Christmas Gift

Good morning, all-

Wanted to pick your collective brains as to a good quality brush to give to my brother as a Christmas gift. The catch is that we set a $35 limit for our gift exchange program (tax/shipping do not count). I can get away with maybe $40, but that's about it. He's a bit new to this, and his previous brush shed like crazy on him. I'm not too particular about knot size or shape, and would prefer badger hair, but can be flexible as long as brush quality is as high as possible (for $35, of course).

Thanks for your input!

The Vintage Blades brands of brushes are pretty good for the money.

http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/shop/Vintage-Blades-Brand/

The B&B Essential boar brushes are good too if you don't mind boar.

http://www.westcoastshaving.com/shaving-brushes/badger-and-blade-pink-shaving-brush.html

AABCDS said:

The Vintage Blades brands of brushes are pretty good for the money.

http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/shop/Vintage-Blades-Brand/

The B&B Essential boar brushes are good too if you don't mind boar.

http://www.westcoastshaving.com/shaving-brushes/badger-and-blade-pink-shaving-brush.html

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This is what I would say also. ^

Both excellent choices.

Semogue 620

Whipped Dog badger

Done

L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic - $30. This brush rocks. Incredibly soft. On sale - usually runs close to $60 (online only)

+1 B&B essential Boar

+1 Whipped Dog Badger (~$35 for a Silver top or $25 for Black. Comes with soap too)

The Semogue 1470 is a steal for a simple, no nonsense, high quality boar. You'll also be able to pick up some soap or cream for him too, with what you'll have left over.

Last I saw, Amazon had a Semogue Owners Club brush for around $35. Worth a look, isn't it?

http://www.amazon.com/Semogue-Owners-Club-Cherry-Bristle/dp/B00FAAY1VE/ref=sr_1_1/179-9940221-6715619?ie=UTF8&qid=1415726884&sr=8-1&keywords=semogue+owners+club

I second the Plisson for $30 I also really like my semogue 610(long break in time) and the semogue 1800 which was a great brush from the beginning.

There are a lot of great brushes under $35.....keep checking the BST as well.

A Whipped Dog Silvertip was my first brush at $35 shipped, and I think it is a good choice for your price range.

If you are wanting a badger, then I'd go with either a WD Silvertip or a VB 2 band. Both are very good brushes in your price range.

Another vote for Whipped Dog silvertip, a great badger option.

It seems that Whipped Dog is the odds-on favorite among you chaps. I perused the website and it looks like he/she/it/they makes them all custom to order. Do you know how long it will take him once it's requested?

Wingnut722 said:

It seems that Whipped Dog is the odds-on favorite among you chaps. I perused the website and it looks like he/she/it/they makes them all custom to order. Do you know how long it will take him once it's requested?

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He (Larry) makes them as you order. I had mine in less than a week.

The custom Firehouse handles are the ones that take like four plus weeks to receive.

He'll send you a few notes back and forth to make sure about the details and payment, then your brush should arrive in a few days. Very fast turnaround.

Whipped Dog 24mm Silvertip knot set at 55mm resin handle...for $30 shipped is a great brush...comfortable, hefty handle...a nice dense knot that I think just feels so luxurious on my face....I love mine

Semogue 1800 is a fantastic boar brush...another one I love...great wooden handle that is so easy to hold...the knot spreads out so nicely...great out of the box and just gets better with time.... $20 and free ship on amazon...you could even get a tube of Proraso or a tub of TOBS with it and still be at your $40 limit

I just got my Plisson today...online with shipping it was $37...took about a week to get to Houston....very soft...easily whipped up a nice lather with some Proraso cream and felt great on my face...time will tell how I feel about it, but it is nice indeed.

I don't think you could go wrong with any of these brushes...if I had to choose one I would probably go with the WD Silvertip

One more option would be The Golden Nib (tgn) finest extra hair knot that you set in a vintage restored handle or one you purchase from Whipped Dog or TGN. In my opinion, that is still the bang-for-your-buck king.

have to agree with alot of the other posters.

its hard to beat a whippeddog silvertip. at that price point you really do get a whole lot of brush. also larry is an excellent guy to deal with.

Thank you One and All! I will be contacting Larry in the next few days for a great brush for my brother...(probably one for me too!)