I'd guess about half of the threads in this forum are some variant of "can you guys please tell me which brush to buy next?" So as a public service to all those who will be writing such threads today, tomorrow, and forevermore (whoa, dude, this ain't the Gettysburg Address you're coming up with ... ) let me offer a standard 'checklist' of information to include in your opening post to help us help you with the best possible advice.
did I miss anything?
- Your existing harem of badgery beauties! ... tell us what brushes you already have (if any) and what qualities about each you like or dislike
- Your lathery leanings ... mostly this means do you use soaps or creams? Do you facelather or lather in a bowl? Those answers can often influence the type and size of a brush
- What you want from your next brush .... now that you've told us which brushes you have (see above), tell us what you want from your new brush ... "firmer than my Vulfix ... smaller than my Polo 8 ... not as prickly as my boar-hair brush ..." You get the idea. Maybe you can't compare this to a brush you already have .... "I want a scrubby facelathering brush for triple-milled soaps" or even "I want my first brush ... a good introductory badger brush."
- Brush aesthetics ... kind of a rough, catch-all phrase meaning "tell us more about what you want in the brush". Maybe you want a long skinny handle? or a handle that's easy to grip when wet and covered in tather? Material and colour? Overall appearance? Do you want "heft"? If you tell us the bruah has to have a black handle, we'll not bother you with white-handled options!
- Budget. If SWMBO has given you $80 for the brush, there's not much point in us telling you that a Plisson HMW is exactly what you need.
- Size matters .... if you like small brushes, or large, or medium ... or whatever ... let us know and we can direct you.
- Brushes that have already piqued your interest .... if you are trying to decide between *this* brush and *that* brush .... doubtless you'll tell us and maybe even give links to the brushes. This is good not only so we can tell you in our experiences which of the two brushes best meets your needs, but maybe we know a third, fourth, fifth ... that are even better.
- Please don't forget to tell us that this will be your last or only brush, and that "SBAD hasn't really gotten ahold of me." We need a good laugh.
did I miss anything?