Synthetic Brushes

I have a Men-U synthetic also (they also offer a boar bristle one that is identical to some of the Omega boar brushes)
I like it quite a bit. It surprised me with its performance.
It's sort of in-between badger and boar as for how it feels on my face, but the performance is simply outstanding IMHO. Generally if something won't lather with the Men-U it simply won't lather...
John P.

catatonic said:

From my understanding 99.9% of the badger hair was from pelts of Badgers killed in the rural areas. In those regions of China, they are considered a pest animal, and it's necessary to kill them off for the sake of keeping their farms operating normally.

It could be totally wrong, and be like Joel said, farmed and sheared....but is there really that big a market for badger hair that there can be entire farming operations for this? It seems this is still quite a niche market.


And you can kill an animal and keep the pelt clean. Look at how many deer, bear, and other animals are stuffed....those were shot, then split open and gutted. Blood is everywhere...but it does clean off.

It's like Wolves....their mouths aren't blood red unless they just recently fed...even a wolf with a snow white muzzle gets it dirty from time to time.

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The market for badger is actually significantly larger than you would expect. I suggest you google the topic, and make a few calls... you will be stunned. If you dig deep enough - you can find pictures of these "badger farms" as well. The "top end" badger hair - we (wetshavers) never see, as it goes to painfully expensive paintbrushes that make our high mountain white shaving brushes look cheap.

I have personally spoken to several badger firms in Asian (both who farm it and who steralize it) as well as England, and from all accounts I am told it is always sheared - and have heard some pretty funny stories/mishaps about the poor fellas who have the job of shearing the angry little monsters.

Badgers are not killed for their pelts, period.

Looks like it may be a good episode for Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs...the cute pics are quite deceiving of these guys.

So are there any badger brushes, where the animal is not killed?

Oops, I didn't realize there was a second page of this thread. Thanks, Joel. That makes me feel much better.

Are you getting this down Mama Bear?

Its up to you....there really could be a bucking badger ranch.

It seems like the right thing to do if one moves to Wisconson.

Badgers and Bubbles(soaps)

Sue, Wouldn't that be so cute, buy a year's supply of soap and a pet badger! I'd buy it. A little badger running about my house, named Brushy, that would really make me happy.

joel said:

The market for badger is actually significantly larger than you would expect. I suggest you google the topic, and make a few calls... you will be stunned. If you dig deep enough - you can find pictures of these "badger farms" as well. The "top end" badger hair - we (wetshavers) never see, as it goes to painfully expensive paintbrushes that make our high mountain white shaving brushes look cheap.

I have personally spoken to several badger firms in Asian (both who farm it and who steralize it) as well as England, and from all accounts I am told it is always sheared - and have heard some pretty funny stories/mishaps about the poor fellas who have the job of shearing the angry little monsters.

Badgers are not killed for their pelts, period.

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That's great to know.

....and I can only imagine how mean those little guys can get....pretty big teeth on some of them too!

I'm very glad they aren't killed, but now I'm sad that they have to live in little cages.

catatonic said:

....and I can only imagine how mean those little guys can get....pretty big teeth on some of them too!

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You grab me, hold me upside down and try to shave me, I'll bite you too!

TimmyBoston said:

Sue, Wouldn't that be so cute, buy a year's supply of soap and a pet badger! I'd buy it. A little badger running about my house, named Brushy, that would really make me happy.

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They're not as small as you may think and I seriously doubt you'd want one for a pet:

Wikipedia said:

Badger-baiting is a blood sport involving the baiting of badgers. The badger does not usually seek to attack, but, when driven to bay, its great muscular power and tough hide render it a formidable opponent. Consequently the animals were used in the pseudo-sport of badger-baiting. Weighing up to thirty-five pounds when fully grown, badgers have an extraordinarily dangerous bite, which they are willing to use recklessly when threatened. Showing itself to be a dangerous adversary for any dog made it a sought after participant for the fighting pit.

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I saw a live badger once, it was rather big and had massive claws, I'm glad it ran away and didn't attack. There's always lots of dead badgers that have been run over at the side of the road, some of their pelt must be usable. Probably not economically viable though.

holnrew said:

...some of their pelt must be usable.

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Did somebody say BADGER PELTS!

Cheers,

Actually I was thinking earlier, what other animal hair has been tried for shaving brushes? How was badger hair settled on?

jbasl said:

Joel,

While I'm sure you are right, I believe that if you oppose their death on ethical grounds you will almost certainly oppose their captivity given that (as you say) their captivity is probably not a very palatable form of captivity. I'm sure they aren't 'free range' badgers. Animals raised in small cages (veal cafs, fur animals, etc) live terrible lives that are probably worse than if they were killed.

I don't want to get into a debate about the moral status of non-human animals (well I don't mind but I'm not trying to), but raising the point about their not being killed probably won't releave the felt burden of those that oppose harming animals (not just not killing them).

Cheers,

John

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I know you said you don't want to debate, so if that is the case don't say things that you are clueless about or you are inviting someone to chime in. Specifically your comment about veal calves. I have rarely seen any animals taken care of with such care as veal calves. I have personally been in veal barns many times and have never seen the atrocities reported by groups like PETA.

I'm extremely busy right now so I don't have time to get into all the details. However, I see human babies in similar cribs and they don't seem to mind. If you don't like the taste of veal don't eat it, but don't think you are somehow more humane for not eating it. Veal calves are unwanted bulls that are doomed the day they are born, no harm in carefully raising them for 90 days.

Also, things like "free range" chickens are a scam designed just for people who think they are doing the chickens a favor just because the crowded coop they live in has a door. It's not like anciant braves went out on the range, stalked their prey and gently killed them so you could have a guilt free dinner.

I'm running late for church, gotta go.

Mr.Benn said:

They're not as small as you may think and I seriously doubt you'd want one for a pet:

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I doubt it, in my experiene I find adults fall into 2 categories, children people and animal people.
I'm definately the later. If I had the money, I'd be that crazy out on a western ranch with a zoo and no kids!

Thanks for the info guys

joel said:

The market for badger is actually significantly larger than you would expect. I suggest you google the topic, and make a few calls... you will be stunned. If you dig deep enough - you can find pictures of these "badger farms" as well. The "top end" badger hair - we (wetshavers) never see, as it goes to painfully expensive paintbrushes that make our high mountain white shaving brushes look cheap.

I have personally spoken to several badger firms in Asian (both who farm it and who steralize it) as well as England, and from all accounts I am told it is always sheared - and have heard some pretty funny stories/mishaps about the poor fellas who have the job of shearing the angry little monsters.

Badgers are not killed for their pelts, period.

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That is great. Now even DrP doesn't have to feel guilty.

Stauff said:

That is great. Now even DrP doesn't have to feel guilty.

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Thankfully, his collection could have turned the badgers extinct!

holnrew said:

Actually I was thinking earlier, what other animal hair has been tried for shaving brushes? How was badger hair settled on?

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I have 4 Welsh Corgis at home and was just looking at one and wondering if their fur would be good for a brush. It's not very long though. But it is very soft!

av8or234 said:

I have 4 Welsh Corgis at home and was just looking at one and wondering if their fur would be good for a brush. It's not very long though. But it is very soft!

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Would you really want to sacrifice them for a few brushes?