Prefer a stiff boar bristle over a soft badger?

JimmyHAD said:

I'm not a rich guy, though sometimes I spend money as if I am. Shaving brushes are one of the areas where I can splurge a bit and experience some luxury. I have a couple of Semogue badgers and they are good brushes, but a Simpson's Manchurian, a Plisson HMW, or a Shavemac D0-1 two band are just wonderful to start a shave with.

The secret of enjoying a badger for me is a short loft, 49-52, and a densely packed knot, maybe 24-26mm. I stay away from the gel tip variety, preferring the balance of scritch and backbone exemplified by the Shavemac D0-1 two band. If you like a stiff brush try one of Bernd's beauties. You won't be disappointed.

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I'd have to agree with you in that finding a badger to enjoy, for me, requires a short loft with a densely packed knot. But, I think, what we're trying to do here is find a badger that performs like a boar. For me, this is a silly endeavor when we can spend pennies on the dollar for a nice boar brush and not have to seek out a badger that acts like a boar. ??

ScottH said:

I'd have to agree with you in that finding a badger to enjoy, for me, requires a short loft with a densely packed knot. But, I think, what we're trying to do here is find a badger that performs like a boar. For me, this is a silly endeavor when we can spend pennies on the dollar for a nice boar brush and not have to seek out a badger that acts like a boar. ??

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Well you drove me to it ......... tonight I lathered with a Semogue 'owner's club' that I haven't used in probably a year or more. Used some Razor Rock Son of Zeus that a friend just sent me. The brush was great. Backbone and scritch to the max. Funny, because I never remembered it being like that in the past. Sure was tonight. Still love my badgers, but the boar is definitely back in the queue from here on out.

I enjoy both for different reasons but harbor a slight preference for badger. While I like the scratch of boar - it doesn't quite have the same soap and water retention capabilities for me as badger.

I love boar over badger! Very happy that I decided to try a boar brush, and I don't understand why every article about getting into wet shaving always says that badger is the best, hands down. I wish they would explore options before writing, you know?

It's that way with everything. No one likes VDH brushes although some people like vintage Surrey brushes (which are now VDH brushes). When you read reviews people will say that they like the ergonomics of VDH, or they like the feel of the handle but then trash it. I think people like the more expensive item especially if everyone tells them how great it is.

People will like an expensive soap but not an inexpensive soap. They like expensive after shaves. Expensive DE razors or straights seem to be more popular than the inexpensive versions. Exotic hones are way more popular than common hones.

seattleshaver said:

It's that way with everything. No one likes VDH brushes although some people like vintage Surrey brushes (which are now VDH brushes). When you read reviews people will say that they like the ergonomics of VDH, or they like the feel of the handle but then trash it. I think people like the more expensive item especially if everyone tells them how great it is.

People will like an expensive soap but not an inexpensive soap. They like expensive after shaves. Expensive DE razors or straights seem to be more popular than the inexpensive versions. Exotic hones are way more popular than common hones.

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I definitely agree. My first boar brush was the VDH green that BBB was clearing out for $2 a couple of years ago. It is still my go to boar. My favorite soap is from the local farmer's market that cost $3, and I have a bunch of favorite Maggard and RR razors razors that cost $20 or less. Folks seem to be stuck on the expensive is good and more expensive is better and cheap is not worth it. I think those that believe this are missing out on some great stuff. In the DE forum, whenever a thread starts about the latest $200+ razor, someone starts a thread on a Schick Krona or Feather Popular and in the SE forum, every time someone talks about a OneBlade, two others talk of a $15 Gem or a RR Hawk.

gvw755 said:

I definitely agree. My first boar brush was the VDH green that BBB was clearing out for $2 a couple of years ago. It is still my go to boar. My favorite soap is from the local farmer's market that cost $3, and I have a bunch of favorite Maggard and RR razors razors that cost $20 or less. Folks seem to be stuck on the expensive is good and more expensive is better and cheap is not worth it. I think those that believe this are missing out on some great stuff. In the DE forum, whenever a thread starts about the latest $200+ razor, someone starts a thread on a Schick Krona or Feather Popular and in the SE forum, every time someone talks about a OneBlade, two others talk of a $15 Gem or a RR Hawk.

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The best ones start out something like...my father always told me to buy the best you can afford and you won't be sorry or you can buy two or buy it right the first time. This is generally the guy telling someone just considering wet shaving to buy a $100 new straight razor and $250 in hones so that he can buy the best the first time and won't ever have to buy anything again...something you can pass down to your children.

seattleshaver said:

The best ones start out something like...my father always told me to buy the best you can afford and you won't be sorry or you can buy two or buy it right the first time. This is generally the guy telling someone just considering wet shaving to buy a $100 new straight razor and $250 in hones so that he can buy the best the first time and won't ever have to buy anything again...something you can pass down to your children.

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No doubt this is absolutely true with many things. Buying high quality tools is a perfect example. When it comes to shaving I think there is a huge amount of excellent quality for folks on a budget. You mentioned straight razors. This is truly an area where you don't have to spend a fortune to get top quality. Granted, buying a brand new straight razor for three dollars and expecting it to last a lifetime might be silly but a fella has no need to spend more than 20-50 smackers to get a razor that will hold an edge and last a lifetime with the proper care. Same goes for DE blades and every other shaving item.

Of course, with all this in mind... I have a fair shake of outrageously expensive shaving toys. I don't pony up because I believe the high cost is getting me the best quality. No sir not at all. I do it because I want it. After everything is said and done it's rarely the expensive items that wind up on my list of favorites. This example can be made not only with my brushes but also with blades, razors and straight razors. I've got a high dollar Dovo and I prefer a Wester Bros. that I picked up for ten bucks. I prefer a Derby DE Blade over a Feather and I prefer to buy store brand soup instead of Campbells any day of the week. The take away from all this, for me, is that we can enjoy awesome shaving toys without spending a fortune.

Definitely a hefty, springy boar for me.

I have a different take when it comes to spending money on a tool, whether shaving tools or woodworking tools. I but a reasonable, middle of the line, product and see how much use it is to me. If I use it frequently, then I can invest in a high quality version. If I find it isn't that useful, then I haven't wasted much money.

My revised assessment: When a good badger is heated in hot water it is pretty darn nice.... And a boar cannot retain heat like this... but a cold / cool badger is worse than a cold/cool boar. So the heat aspect is what gives the badger the advantage! Ymmv.

I love my badger but each has its own plus a very hard soap you can get a good lather from a boar where a soft soap you can get a good lather with a badger so if we all had one of each we would have the best of all worlds as bleddy pointed out a nice warm shave in winter with a badger as it holds the heat better and a nice cool shave in the summer with a boar
But I will still love my badger and go to it the most

I've used 2 boar brushes in the past 2 years since I started to use real shaving soaps & creams: VdH & Omega 10083. Sorry but I see absolutely no reason to even try a badger or a synthetic.

The problem (one of many) of recommending a newbie buy "the best" is that he doesn't know what he will eventually prefer. This applies to any hobby or subject matter. It's usually not a good idea to best an expensive item when you don't know the subject matter.

Of course if you are talking about buying a cheap screwdriver with soft metal vs just spending a few more dollars to get a good quality screwdriver then that generally is good advice (assuming you'll be using a screwdriver a lot).

Almost all razors are "good". You can get a good vintage razor for the same price as a Gold Dollar usually.

I am a boar man - just love the process of breaking it in - its a slow rewarding process and they totally annihilate hard soap pucks. I also love the scratchy feeling on my whiskers..

seattleshaver said:

The problem (one of many) of recommending a newbie buy "the best" is that he doesn't know what he will eventually prefer. This applies to any hobby or subject matter. It's usually not a good idea to best an expensive item when you don't know the subject matter.

Of course if you are talking about buying a cheap screwdriver with soft metal vs just spending a few more dollars to get a good quality screwdriver then that generally is good advice (assuming you'll be using a screwdriver a lot).

Almost all razors are "good". You can get a good vintage razor for the same price as a Gold Dollar usually.

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I've had the urge to pick up one of those Gold Dollars just to see how well it is. I suspect it will get a good edge. How long it will hold it I suppose is the question.

When I first started wet shaving I really like Semogue's boars. I loved the way the splayed out. Now that I have been using it more and more I find I much much more prefer the backbone of a omega boar or equivalent. Honestly in terms of softness I cant really tell the difference.

The magic of boar is in the backbone-split tip duality. Unreal softness with firm backbone and no wall-of-bristle feel (I do like the wall-of-badger thing sometimes, but not everyday). Omega Pro 49 is my preferred boar, but I love most any Omega and some Semogues (2000 in particular).

I have a top-end AOS badger, but my Semogue 620 is my go-to brush. Great combination of backbone and smoothness.

My experience with different brushes is very limited. I've only tried two badger brushes from a PIF box, one no-name boar, and an Omega S-Brush.

My problem with the badgers, at least the ones I tried(no idea what "grade" they are), is they're too floppy. There's next to no backbone to them whatsoever. Sure, they lather like crazy, but they seem to hold onto most of the lather they create.

I like boar better than badger, but I much prefer synthetic, or at least the Omega S-Brush. I find that I get the best of both worlds with it. It's nice and soft at the tips of the bristles, but it has one heck of a backbone. It lathers effortlessly, but it doesn't hold onto most of the lather like a badger will.