First Badger Brush Recommendation

Ok Gents,

Backstory: I have been wet shaving for 8 months now and I have numerous boar brushes, my favorite one being the Semogue 610. I face lather exclusively and love the knot size and loft of the 610. I just picked up a Plisson synthetic and love how easy it is to make lather. So I thought I may have to take the plunge and get a badger similar to the 610.

So the question:

Savile Row 2122
or
Shavemac #25 21mm in finest

Fight it out in the comments. Also if anyone thinks I should look at the silvertip versions of these let me know.

Thanks.

I think if you face lather you might like a bigger knot. I don't know the loft of those 2 brushes but conventional wisdom for face lathering is a shorter loft for more backbone. Both Shavemac and Savile Row get great reviews. I have neither. Of my brushes, I love my Simpson Duke 3 in Best for face lathering.

The badger I always recommend for starting out is the Edwin Jagger Medium in Best. Around $40 everywhere.

This brush excels at being perfectly average in all respects. Its specifications hit the middle of the bell-curve for all those things we look at when talking about brushes ... knot size, loft, density, softness, etc.

Get this brush as a starting point, use it for a while, and then you'll know if you want your next brush to be larger, taller, softer, scritchier, etc. Its a good reference point for comparisons. Then again, the EJ Medium Best may turn out to be all the brush you'll ever need.

If you can swing it get a custom made with a large knot, 28mm.

I don't make the brushes.
But, I know who does.
The black and whit is mine, 28mm sliver tip. It a big headed monster that fCe lathers and bowl lather extremely well.

Vintage Blade brands 2 band brush if you are on a budget, the shavemac is nice but I am not a fan of the shavemac finest, the two band silvertip is worth the extra cash.

I'm no expert but ... I have the Frank Synthetic and enjoy it very much. Haven't tried any others, but haven't felt the need to up to this point. Works great for me.

It sounds like you and I are in a similar position, and have even used some similar brushes. I've been doing research to make the same plunge as you. Amongst brushes I've used are the Semogue 620, Plisson, and Whipped Dog Silvertip. The 620 has been my favorite, so you and I are probably looking for similar brushes. I sought advice right here on the forums a couple weeks ago and received some helpful advice:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/455490-What-configuration-for-a-Shavemac?highlight=

A lot depends on your budget (or how you intend to spend it), and the infinitely subjective preferences we all have. Aiming directly at a Shavemac felt too much like trying to hit a home run on the first pitch. I'm happy that I got some experience with a Whipped Dog before looking at other brushes. My 24/45 was a bit too stiff (perhaps stiffer than the 620, due to the lack of splay), and I'm awaiting a 24/50 from Whipped Dog. I expect to learn a lot from my experience with the 24/50, and that's why I'd recommend this brush as a good starting point for a first badger brush. You will be able to check off a lot of likes and dislikes, and you will have a better grasp on your own preferences. As opposed to if you get a stubbier brush that only demonstrates an extreme.

I'm beginning to gravitate more towards smaller knots, but people have preferences that are all over the map regarding knot size for face lathering. Some people whip up more than enough lather with a 20mm knot and enjoy the face feel of that size, others can face lather with 30mm wall-of-badger knots.

All these variables are things I wanted to have a tentative grasp on before even looking at brushes in the $100 range, and I had many "A-HA!" moments with my $35 Whipped Dog. This has helped me take better aim at a custom Shavemac later this year... probably a 20mm silvertip knot, fan shaped, at about 44mm loft.... although I'm educating myself on 2-band knots at the moment.

"and I had many "A-HA!" moments with my $35 Whipped Dog."

Chariot, I just had recently watched a review on the Whipped Dog. I'm thinking of giving it a try. It was very highly praised. They seem like great folks too. Went to the website. Seems like someone good to support too.

Mike H said:

Vintage Blade brands 2 band brush if you are on a budget, the shavemac is nice but I am not a fan of the shavemac finest, the two band silvertip is worth the extra cash.

Click to expand...

I'll ditto the VB private label suggestion; on the advice of a friend I bought a 26mm in horn and actually used it last night. It's no where near the softest badger in my collection but it's dense and for $39.95 well worth the cost. The 22mm and 24mm are, of course, less money. I don't have any Shavemacs or Savile Rows at this time.

My Simpson #46 badger is a great performer. Short loft and gets the job done very nicely.

"A-HA!" moments with my $35 Whipped Dog. This has helped me take better aim at a custom Shavemac later this year... probably a 20mm silvertip knot, fan shaped, at about 44mm loft.... although I'm educating myself on 2-band knots at the moment.[/QUOTE]

Funny enough, I do have a WD synthetic on the way. 22mm knot/50mm loft. Just looking for a badger too.

A great deal on the remaining stock of Rooney brushes at Vintage Blades. There going fast.

feltspanky said:

A great deal on the remaining stock of Rooney brushes at Vintage Blades. There going fast.

Click to expand...

+1. 40% off. I ordered a Silvertip. However, I also love Shavemac. Their 177 Silvertip is an excellent brush.

RevAvery said:

Chariot, I just had recently watched a review on the Whipped Dog. I'm thinking of giving it a try. It was very highly praised. They seem like great folks too. Went to the website. Seems like someone good to support too.

Click to expand...

Larry is great. The Silvertip I have on the way is a free replacement for my original brush, which consistently shed at least 4 hairs per shave. When I saw first hand how thoroughly supportive he is of his products, I decided that I'd also order a synthetic brush to give myself a nice double whammy mail call this week.

I thought I had responded to this thread...

If you're comparing the Savile Row and Shavemac brushes, I wouldn't including Whipped Dog in the conversation. I've had several WD silvertips and just ordered one a couple weeks ago to see how the new ones hold up. They aren't anywhere close to the size, density, softness, and quality of the German brushes. Larry is a great guy and it's a decent starter brush, but two different classes.

Savile Row and Shavemac silvertip are so close that you won't notice much difference between two brushes of the same size. The knot size, hair type, loft, shape, and handles are very similar. First class brushes, although my experience is limited to Shavemac and Thater (again, very similar).

Someone mentioned Rooney, and it's a very different type of brush (fan shape vs bulb), but at the clearance prices, it might be worth exploring. I would recommend size 1 or size 2.

No experience with Finest from Shavemac, but great reputation and I wouldn't hesitate to try it.

scottbott said:

... So the question:

Savile Row 2122
or
Shavemac #25 21mm in finest

...

Click to expand...

Savile Row brushes are made by Shavemac with their silvertip knot.

I cannot after using both of these knots for years recommend one over the other. So my advice (in true B&B style): get them both!

For more in depth info see here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/441137-How-to-choose-a-nice-brush
Hope this helps!

You may also want to check out the Wet Shaving Products "Prince" in finest. It's a $50 bush, but very dense 22X48 knot and the 2-band finest hair gives plenty of support and backbone so it will be very similar to your 620. The knot will "bloom" a little after some use.

http://shop.wetshavingproducts.com/...archPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12

Personally, I think you're crazy trying to expand beyond the 620 (unless you were picking up a 610). I haven't used any of my other brushes since I got a 620 broken in enough to hold a 3 pass lather (except for the 610 I'm breaking in currently). It's just perfect for me for face lathering. I also don't like having a bunch of things I don't/won't use, so maybe that's why I try a bunch of things until I find something I really like and get rid of the rest.