Brushes

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You can be using the finest shaving soap; but if you have a poor brush you will not get a decent lather. The lower grade stiffer brushes will gouge out too much soap and not mix with the water. A softer brush produces a much denser lather. For the cooks, it is like trying to beat eggs or make a sauce with a spoon instead of a whisk.

Types

Generally you will find brushes sold as:

(keep in mind that different companies have different names on the various grades of their brushes)

Bristle, Pure Bristle, Boar or other similar terms 
These are made from hog bristle and are generally harder and stiffer than Badger.
Generally, the Boar brushes are less expensive. Some people prefer the stiffness from these brushes, others prefer the softer  badgers. [reference needed]
Pure Badger 
The lowest grade of badger bristle brush, These are the stiffer and more scratchy feeling in the Badger family of brushes.
Best badger
Softer and more luxurious feeling than the Pure Badger, probably the best results-to-cost choice.
Silver-tip Badger  
The best. The lather as compared to finest badger is better. But, they are usually much more expensive. Usually a three band brush
Non-standard luxury Grades
Finest Silver-Tip( Rooney), High mountain white(Plisson), Manchurian and Super (Simpson) are some of the manufacturers name for these brushes made of rare and expensive badger hair. Cut from a very small piece of the animal. Usually parts of the neck and the upper back. Very often in a 2-band version.

Find a shop that has all choices and learn how they feel. Check the inner bristles; some brushes have quality on the outside, crap on the inside.


Brush Observations

Here is an article that reveals some simple factors that help determine the performance of your brush. Brush Observations

A short brush comparison for beginners

There are many brush options on the market and they are available at many different prices. In this section we will go over some very basic information on brushes. The three basic brush bristles are made of badger hair, boar hair and synthetics. Unfortunately I only have seven different brushes (missing the synthetics e.g.), but I'll do my best to share information on what I have thus far and explain why they are different.

Please, notice that everything mentioned in this text is not set in stone. We are human beings and our needs, habits, personal interests and many other things are so individual from each of us that you should use your learning abilities and see what works best for you.

Prior to a brush's first use, I wash it using a normal shampoo and hair conditioner the same way I do with my hair. It softens the bristles a little bit, and the brush starts to work better although this is not mandatory with every brush. I like to do everything I can to obtain the most luxurious feel from my brush.

Photo sections and brush conditions explanation chart

  • Dry = All brushes are dry and taken from the drip stands.
  • 5 min soak = All brushes have soaked in tap hot water for 5 minutes and the extra water is squeezed out of the bristles. No extra shaking was performed in order to simulate where you might start to whip the soap or cream as in step 4 of the Illustrated quide to making basic soap lather.
  • Lather soak = All three brushes have made a lather
  • Post bloom = All brushes have been shaken vigorously and are ready to go to drip stands to wait for another day. All brushes are as they would be after shaving.
  • Bloom upper = Upper pictures of post bloom

TonyJ 13:17, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

Where To Find the Brushes Used In This Article