Brush I cannot go wrong with?

Hey everyone,

I have been wet shaving for 6 months and love it! I have an omega boar brush ($9 from amazon) and want to buy a brush that I just cannot go wrong with... without breaking the bank. I would like to buy a brush that I can use happily and will not go looking to get a better brush. I'd prefer to have one great/good brush and not a stable of 10 so-so brushes, despite my inclination to go cheap.

So far I am a shaving cream user, and a bowl latherer but plan on sampling some hard soaps (Stirling and Mikes are looking very good).

What brushes can you recommend for general all-round use (soaps and creams) that I just cannot go wrong with?

One other thing, I really don't understand the interrelationships behind loft, knot size, backbone and a brushes ability to lather cream /soap. If you could suggest a knot size, and loft I'd appreciate it.

Any and all suggestions appreciated!!!!

TIA

What's your budget?

Vintage blades 2 band.
The Golden Nib "grade A" silvertip.
Plisson synthetic (Loccitane store).

Good question Joe. I'd like to think $50, but maybe could go for $100-140 if there was some good reason to go that high.

Thanks!

zzzz said:

Good question Joe. I'd like to think $50, but maybe could go for $100-140 if there was some good reason to go that high.

Thanks!

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Well, your options are far greater as your budget increases, but I'm not sure the brush quality will be any better.

For around or under $50, I would encourage you to look at the following (as listed by JohnG10 above)
-Vintage Blades 2 band Finest
-Whipped Dog Silvertip (never owned this one but they are highly regarded by many)
-Plisson Synthetic- this one is on my radar too, particularly for $30
-Simpson Berkley in Best- this is one of my favorite brushes and performs very well as a face lathering brush

Once you breach the $100 mark, your options essentially become innumerable. That said, if I were going to pick a brush around $100, it would be a Savile Row silvertip. A close second would be a Shavemac in Finest.

At $150, a Thater 2 band Silvertip.

The good news is- as long as you take good care of your brush and keep the original packaging, regardless of the original $ value of the brush, most brushes will move on the B/S/T forum without a significant loss in capital, thus allowing you to keep looking for THAT brush for you.

Hope this helps. Happy hunting

Muhle Synthetic. I have the 21H 220 Rytmo with Black Fiber. Got it from BullGoose Shaving Supplies. It's a mighty fine brush.

Get another Omega.

Illinois said:

Get another Omega.

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+1
Something from the pro series.

What is it that you don't like about the Omega? Why isn't it the "one"?

I've heard amazing things about the Semogue Owners Club brushes, but I would go with the Omega simply because I know they work and work well. I love my 11126 and 10098. Also, if you travel a lot, the Omega 50014 travel brush is superb!

Omega Pure Bristle, old faithful and for good reason!

csic22 said:

Omega Pure Bristle, old faithful and for good reason!

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+1

I would suggest either a horse or a Silvertip Badger - just to have a sense what does what...

Horse: Vie-Long White Unbleached hair 50%mane/50%tail
The cheapest handle would be the 12705B (brush costs ~15$ shipped)...but you can get the same knot in a different handle (olive wood, butterscotch, etc.) and pay accordingly. But from what I understand the brush hair is the same in all of them.
I don't know if you like a fan or a bulb - I would suggest a 24mm knot with a 48-50mm loft in either (I have a 50mm fan)
Check out Gifts&Care for those - email Juan if you have questions - he is very friendly and helpful and a highly regarded vendor here...

Badger/Silvertip: maybe try a Whipped Dog, again I would recommend a 24mm knot with a 48mm loft
Again contact Larry at Whipped Dog - another very friendly and highly regarded vendor here...

If you want to read my opinion on how those 3 compare (your Omega with the other 2) - you can read my review:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...)-vs-Horse-(Vie-Long)-vs-Badger-(Whipped-Dog)

If you want to spend more money - and don't want to do all the research yourself: maybe contact Rudy Vey - another very highly regarded vendor here - he does custom brush handles with knots of your choosing and I heard he is very helpful as well

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

I would suggest a Simpson Colonel X2L in best. It's a great all around brush and can be had for around $70.00

B&B Essential boar, but if you want something really different from your current brush, try a Plisson synthetic. JMO.

Trout Bum said:

I would suggest a Simpson Colonel X2L in best. It's a great all around brush and can be had for around $70.00

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+1

Semogue SOC

Plisson

I would be happy as a clam with only my SOC boar. For me it is just about perfect.

For your budget, you might as well get two or more brushes!
You can go with the Plisson Synthetic + the Vintage Blades 2-Band.
Or, you can get a few Semogue boars such as the SOC + the 620 or 830.

Good luck in trying to maintain a 2-3 brush limit in your den. Once you try some of the nicer 2-Band offerings and face-lathering, you'll want to try many more!