Badger to Synthetic shift

Would you buy a badger brush again?

  • No, never again

    Votes: 37 49.3%
  • Yes, I would

    Votes: 28 37.3%
  • Maybe

    Votes: 10 13.3%

  • Total voters
    75
I'm another one who's abandoned animal hair brushes, synthetics work so much better for me, I've had a few decent badger brushes but moved them on. I've also revisited boar and badger brushes earlier this year to compare, and didn't enjoy the experience.
As it stands my ap shaveco brushes are the ones that do it for me, I've two synbad brushes which are excellent and my current favourite 2BED, which is a fantastic brush.
 
My first brush was a badger/boar mix which I did not realy enjoy. It had a strange smell, had to be pre soaked and took ages to dry. I quickly bought a synthetic brush and for use found little difference but quicker to dry etc. Synthetics are also much cheaper. My latest brush is a Simpson T3 Trafalgar which only cost me £20 and works really well for me. I will stick with synthetics.
 
I wonder.......synthetics seem to have improved since they were first made. Seems to me they will continue to do so.
Badgers have been around ages. I wonder if they are much different from when our grandfathers used them.
 
I wonder.......synthetics seem to have improved since they were first made. Seems to me they will continue to do so.
Badgers have been around ages. I wonder if they are much different from when our grandfathers used them.
The majority of our grandfathers used boar, look on the bay for vintage brushes, at least 75% are boar, the rest are horse, monofilament nylon, and badger.
 
@Fido good to see you're still about on the forum. I'm still using my New Forest brushes from 10 years ago. Would you have gone into synths if you'd continued?

No. I would have remained focused on high end badger hair. I had an amazing run. Being retired, I set and maintained a strict turnover limit. I refused all invites to make brushes for other brands (including one of the big London Barbers) I refused offers to buy the business and simply ceased trading. I had sold all the brushes I produced and had no residual problems to deal with. End of story. I have moved on now and celebrate 25 years of retirement next month. In three years, if I make it to 80, I might return to golf and table tennis. Best wishes to everyone!
 
I'm in agreement.

I saw on ATG you'd been unwell, I hope your health is better and also that you used to be a member of the Martin Guitar Forum, which I also used to frequent, as much as I love the world of shaving my love for acoustic guitars is far greater!

Thanks. I had polymyalgia for around a year. It wiped me out but I was lucky as I have recovered fully.
 
Even though I've become a "synth adopter", I mentioned earlier that I have kept all my natural brushes and, that being so, I use all of them from time to time. My most treasured brushes are the New Forests (several) that @Fido made, and those LEs that Rod Neep made. Not only do I like them very much for the work and craftsmanship that their makers put into them, but they also perform better for me than almost all of the high-spec ones I've bought over the years from brush manufacturers (as opposed to "makers").

At least, when I'm mashing my synths around my newdelight silicone dog bowl, I know that I'm preserving my prize, never-to-be-repeated naturals for my heirs and successors.
 
I won't be buying any more badger or other animal hair brushes, but I will use the few that I still have. Whatever the pros and cons vis-a-vis animal protection vs plastics, my decision has been based mostly on the performance, ease of cleaning, and lack of shedding of current synths. There also seems to have been more of a focus on handle design, which I also like. Yes, synths are plastic and I doubt they are fully recyclable, but I'm not planning on throwing any away any time soon. Using them in a rotation, I might use each brush once every couple of weeks...I guess that's several years of future use for every one of them I have. If I were to forecast, I reckon demand for animal hair brushes will fall and their prices will rise disproportionately, while synths will become the mainstay. But, just as many of us in TSR still seek out and use vintage razors, animal hair brushes will become 'classics' that owners will proudly show off alongside their Fatboy's, 1912s, and Gems, etc. Maybe, in another generation or so, animal hair brushes will be the new 'vinyl' to synths MP3s and will see a sudden resurgence in demand among younger wet shavers.
 
Have two badgers, one of which was my first ever brush, I now rarely use it, my second is a 24mm silvertip from Yaqi which is beautiful, works up a cracking lather, and feels softer then even my plissoft style synth .
I also own two Omega boars and 5 more synths in various styles, favourite of which is my 24mm Yaqi Sagrada Familia. that little lot far exceeds my needs (he said wistfully).
 
I've noticed that many members are shifting from badger to Synthetic brushes so I'm curious how serious this shifting is.
I didn't think I was on board with this idea, but... I just purchased a WCS Synthetic Honeycomb Shaving Brush and I love it. Out of the box I wasn't sure I was going to like it. So this morning I soaked it like I would my badger, and it was just as soft and worked great. On sale for only $28 it was a good choice. I love my badger, but there doesn't appear to be a reason to look back.
 
I didn't think I was on board with this idea, but... I just purchased a WCS Synthetic Honeycomb Shaving Brush and I love it. Out of the box I wasn't sure I was going to like it. So this morning I soaked it like I would my badger, and it was just as soft and worked great. On sale for only $28 it was a good choice. I love my badger, but there doesn't appear to be a reason to look back.
I saw the WCS honeycomb handles elsewhere yesterday - they're a gorgeous looking brush!
 
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