, keeping track of those you prefer & why, this will help guide you to what you may want to keep or replace.

Sage advice. I am going to add another brush, then I will have a rotation! LOL Also, I need to use creams more and try bowl lathering too ( uh-oh, I feel AD starting)
I don't understand the differences in lofts & knots, but then again, I have nothing to compare it to, other then the drugstore boar brush I started with and even then, I was hooked to wet shaving.

[Loric]

Backbone with three band badger is linked directly to the loft and density. There is some variance in the backbone from grade to grade, but most of how badgers tackle hard soaps is by setting the loft low and packing them densely with hair. You routinely see people get three bands that are not tuned for backbone write them off as useless.

That said, if your a soap face lather guy, your better off with a good two band IMO. More backbone, and you dont have to fight off the lather hogging that super high density can create.

[MightyPir]

The EJ Super Badger is softer than the other grades (except Silver Tip), but it works just fine with soaps. You just need to adjust your teqnique as it holds more water, but there are no issues and in fact I get a better lather with MWF than if I use any other brush. YMMV, though!

[takeshi]

Some people think a boar brush, once properly broken in, is even superior to a softy badger brush, when it comes to soap pucks.

Even not considering that everything here is YMMV, "superior" is a highly subjective word (on any topic -- not just wetshaving). What's superior is whatever works best for you.

"Badgers for creams, boars for soaps" gets parroted a bit but it's an incorrect meme that severely oversimplifies things. People use either type (and even types that aren't either of the two) of brush with soaps and creams. I prefer badgers and mostly us triple milled soaps. You may need to adjust your technique when you change brushes, soaps, creams, etc but don't buy into that meme.

Is bowl lathering also a shaving cream thing?

It can be but bowl lathering isn't limited to just creams.

Generally I like lofts between 45-50mm & a knot range of 20-25mm, using lower lofts, 45-47mm, for soaps & face lathering since they are generally stiffer. The lofts @~48-50 can work with creams or soaps, face or bowl lathering.

Preference applies here as well. I face lather and my brush has a 57mm loft and 28mm knot.

I don't understand the differences in lofts & knots

You can read but determining your preference really involves having some experience with the options.

[beginish]

I've been thinking of getting another brush. I've got a very nice EJ super badger but, it is so soft I am beginning to wonder if it is better suited to a shaving cream rather than a hard soap puck. From what I have read in these wonderful opinionated forums is that the Ej super badger is "floppy". Some people think a boar brush, once properly broken in, is even superior to a softy badger brush, when it comes to soap pucks.
BTW- I face lather with soap after load with my soap that is in a mug. I haven't done the bowl lather, yet. Is bowl lathering also a shaving cream thing?

Even the softest, floppiest brush can lather soaps just fine. You just have to refine your technique a bit. Personally, I think the whole density thing is a bit overdone, as I find that my soft, floppy brushes lather soaps much more easily than the dense, short lofted ones. You may want to play around with how you use the EJ to lather and see if you can find the right amount of water to give you a rich creamy lather. Bowls work fine for both creams and soaps, though I tend to face lather both of them. There's one less mess to clean up!

[Acmemfg]

Time to dance on the volcano...........
Hard soaps see my Omega boar and maybe the Simpson Colonel, never the Vulfix Super Badger and the 'ol No. 1 (my first brush, ridiculously soft after all these years; no idea who made it...I think maybe Hoffritz)
Creams see everything I own

I'm sure I can make any of my "softer" brushes work with a harder soap, but why? Too much effort, kind of like using a butterknife for a screwdriver when a full set of Snap-Ons is sitting on the workbench.

[Sully2]

I've been thinking of getting another brush. I've got a very nice EJ super badger but, it is so soft I am beginning to wonder if it is better suited to a shaving cream rather than a hard soap puck. From what I have read in these wonderful opinionated forums is that the Ej super badger is "floppy". Some people think a boar brush, once properly broken in, is even superior to a softy badger brush, when it comes to soap pucks.
BTW- I face lather with soap after load with my soap that is in a mug. I haven't done the bowl lather, yet. Is bowl lathering also a shaving cream thing?

IMHO....Ive owned several boar brushes so far...and I think that when properly broken in they work best to paint houses.....not my face!

[Attila]

In the not too distant past, when I used my Super Badger exclusively, for hard soaps I would "choke up" on the bristles by using my fingers along the spine to add some stiffness to more easily pick up soap. The handle would be butting against my palm while my fingers were along the sides of the bristles and once you picked up enough soap you can hold it normally to build lather on your face or in a scuttle/bowl. Even though my Super was great lathering with everything it didn't stop me from picking up other brushes...damned SBAD! (shakes fist)

[banditman]

^^This. I have an old Vulfix Super Badger that picks up hard soap just fine by using the fingers to add some extra backbone to the knot. Tweaking the technique works wonders across many elements of the shaving practice.

[RonPac]

In the not too distant past, when I used my Super Badger exclusively, for hard soaps I would "choke up" on the bristles by using my fingers along the spine to add some stiffness to more easily pick up soap. The handle would be butting against my palm while my fingers were along the sides of the bristles and once you picked up enough soap you can hold it normally to build lather on your face or in a scuttle/bowl. Even though my Super was great lathering with everything it didn't stop me from picking up other brushes...damned SBAD! (shakes fist)

I'll try this technique. I usually end up squeezing the soap out of the brush toward the end and paint the excess onto my face. I feel like I am cheating somehow.

[demaro]

I agree with Beginnish. A floppy brush works just fine for me on any soap , including TOBS , DR Harris , and Tabac.. I use a Vulfix 374 super badger quite often on these soaps and it whips up an awesome lather..

[Omp]

I have fallen in to the trap of being easily led by what I read on here and not experimenting enough. Hence, I avoid soaps with my large EJ super badger (incredibly soft) and stick with my T&H 3/1 in super - just because it is more scritchy and I expect it to work better.
On my next soap shave, I will be using the EJ to see how it fares.

[edgerunner]

Vulfix 2234 and Kent BK8 are perfectly fine for soaps and face lathering.

[RonPac]

I have fallen in to the trap of being easily led by what I read on here and not experimenting enough. Hence, I avoid soaps with my large EJ super badger (incredibly soft) and stick with my T&H 3/1 in super - just because it is more scritchy and I expect it to work better.
On my next soap shave, I will be using the EJ to see how it fares.

Please post your renewed impressions. I will be interested in reading them.

[Samjax]

My Simpson Chubby 3 Super handles both soaps and creams with zero issues.