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Badger vs Boar vs Synthetic

Over the last 30 years i have tried many types of brushes including synthetics and for me I have settled on a few high quality boar brushes...there seems to be something about a top end quality boar that creates beautiful thick creamy lather and the whole experience is much better than using a badger or synthetic brush...well for me anyway :)
 
"...something about a top end quality boar..."

Being new to wet shaving, I'm enjoying the quality of the tallow soaps I've sampled, the razors I'm learning to use and maintain. Then there's my brush. Of the three I own, the VDH boar gives me my best face lather. Shed hairs, oh yeah.
With your years of boar brush love, what do you look for in your next brush?
Where do I find long lasting quality to make me consider a top end price?
 
Like many, I have a brush collection that ranges from inexpensive synthetics to expensive badgers. While nothing compares in quality to my Shavemac Badger (D-01 3 band), nothing compares in value to my Whipped Dog synthetic which comes remarkably close to the high end badger at a fraction of the price. I would not say that about the boars and other synthetics (I hate the Muhle synthetic. No splay) that I have owned. Perhaps we should change the name of the site to:

Synthetics and Blade
 
. . . Perhaps we should change the name of the site to:

Synthetics and Blade

How about "Man-bear-pig and Blade"

I just really dig the variety offered by natural fibers. I'm not knocking synthetics, I have a few and like them, but the range of sensations provided by badger and boar brushes is amazing. I'll be digging on my big badgers for awhile and then rediscover my Duke 2 (where have you been sweetheart? ). Then, suddenly my Shavemac 2-band Silvertip will make an appearance (bump-a-tsss bump-a-tsss bump-a-tsss) and I can't understand why I ever neglected her. One morning I'll step into the bathroom and there is my Semogue boar, "remember me?" She whispers. "Oh baby, do I ever" I reply with a grin. Synthetics just don't do that for me.

OK, I have issues. Get over it.

Help me.
 
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How about "Man-bear-pig and Blade"

I just really dig the variety offered by natural fibers. I'm not knocking synthetics, I have a few and like them, but the range of sensations provided by badger and boar brushes is amazing. I'll be digging on my big badgers for awhile and then rediscover my Duke 2 (where have you been sweetheart? ). Then, suddenly my Shavemac 2-band Silvertip will make an appearance (bump-a-tsss bump-a-tsss bump-a-tsss) and I can't understand why I ever neglected her. One morning I'll step into the bathroom and there is my Semogue boar, "remember me?" She whispers. "Oh baby, do I ever" I reply with a grin. Synthetics just don't do that for me.

OK, I have issues. Get over it.

Help me.

Variety is the spice of life. I have all three brush types in my rotation and enjoy them all. My "favourite" changes....weekly....
 
Ironically, I stayed away from horse for 5 years, dabbled into boar territory, but only half stayed...but once I tried a dense horse mane based brush, the lather is so different, it's helped confirm and define for me my favorite lather characteristics. I know I've been on the right path for years, but the short load narratives and cloud lather pics had me second guessing irrationally
 
I see a reoccurring theme.
Not sure what magic Larry uses to keep ya'll under his spell,
but I'm leaning toward trying one of his synthetics.
I do like the feel of face lathering, but all three of my current brushes
are sans scritch.
Should I seek a short haired brush for more intense meaningful facial contact?

As deep as B&B goes, I haven't found the thread where brushes are databased.
Many photos, by proud owners found at

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/178785-What-s-Your-Brush-Today?

And a great write up of brush properties at

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ub-Softness-Density-Backbone-and-Flow-through
 
I have a boar, badger and horsehair. I have found out that it isn't so much a difference between hair types that I differentiate brushes, but the manufacturer. My pure Parker badger is easily outperformed by a pure Vie-Long horsehair which is in turn outperformed by a pure Omega Boar. But that is my personal experience so far. I intend on getting a synthetic soon to add in the rotation (also in the under $50 price range) for a fair comparison.
 
The OP brings up an excellent question that most newbies must wonder about.

All brush types have their fans. Certainly a few years ago the emphasis of most posts was all about badger. The introduction of Semogue brushes to the US market by Leon (or Bruno) introduced boar brushes to the B&B universe in a big way. Gifts & Care from Spain did the same thing with Vie-Long horse hair brushes a few years later. Most recently the introduction of better quality (3rd, and later fourth generation) synthetic brushes stated by Edwin Jagger and later Plisson has generated great interest.

The fact is that there is a world of great shave brushes of all types and they all have their fans. I enjoy lathering with expensive brushes such as the Simpson 58, Truefitt & Hill 3/2 or Vie-Long Sivertip. At the other end of the spectrum inexpensive Omega Synthetic S brushes and boar brushes also make wonderful lather.

In terms of brushes - with so many great choice, the world is you oyster
 
The OP brings up an excellent question that most newbies must wonder about.
That sums up my situation, exactly, Bob. Not new to wet shaving, but a long time away from it. In my 20s and 30s I was a wet shaver, but it was a perfunctory, necessary action to be done during my morning ablutions. A quick hot washcloth on my face followed by a squirt of aerosol shave cream spread by my fingers, and tugging on my Gilllete TTO (Super Speed, I think) for the time necessary to remove the cream and hope that it took the whiskers with it. A splash of cold water, towel off, and out the door to work. Not much fun, not to mention that upon arrival at work, someone was bound to say, "Roger, what did you do to your face"?

I then succumbed to the seduction and promises of the electric wundershavers. Yep, I got out the door faster, but the shave was lousy! In spite of this, I stuck with countless electrics for over 45 years. Now, within spittin' distance of 80 years of age, I stood back from the mirror a few weeks ago and said, That's it, I quit"! I'm now embarking on the relaxed, gentlemanly art of modern wet shaving and assembling the tools and consumables of the trade. Reading B&B assiduously, I've come to the conclusion that there are no absolutes in this activity. As much as the noob would like to come here and learn what the "best" razor, blade, soap or cream and brush are, it just isn't possible! Nowhere does YMMV apply better than to this endeavor. And, brushes are 'up there' with the best of them as to the number of variables with which to contend.

So, here I sit waiting for my 24mm WD synthetic to ship along with other gear ordered every few days. Not massively expensive, but hogging bathroom space that my wife 'needs' for her stuff. I figure that after about 5 years of this, I'll either be dead or finally be able to acknowledge that there are, indeed, no absolutes even for me! Let's see now, what blade was I going to use tomorrow in that new Edwin Jagger DE89 that just arrived, and I wonder how it will work with that fancy British soap that my $12.00 100% badger will work into a frenzy of suds. Of course the $24.00 WD 24mm synthetic will work better when it arrives cause it's twice the cost, right?

Oh ye and me of little faith!
 
I have a budget best badger, and a synthetic that I use for travel. The badger is full, holds a lot of water, and tons of soap. The synthetic is much softer, doesn't hold water like a natural hair brush, but lathers respectably.

I prefer to use a badger, but it's really expensive to get a silver tip that will match the softness of a synth. If you are just starting out - a quality boar/synth is much more cost effective and will provide great performance.
 
Owning several badgers, I decided to buy a boar just to see what they're like. Other than feeling somewhat stiffer it lathered up just fine.
No major drop in quality at all!
 
i payed 100 dollars for a badger brush used it once. i like my 10 dollar omega boar brush over it. i bought a synthetic omega brush when i went on vaction a few weeks ago. and i feel like i like that brush a lot to so i got those 2 in my rotation. i feel bad for the badger brush it had a custome made handle and everything i just do not like it hehe.
 
I have boar, horse, badger and synthetic brushes.

Mu favourite are the boar brushes. Once broken in they are very soft with good backbone.
The horse hair are in between boar and badger brushes for me.
Badger brushes are soft and comfortable, but as some tend to be denser they are lather hogs.

The synthetic brushes are good as travel brushes, as they dry quickly, require no break in time and are thus easy to replace if lost in transit.
 
I can't stand badger brushes. My Omega 48 and Semogue 830 boar hair are my favorite brushes and will always have a place in my den.
 
....As much as the noob would like to come here and learn what the "best" razor, blade, soap or cream and brush are, it just isn't possible! Nowhere does YMMV apply better than to this endeavor. And, brushes are 'up there' with the best of them as to the number of variables with which to contend.

So, here I sit waiting for my 24mm WD synthetic to ship along with other gear ordered every few days. Not massively expensive, but hogging bathroom space that my wife 'needs' for her stuff. I figure that after about 5 years of this, I'll either be dead or finally be able to acknowledge that there are, indeed, no absolutes even for me! Let's see now, what blade was I going to use tomorrow in that new Edwin Jagger DE89 that just arrived, and I wonder how it will work with that fancy British soap that my $12.00 100% badger will work into a frenzy of suds. Of course the $24.00 WD 24mm synthetic will work better when it arrives cause it's twice the cost, right?

Oh ye and me of little faith!

Roger - For me there are far fewer truths in wet shaving (and many other parts of life, too) than YMMV. You and I may have started out with the same badger brush - for me it was the Tweezerman - a perfectly effective, but not soft or luxurious looking. However I am a big fan of the Whipped Dog 24 mm synthetic knot. Set in the standard Whipped Dog handle at the non-customized height - it's perhaps my favorite synthetic knot having a great combination of density / knot size /softness. I think that you are going to like it very much. Of course YMMV - :001_smile

I have a budget best badger, and a synthetic that I use for travel. The badger is full, holds a lot of water, and tons of soap. The synthetic is much softer, doesn't hold water like a natural hair brush, but lathers respectably.

I prefer to use a badger, but it's really expensive to get a silver tip that will match the softness of a synth. If you are just starting out - a quality boar/synth is much more cost effective and will provide great performance.

An important point. All of the various knot fiber types have different water holding (and releasing) qualities. An interesting exercise is to fill a 1-cup Pyrex cup with a 1/2 cup of water, soak a brush for 5 minutes, remove the brush and see how much water remains in the measuring cup. Additionally, you can squeeze the knot and see how much water the knot realeases back into the Pyrex measuring cup.

Owning several badgers, I decided to buy a boar just to see what they're like. Other than feeling somewhat stiffer it lathered up just fine.
No major drop in quality at all!

I feel the same way. A well broken in boar brush is not the same as a badger brush, but it does have it's own unique soft, face feel that many of us like.
 
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