Noob brush (and soap) ?

Just getting into DE shaving again after 40 years. Have acquired four razors and 50+ blades...working away at my preferences.

But I'm still using a can of Barbasol... isn't it time for a brush, cup and soap? Thoughts for a beginner on a budget?

Thanks!

I'm relatively new, so I'm just going to suggest what I got because it works really well. I have a Omega boar brush, a tube of Proraso Sandalwood, and an old Burma-Shave shaving mug. Top it off with some Pinaud Clubman and you're good to go!

PhillyB said:

I'm relatively new, so I'm just going to suggest what I got because it works really well. I have a Omega boar brush, a tube of Proraso Sandalwood, and an old Burma-Shave shaving mug. Top it off with some Pinaud Clubman and you're good to go!

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Excellent advice. Any Omega boar is a great brush, despite the low price. You might find it will be all the brush you'll ever need. Proraso soap or cream, ditto. Shave on.

Semogue and Omega make excellent boar brushes. They do require a break in period and get better with use.
Whipped dog offers a nice silvertip badger for a great price http://www.whippeddog.com/products/view/silvertip-badger
Vintage blades for a badger with a little more backbone http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/shop/Vintage-Blades-Brand/
Stirling offers generous samples of soap to try various scents http://www.stirlingsoap.com/

For under $15 you can find the Van Der Hagen shave kit that includes a
ceramic mug, shave soap, and a boar brush. Nice product that gives you a good baseline,
experiment later with other soaps and brushes.

+ 1 for omega. U can get them for 10ish dollars on Amazon. I have had great experiences with my omega boar.

Semogue or Omega boar is a great start for a brush. High quality at a low price. I'd say get Prorasofor the soap. Its readily available, won't break the bank and has the matching pre/post, and aftershave.

prairie-dad said:

Just getting into DE shaving again after 40 years. Have acquired four razors and 50+ blades...working away at my preferences.

But I'm still using a can of Barbasol... isn't it time for a brush, cup and soap? Thoughts for a beginner on a budget?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

you you can get the brush cream and ASB from the body shop, it will run you about $25 for the whole package
and it's a pretty good brush

Van der Hagen is a decent all in one solution. Readily available. Slightly better is an Omega or Semogue brush and some soap like Proraso, or a cream like C.O. Bigelow, Musgo Real, or a stick like Arko or La Toja.

Good luck.

Omega 49 brush
Van der Hagen deluxe soap
Proraso cream

All great choices for beginners.

These are all great suggestions thus far. If you're trying to go as cheap as possible, and start from what most would consider the "bottom", then there's nothing wrong with the VDH kit. I started with the deluxe it, and while I hardly ever use it anymore, I don't regret the purchase at all. It's actually better to start modest rather than starting with a $50 soap and $150 brush.

However, if your budget can handle it, I'd recommend:
-Omega Boar ($10-15)... the 49 whips up a crazy amount of lather, but it's lofty size isn't for everyone. I'd look for something 50 or 55mm in loft.
-Soaps... Proraso ($8) and Arko ($4-5 for 2 sticks... cheaper in bulk). Both very cheap. Both very popular. Both easy to use/lather. Very different from one another. You can learn a lot about your preferences by experiencing these 2 quality staples. I ended up veering towards the Arko side of tracks and despised Proraso. You may be the opposite. Heck, you might love them both. Either way: something worth experiencing.
-Bowl/Mug.... Wal-Mart baby! They sell a plastic salsa bowl that I learned about on B&B for like $1.50 a pop. I have 4, each one holding a different sample of Stirling soap. They're great. Scratch 'em up with a pocket knife to add some friction to the inside. Alternatively, you could look for a big ol' soup mug.

Those are all products that could be the beginning and, quite possibly, the end of your wet shaving adventure. While the VDH kit is decent, it's less likely that you're going to find anything you're going to stick with.

I would also recommend the Vulfix 660S Super Badger, which I bought for £17. I'm pretty sure Lees Razors stocks them. Very nice and soft, if a bit small.

I have the VDH deluxe brush, but think it was a waste of money - and time.
I highly recommend an omega or semogue if you want a boar brush.

The whipped dog silvertip brush and the vintage blades 2 band finest are great choices for inexpensive but decent badger brushes.

The badger brushes don't need breaking in for several weeks before they start to work well. For a person trying to learn how to make lather, I think this a big advantage. It will greatly simplify troubleshooting

JohnG10 said:

I have the VDH deluxe brush, but think it was a waste of money - and time.
I highly recommend an omega or semogue if you want a boar brush.

The whipped dog silvertip brush and the vintage blades 2 band finest are great choices for inexpensive but decent badger brushes.

The badger brushes don't need breaking in for several weeks before they start to work well. For a person trying to learn how to make lather, I think this a big advantage. It will greatly simplify troubleshooting

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+1 This was extremely helpful. I started w/ the VDH brush and really disliked it. I suppose I assume that all boar brushes would be just as uncomfortable, so I've stayed away. Perhaps I'll try out one of the recommended brands. I suppose I also need to try breaking in my boar.

The Semogue 620 boar brush and a couple of Arko soap sticks got me started. I think the total investment was $22.00 for the brush and $5.00 for a couple of soap sticks, so about $30-34.00 with shipping! Arko is an awesome way to start using shaving soaps. For one, it's cheap and is conveniently in stick form, perfect for face lathering! Get your brush anywhere close to the shave stick and it just explodes with lather. Both are a bargain for what you get! Enjoy!!

I would buy a Chinese silvertip like Delong, Lijun or Frank Shaving, they regularly pop up at Ebay for $25 or less, sometimes with free shipping. Usually the handle is a cheap one but the knots are dense and soft.

Method2Madness said:

+1 This was extremely helpful. I started w/ the VDH brush and really disliked it. I suppose I assume that all boar brushes would be just as uncomfortable, so I've stayed away. Perhaps I'll try out one of the recommended brands. I suppose I also need to try breaking in my boar.

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The VDH doesn't really break in... The tips ever split because the knot is shape by cutting off the tips with scissors.

The omega's will break in faster than the semogues, but are stiffer feeling experience when face lathering than the semogues- which splay more. The splay makes them feel bigger and less stiff, although neither will have prickly tips after the first week.

The break in period for a boar starts when the tips split, and continues for a couple of months. Before a boar brush is broken in, it is hard to work up a good thick creamy lather, and impossible to get 3 shaves out of one brush loading.

After the boar brush is broken in, the tips feel just as soft as finest badger, but the boar knot will still retain it's greater backbone / stiffness compared to badger.

The extra backbone makes loading the brush with soap easier, and makes it feel scrubbier on your face. The lesser backbone of badger whips up creams into lather faster, and feels more luxurious / soft on your face.

This is why lots of folks are recommending trying a cheap but decent version of a boar and a badger brush, with both soaps and creams, while face lathering and also bowl lathering. It's cheaper to discover what you like before buying an expensive brush.

If you don't want to do all that, then keep in mind that lather made from soap is generally slicker and cheaper, but lather made from cream is generally fluffier/ more cushioning and easier to make.

A bowl keeps your lather warmer between passes (if you preheat your bowl by filling it with hot water for a few minutes). It's also easier to see how the lather is progressing in a bowl when you are whipping it up.

Face lathering is faster, and results in less to rinse/put away, and you can feel when the lather is perfect easily. But it's potentially messier since wet lather can spray onto your shoulders while you are whipping it up on your face.

I like simple, slick, and cheap, and don't care if the lather is room temperature - so face lathering is for me. Other people like the luxurious feel of warm lather and have better results with creams. Try both

As others have said the Omega brushes, 10049 or a smaller option the 10066, both are great and can't be beat for the price. Proraso is what I started with and still use a couple times a week and like it a lot.

The B& B Essential brush is nice. About $21 at West Coast Shaving.
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/badger-blade-omega-blonde-boar-shaving-brush.html

I bought one as my first brush. I have had it for about 3 weeks and really like it. I got an inexpensive soap but that reviewed well. (Wilkinson Sword Shaving Soap Bowl) It was $6.00.

Man, what a cool group B&B is! I have been online for about as long as anyone can have been online...long before the web, in any event, and have belonged to dozens of organizations (I use the term very loosely!) for various professions and hobbies. But really, to garner 18 responses, all friendly and thoughtful and above all informative in something like 26 hours...that's a good group. Many, many thanks to all, and I will report back...I have located a mug that is just over 3" in diameter and can serve as a soap dish...now I just need soap to put in it and a brush to work up that lather.

One last question--any thoughts on the virtues of a _horse_-hair brush...or availability of same. I ran across a blog called something like Bruce on Shaving, in which he sang horsehair's praises...yet nobody has mentioned it here. Thoughts?

Thanks again to all,

dave