Considering a new shaving brush

I've used the brush that came with my Van Der Hagen deluxe shaving kit for the last three years, and I really like it. After reading and doing a lot of looking, I'm thinking that my experience could be better. It's kinda like driving and loving your Toyota Camry, and then riding in a Lexus GS. You loved your Camry, but you had no idea how much better your driving experience could be if you were driving the GS.

The Van Der Hagen brush is a pure badger, and I've never had a problem getting it to lather with the soaps and 1 cream I've tried. Again, I really like it, but am I missing out? Is this a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" situation, or should I start exploring?

The one thing that I don't want is to get a new brush, and then realize that I spent more on something that doesn't perform as well. I've been looking at boar brushes since I have a pure badger, and would like a different hair if I buy another brush. I've been looking at Omegas and Semogues, and believe if I buy, I will probably go with one or maybe one each of those two brands.

I am curious what the expert opinion is.

I used the same VDH brush for a few years. earlier this year I bought a Simpson Duke 2 in best badger. The VDH brush is a lot less dense (has less hair) and its very floppy in comparison to the Simpson. the only boar brush I've used was a VDH boar, I didn't like it. You might also consider a synthetic brush, I have a RR monster it works well I still prefer the Duke over the synthetic.

Probably more important to ask if you can afford having the Lexus. Go for it if you can, someone will take it off your hands if you don't like it.

Omega or Semogue boar brushes are quite inexpensive and very good brushes.

TGN has some very good badger brushes, along with Whipped Dog, as well.

Good luck.

What soaps/creams are you using? Might not be the brush.

Omega S10065 synthetic. $10 and you cant go wrong trying it for the price.

So far my best brush is a Simpson Duke 3 Best. I even have synthetic brushes & silvertip brushes. Sometimes it pays to pay more to get the best.

There's absolutely no reason at all why you should buy another brush if this one is working fine! that said, I recommend trying a good boar, maybe a Simpson in Best, a crafty silver tip, or my favorite, synthetic silver tip. Buy 'em all! Try 'em all! Enjoy the ride!

Cash, I'm thinking buy them all and try them all. I went ahead and bought an Omega Boar 10049. I'm thinking about the Semogue 830, as a lot of the reviews say it's a s soft as badger after break in.

energyloop, we can all afford a Lexus! Luxury is our right as Americans! Bad credit, no credit, NO PROBLEM!!

As far as the soaps and creams, I'm still using the VDH luxury soap, which I really still like a lot, as well as Stirling Sharp Dresssed Man, Captains Choice Sandalwood and Lime, and, TOBS Sandalwood cream. The VDH brush seems to work fine with everything I've tried but I guess I'm curious as to where I should explore next.

The other thing is to get my wife to ignore yet another hobby. Watches, guns, car detailing, etc. I have enough stuff getting left on the front doorstep to keep her disoriented I guess.

The standard advice is, "Buy both!" That is the best way to really establish what you like IMHO!

BigJ said:

The standard advice is, "Buy both!" That is the best way to really establish what you like IMHO!

Click to expand...

And to start a really good AD!

I would recommend contacting Rudy Vey, a vendor here and custom brush maker. He's very knowledgeable and can recommend a brush based on what you want. He makes fantastic brushes and has to be one of the most patient artists I have dealt with. If you email him this week just know that he is on vacation so might not respond for a little bit. Otherwise he is always quick to reply to emails. Best of luck.

There are decent silvertip badgers from various Chinese suppliers under $10. Those would get you a rotation. Another good idea is the Razorock Plissofts, which as of late are under $20 shipped. Italian Barber is a B&B source.

Semogue 620.

I also have that same VDH badger brush. If you really like it then i would go with a nice silvertip. Whipped dog has some and you can get it for roughly $12-$15 more than what the VDH cost. Once i got my Duke 2 best i put it away. Maybe i will put a WD silvertip in it one day myself. All i can say though is be careful, cause once you try one you might want to have them all. I know i do.

I have acquired a bunch of brushes over the past 5 months.... This addiction is getting out of hand!

Semogue 830 - a ton of splay, but insanely soft and great with croaps and creams. Also had no smell when new
Razorock Plissoft - works well with just about everything (slightly less with hard soaps)
Omega 10048 - this is very big and took a while to lose the smell, but is a very soft brush now that it's broken in
Semogue OC 2 Band - Still getting to know this brush, but it has a ton of backbone and is great for hard soap/face lather combo

Every time I use the Plissoft I feel surprised and then usually ask myself "why am I ever using any other brush?" But it's the variety that I appreciate I guess lol....

I've recently picked up:

Semogue OC Boar - I picked this up because I love the handle on the OCs. Really good first shave so far with B&M Seville
Semogue 620 - Used this last night for the first time with Razorock SMDF and it felt unreal!! After fully breaking in my 830 and experiencing the splay for myself, I really appreciated the shorter loft and feel of the 620.

I'm very excited to get these two recent acquisitions broken in.

If I had to recommend one brush to someone looking to mix it up on a budget I'd go Razorock Plissoft. Then Semogue 830 is crazy soft and pretty quick to break in.

I've been using an Omega Pro48 or 10048 for the last week. It really stinks, but it's getting softer. I have a Semogue 830 on the way now.

Ive heard a lot of different people describe the boar brush smell as a musty animal smell. If I had to pinpoint it, I would ask if anyone has left a protein shaker with just a little bit of shake left at the bottom for a few days? When you come back, and the smell hits you is the same smell as the boar brush.

Im looking forward to the Semogue 830!

Sorry I misread your original post, I thought you said it wasn't working. My bad.

Lather up some Dawn to get rid of the boar funk. If you find you like the size of the Pro you should check out the RazoRock Pro. I find it to be hands down a better brush than the Omega.

Just received my Semogue 830 in the mail today. It doesn't have a boar stench like the Omega. The stench of the Omega didn't come out until the hair touched water. When the Semogue hit water, no stench. I'm going to soak it in some Dawn and warm water before I let it sit with some TOBS Sandalwood Cream overnight. Can't wait to use it tomorrow morning!