Looking to upgrade my badger experience

Hey guys. I'm hoping you can help with a brush recommendation. I'm about two months into DE shaving, and though I'm still mastering my lathers, I'm finding I prefer face lathering so far. I have a Semogue 620 which I'm breaking in, and I'll probably get a 1305 soon, so I'll be set for boars for the time being. Meantime I've had an EJ best badger which is okay, but feels pretty soft and floppy, and also is much more persnickety when it comes to lathering, at least with my still-nascent skills.

I'd like to experience what a great badger brush is all about. The idea of something with a BIT more backbone and "there" there than the EJ is appealing. I see mention of things like the Simpson Duke or Chubby, which seem good, but I'd love some advice. I'm not too concerned with budget if the pay-off is worth it, but I'm certainly not interested in spending a bunch of money just for its own sake.

Thanks!

Others will suggest a wide variety I'm sure, but if budget is no concern I recomend shavemac D01 2-band. More back bone than pretty much any other quality brush. A little to scratchy for some, but I found it broke in just right. If you do want less scratch and scrub, the much softer D01 3-band is also a great brush, plenty of backbone but much softer tips.

Depending on your budget, I'm really happy with my Thater brushes, 2 and 3 band. Shavemac would be equally great but often you will need some experience to determine the specs. If you don't have sensitive skin the Duke or Chubby would be a good bet too. And on a budget you can get a custom made TGN Finest brush under 100.

What's your budget or price range?
TGN Finest 2-Band or Vintage Blades 2-Bands are good introduction to badger brushes that will work well for face-lathering.
However, if you want a great face-lathering badger, you may have to spend a bit more money. There are so many variables to consider.
If you really want the best backbone for a badger, then just follow Jarick's advice and go with a Shavemac D-01 2-Band!
Good luck.

Sounds like you don't want a "too soft" brush. If that's the case, I agree with the D01suggestion. I suggest you reach out to Rudy Vey.

onethinline said:

Hey guys. I'm hoping you can help with a brush recommendation. I'm about two months into DE shaving...

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At this time in your shaving career I would not advise you to get into top tier brushes.

The first reason is that you will not be able to enjoy the very good brushes yet. Your technique and preferences will be in place in maybe a year or two.

The second reason is in the human nature. You are trying to find out what is the best brush for you by extrapolating the experience of others. This is extremely common on B&B and fuels some fierce debates here. The only problem is that drawing from others experience of brushes doesn't work. Your shaving is unique to you. And even if it worked what would be the fun in not finding out for yourself? Would you really be content in the long run with a brush that somebody recommended?

I can only describe my own way of finding out about brushes. It goes like this:

First I tried some brushes for a few years. I built a good technique, very slowly as B&B wasn't available.

Then I focused on the good equipment and honed my shaving technique to very good. I bought some of the best brushes available and customized to my exact needs.


By this time my ego was the size of Napoleons. I wrote long comparisons on B&B for others to learn from. I recommended other members how to customize their brushes, as if I would have the answers to their needs. I was truly the king of the world.



Then I met my Waterloo. A very knowledgeable and energetic member here (Chiefbroom) decided to start making brushes in collaboration with an almost mythical brushmaker in the UK, Lee Sabini. I had the opportunity to get hold of a brush from the first production batch.


I suddenly realized that this brush was not what I had recommended to others because it was designed and built to specs I did not control. I "knew" that a brush has to be customized for each shaver to be really optimal.

I was wrong. There are people out there who know a lot more about brushes and shaving than I do. At least I now understand this.

Lastly I want to post the second ever photograph of the very private Lee Sabini.
Live and learn, but above all enjoy your shaves!

bosseb said:

[One] reason is in the human nature. You are trying to find out what is the best brush for you by extrapolating the experience of others. This is extremely common on B&B and fuels some fierce debates here. The only problem is that drawing from others experience of brushes doesn't work. Your shaving is unique to you. And even if it worked what would be the fun in not finding out for yourself?

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IMO, truer words have not been spoken.

If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.

celestino said:

......TGN Finest 2-Band or Vintage Blades 2-Bands are good introduction to badger brushes that will work well for face-lathering.........

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bosseb said:

At this time in your shaving career I would not advise you to get into top tier brushes........

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^^^^^^ Sage advice from both and I completely agree.

Everyone has their own opinions, but if you haven't used a bunch of brushes, you don't have many reference points.

That's why I like the idea of a Duke 2 in Best hair. It's a good starting point. It won't be too floppy at all. And if you want something different, you can come back and ask what would be bigger/softer/more or less dense/etc than the Duke.

Another starting point would be a Shavemac 177 23mm. It's going to be about the same size as the Duke 2 but with a little softer hair and a little bigger/taller knot. Good value brush.

You can go with a number of Chinese brushes, but if you don't have a low spending limit, I would just skip them and go for a well-known quality handmade brush.

If you want to get an inexpensive badger, try a Virginia Sheng from China. Their site can be found on Ebay. I got a brush and stand for less than $20.00. My first badger brush was the entry level Edwin Jagger. The Virginia Sheng was much better quality. The EJ literally fell apart: it shed like mad and the knot came out of the handle. The Virginia Sheng brush will take a few weeks to get to you. I have been pleased with mine. I intend to move up in quality, but I thoroughly recommend the Virginia Sheng as a starter badger.

Thank you gentlemen! It's thoughtful responses like these that have made B&B so valuable to me (and part of why I spend far too much time on here!).

It's quite true that I'm still new to this whole thing, and enthusiasm and a natural geeky curiosity are easily getting the best of me. I suspect I'm in good company. I'm taking to heart the advice not to overdo it at this point. So, to keep things simple, I'll focus my goal: to have a better badger experience than I'm having with the EJ best badger. A next step, basically. A way forward, but not a summit.

I have a Duke 3 Best waiting in a cart with an online vendor (along with a Semogue 1305 -- at that price I just have to try it!). Can anyone explain the difference between a Duke 2 and a Duke 3? And what I'd be getting with a Duke as opposed to the Shavemac 177 23mm?

And yep, I suspect I'm not going to go wrong with any of those, but hey, if I can nudge toward "a little bit better for me" at this point, I may as well. Thanks kindly!

Duke 2 specs:
~ 22mm knot x 47mm loft

Duke 3 specs:
~ 24mm knot x 49mm loft

Shavemac 177 specs:
~ 23mm knot x 54mm loft

I haven't used the EJ Best, but Simpson Best varies from batch to batch. Sometimes it's softer, sometimes it's scratchier, but it should definitely be softer and much more dense (less floppy) than your EJ Best. Shavemac Finest is supposed to be even softer, nearly as soft as a high end silvertip brush. It's going to be the slightest step down from the highly regarded Savile Row 3824, very similar overall though.

The difference will be the Shavemac is a softer brush with a taller loft, but the compact bulb shape will keep it from feeling too floppy. The Duke will be a bit more of a "scrubby" brush with a more fan-shape knot and shorter loft. If you're specifically looking at the Duke 3, it should definitely be a bigger feeling brush than the Shavemac 23mm.

In your shoes, I would go with the Duke. If you like the 620 and found the EJ Best badger to be too soft, you probably don't have sensitive skin, and the Simpson best hair would be an excellent choice.

If you want to experience a really good badger brush without breaking the bank I highly recommend a Whipped Dog Silvertip from www.whippeddog.com The owner Larry is a great guy to deal with and he can advise you on a size and setting that suits you. About $35.

Thanks again for the guidance, guys. After doing a little more "narrowing it down" research, I ended up going with a Shavemac 177 23mm silvertip. I'm really looking forward to trying it out! Sure, it may not be the be-all-end-all brush for me, but as an upgrade to the EJ best, it looks like it will do nicely. Can't wait.

onethinline said:

Thanks again for the guidance, guys. After doing a little more "narrowing it down" research, I ended up going with a Shavemac 177 23mm silvertip. I'm really looking forward to trying it out! Sure, it may not be the be-all-end-all brush for me, but as an upgrade to the EJ best, it looks like it will do nicely. Can't wait.

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This is the understatement of the year!

The brush is sold in the US under the name Savile Row. The Shavemac version is in my picture second from the right.

You sir are in for a real treat! Very good choice indeed.