cheap boar vs cheap badger.clear winner

I've used a VDH boar for 3 years. The one that comes in their cheap deluxe kit...it's the only one I've owned and the only one I've ever used. I hadn't thought much of it, but it seemed to lather just fine either in a bowl or more recently on my face/head. It has shed terribly since the beginning, but otherwise it seemed ok to me and I hadn't had any thought of needing something else...I mean I started DE shaving to save money anyway!!! After spending way too much time here on this site and buying a handful of razors in the last few months I decided I wanted to see what a badger brush was like.

Doing some searching here I saw that the tweezerman badger was a cheap brush that had decent reviews. I decided to pick one up for $13.36 shipped knowing that I'd be looking at the bottom of the barrel of badger brushes. I had seen a review/comparison using a cheap boar and an expensive badger which seemed pointless to me...so here goes for a fair comparison between the bottom of the barrel boar and badger.

Well after my first shave using the tweezerman it is very clear that this $13 badger is heads and tails above the $5 boar. I can't believe how much better the badger is at EVERY aspect of lathering.

Pros:
Better/Richer lather
Better water retention
Faster lather build
Better feel on my face
I feel like I need less product to produce a superior lather

Cons:
It shed quite a bit...I stopped counting hairs past 10
It stinks terribly


I'm definitely a badger believer now...it makes the cheap boar seem like a home depot paint brush...

You can get a top quality boar for $20-35 shipped. Don't let that crappy $5 boar make you dismiss what a good boar can do.

The Semougue 610/820 or the Owner Club will all out perform both of the brushes you purchased. I have owned and used my SOC for quite a while now and it's as soft as most of my badgers. I liked it so much, I recently added a 610 and can already tell it's going to be a winner. One test lather, one use and the ends are already splitting and enjoyable to use and will only get better.

No need to scrap the bottom of the barrel, this is one of the most important tools for shaving and one that you should not skimp on. You likely spend more then $13 on lunch on a regular basis, splurge and get a decent brush, you won't regret it.

brucered said:

You can get a top quality boar for $20-35 shipped. Don't let that crappy $5 boar make you dismiss what a good boar can do.

The Semougue 610/820 or the Owner Club and both with out perform both or the brush you purchased. I have owned and used my SOC for quite a while now and it's as soft as most of my badgers. I liked it so much, I recently added a 610 and can already tell it's going to be a winner. One test lather and one use and the ends are already splitting and enjoyable to use and will only get better.

No need to scrap the bottom of the barrel, this is one of the most important tools for shaving and one that you should not skimp on. You likely spend more then $13 on lunch on a regular basis, splurge and get a decent brush, you won't regret it.

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Absolutely agree. I have the Semogue 610 and it is a great brush. Of my seven brushes, the only one I have that can equal it is my Simpson 2010 LE Eagle G3 in Best, which cost at least five times as much. The 610 has good backbone and very soft tip, allowing it to make short work of soaps while having great feel when face lathering.

I'll pile on for the Semogue 610. It is a great brush and so far, my favorite boar. My wife got me a SOC for Christmas so I am breaking it in right now, but it is lauded by many here and so far, it has been very enjoyable as well.

Oh, don't get me wrong...I really like the spine of the boar...and I used it for 3 years without batting an eye, so it must do something right haha. It wasn't so much that the boar was so bad but that the badger was just that good in comparison. If I could get the best of both brushes in the same brush that would be ideal.
I just think that comparing these two brushes is a fairer comparison than when I saw a review between a $5 boar and a $130 badger.

The thought of spending more on my brush than on my razor gives me a rash lol. I'm sure an upper range boar could out perform the lower level badger.
I really don't see myself buying any additional brushes...I tend to find something that works and stick with it which I think is evidenced in my using a $5 boar for 3 years. I'm a pragmatist and this is supposed to be a money saving venture still at this point haha.

Maybe for a Christmas or birthday gift I could rationalize additional equipment...I'll keep your advice in mind for sure.

I love my 610. There are different kinds of boar bristle. The Semogues are nothing like the other boar brushes out there, especially after some use. My Semogue 610 holds about as much lather as a Pure Badger of the same size and it's extremely hydrated. It's every bit as good as my custom Shavemac D01 Silvertip, just in a different way.

You can get a very decent boar for 20 bucks. I'd prefer a cheap boar over a cheap badger.

IMightBeWrong said:

I love my 610. There are different kinds of boar bristle. The Semogues are nothing like the other boar brushes out there, especially after some use. My Semogue 610 holds about as much lather as a Pure Badger of the same size and it's extremely hydrated. It's every bit as good as my custom Shavemac D01 Silvertip, just in a different way.

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That's good to know

My brush experience started with an Omega 10066 ($9). Then in the last three weeks, I've added a Frank's Silvertip (21mm $18), and Omega 48 ($16) and Semogue 1305 ($16).

Three boar brushes and a badger. It's hard to judge the 1305 as I just received it last night, but even the Omega are very different brushes from each other in terms of backbone and softness of the tips, while the 1305 feels different again. The break-in of all the brushes is still underway.

That being said, I've had my best lathers with the Frank's. The lather is very nice, as opposed to the boar brushes where I get something that doesn't build properly. However, having done enough reading here, I know that this is a weakness in my technique, not a weakness in the brushes. I *want* to like the boars and I'm determined to make them work.

I'd say order another boar of better quality and see how it compares. The Omega 48 & 49 as well as the Semogue 1250, 1305, 610, 820, 2000, SOC are all apparently very good brushes per the reviews and quite affordable. Much easier than trying out all the expensive badger brushes.

And just wait, it'll be the start of SBAD.....

Mixing badger and boar like in the grosnover by Vulfix can be a fantastic option too.

Dilbone said:

That's good to know

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That 48 is monster of a brush isn't it. I picked up one to use as a tester with lathering and it's huge!

Try a Whipped Dog silvertip as well (around $30) and a better Semogue or Omega boar brush (around $20) if you have the opportunity to do so. I prefer the silvertip brushes myself but the VdH brush really isn't very good and certainly isn't a good representation of a quality boar brush.

I think you'd find that a $13 boar would easily outperform a $13 badger in pretty much every way.

I have an inexpensive badger (from the VDH luxury set) along with a couple middle of the road boars (1305 and B&B), and the little badger is simply not in the same league. The boars are so much nicer to use that the badger will most likely wind up PIF'd in the near future.

dfoulk said:

the VdH brush really isn't very good and certainly isn't a good representation of a quality boar brush.

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Couldn't have said it better myself.

Dilbone said:

It stinks terribly

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Noob here so no comments on the boar vs badger. I will say I have a Whipped Dog 24mm silvertip and love it! I had the knot set extra deep and it has worked well for both bowl and face lathering. I recently received another cheap badger as part of a soap set and can tell a huge difference in quality over the two brushes. As for the smell check out the shavewiki for tips on how to make it go away faster:

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_to_Break_in_a_Shaving_Brush

There's so much love for the whipped dog I'm gonna have to get one.

From what i've heard the 5$ VDH brush really isn't any good. I love my 20$ Omega boar though, it stands up to my 30$ pure badger vulfix brush, which is so floppy i've delegated it to creams only. So VERY cheap boar is not as good as very cheap badger, But good quality boar, is far cheaper than quality badger, and can lather soaps with ease. The cheaper badgers in the 10-30$ range are in my opinion, not as handy for a one brush/value seeker kinda guy, if you hope to lather soaps AND creams.

So if your only looking to spend 20-30$ to get a really quality brush, if your thinking about upgrading again. Your options are:

Boar:
Omega or Semogue

Badger:
Whipped dog, Frank Shaving, or gluing a "golden nib" knot into a handle (it's really easy, trust me)

Regardless. I'm glad your enjoying your new brush, I've heard the tweezerman is a great value brush.

I must be the only person on B&B who prefers the cheap green handle VdH boar. I got mine back in 2007, perhaps something has changed since then. I recently acquired an Art of Shaving badger and I don't like it for shaving. It's too soft, no backbone, can't do anything with it. I've been using it to apply Clubman talc.

I have little interest in brushes other than curiosity, but I'm afraid to go down that road and end up wanting an expensive collection like others have. Then again I haven't gained an expensive collection of razors like others have...

Come back to the boar brother. Omaga pro 49.

Bushhippi said:

Come back to the boar brother. Omaga pro 49.
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A perfect example of what I want to get my Pro 48 to whip up.....