Firstly, welcome to the forum.
I thought I might address a few ‘Myths' regarding badger brushes as it can be quite daunting to a new comer.
The break-in period for most badger brushes is a lot shorter than a boar brush. They tend to loosen up after 5 uses and just get softer over time.
The ‘funky' smell on most brushes goes after a couple of uses and the smell is not usually strong anyway. Wash the brush through with normal shampoo and lather it up with your strongest smelling soap/cream you have to hand when it arrives. You can leave the lather in the brush over night and rise it through the next day. If the smell is still there just repeat the process or just use it and it will go after a couple of uses.
After care is very minimal and treat it just like your Boar brush. Rise the brush through, towel dry and leave it to air dry. DON'T leave it in a cupboard as this can cause mould to form.
Badger brushes can be very expensive but there's been a couple of companies making affordable, good quality brushes over the pass year or so. Search for Maseto and Yaqi. I can't speak for Yaqi as I don't own anything by them but they have great reviews from members on here.
Maseto brushes are stunning. I own a few high end brushes by Simpsons, Thäter and shavemac and the Maseto holds its own against those.
Here's a review I did on the Silvertip Maseto
http://theshavingroom.co.uk/communi...ons-maseto-24mm-silvertip-badger-brush.44229/
https://yaqibrush.aliexpress.com/store/2986023
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MS-2-Ban...-Classic-E-I-H-Handle-30mm-Knot-/222189264774
I thought it best to answer a few questions as it's a shame not to try a badger brush.
Good luck
Cheers
Rob
