You've heard it: favorite budget face latherer

Hello gentlemen, I'd like to poll you on your favorite not-insanely-expensive brush for face lathering. Boar/badger/horse/synthetic/mix doesn't really matter, I just want performance at a good price, which i'm naming as under $40 (shouldn't be a problem, right?). From all my research the brush I really want is a Duke 2 in best, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to justify $100 on a shaving brush. My current brushes are a Semogue 2000 (too darn big, frankly, but a fine bowl latherer) and a AoS pure badger which seems to shed hair faster than a German Shepherd. Emphasis is on face lathering because who wants to clean up a bowl? I'd like to be able to lather up everything: hard soaps (triple milled, etc), soft soaps (Cella, etc), and creams. Help a brother out. Thanks in advance!

Semogue 620
L'Occitane Plisson

Omega and Semogue for boar, Vie Long for horse, L'Occitane Plisson for synthetic and badger who knows. Not many decent badgers under $40 but plenty of boar/horse would work nicely its just a matter of what loft/diameter you prefer at that point.

I like badgers, so here is my 22mm TGN finest fan in a chinese knock off Rooney 1/2 handle and a 22mm TGN silvertip grade A in an Ever Ready 500BN completely filled with epoxy to weight it like it was a turned handle. Both were just under $50 each to make. A good finest knot can easily compete with the best out there and a TGN STA is softer than my Simpson best though may not have the same density as their higher end knots.

My fave right now is a 30 mm Frank silvertip. About $90 or so, but for a big brush its a great performer IMO and is about 1/2 the price of my 28 mm SR silvertip. Plisson is a bargain, got one of them also. Whipped dog synths are also cheap and very nice as well.

Omega Hi-Brush, about $20. Return your AoS for a replacement, I don't know if you need a receipt. Mine (pure also) has shed very little and maybe I got lucky.

Semgoue boars with the smaller lofted knots or TGN Finest.

An unconventional choice, because most folks say it's too big for face lathering, but my choice is the Semogue 2000.

I loooove my Omega 10066. For $40, you could get four of them!

Seven Bucks

Boar = Omega 10065/66 $10 and under.

Synthetic = Omega S-Brush S 10065 $10 and under.

I love my Vintage Blades brand 2 band badger brush. It's firm enough to load up soaps and has a wonderful face feel. I have the medium knot and I think it's around $35 shipped

I am using the Omega 11574 for face lathering right now. I really love it. Very soft, good backbone, and a great price. Picked it up at Maggards for $9.75.

Semogue 1305. There are some great deals to be had from European vendors on Muhle synthetics. I've got a silver tip fiber en route to me. It might be just what you're looking for. Mine was just over $40 shipped. You can definitely get a black fiber for less though and they have many fans.

I have an Omega S-Brush, and while it isn't going to going to replace the Plisson or EJ in my rotation, for $10 it's a pretty good brush. Not sure how it would work for face lathering; this thing is HUGE.

--Bob

B&B Essential Boar
Semogue 620

djh said:

B&B Essential Boar

Click to expand...

+1

Semogue 620 without hesitation.

How about a Whipped Dog High Mountain Badger? I've never tried one(high mountain) but have his silver tip version and am quite happy with it for the price for performance value.

B&B Essential Boar would get my vote. It's the newest brush in my stable but it's also the brush responsible for me doing more face lathering.

-Josh