Does an £80 Brush Really Make a Difference?

Every time I use one of my Shavemac badgers this question is answered with a resounding yes! Maseto badgers are also very good for under £50. My experience with cheap synths has been that they've had either massive glue bumps scratchy tips or both.

Boars are a bit of an exception as really good ones can be had for not a lot of money.
 
If a brush or indeed any other product hits the spot for me then I put my own value on it. One of my favourite brushes is a £5 Omega boar; I would be prepared to spend many times that price on the brush. The same with the more expensive brushes I have that hit the spot. It is the value I put on a brush that matters, not someone else's value.
 
If a brush or indeed any other product hits the spot for me then I put my own value on it. One of my favourite brushes is a £5 Omega boar; I would be prepared to spend many times that price on the brush. The same with the more expensive brushes I have that hit the spot. It is the value I put on a brush that matters, not someone else's value.
Very true. Warren Buffet put it best, ‘Price is what you pay; value is what you get.' Put another way, value is in the eye of the beholder. I have several badgers that cost me more than £80 and I love them all for how they perform and how they look. But one of my favourite 3-band badgers is a Semogue; it cost me a lot less than £80 but performs on a par with my +£80 3-band badgers; it's a hidden gem. I have several boars which cost considerably less the £80 and all are a joy to use, but don't give me as much pleasure as my more expensive badgers. As for synthetics, I have yet to find one that comes close to any of my badgers or boars in terms of performance and overall satisfaction. I do, however, use an AP Shave Co. SynBad synthetic when I travel because it dries very quickly and does a competent job of lathering. One brush that never ceases to amaze me is the Semogue Taj mixed badger and boar. It embodies the best of badger and the best of boar in a gorgeous handle and is very reasonably priced. The bottom line is that I'm ‘into' brushes more so than any other part of my shaving kit.
 
Very true. Warren Buffet put it best, ‘Price is what you pay; value is what you get.' Put another way, value is in the eye of the beholder. I have several badgers that cost me more than £80 and I love them all for how they perform and how they look. But one of my favourite 3-band badgers is a Semogue; it cost me a lot less than £80 but performs on a par with my +£80 3-band badgers; it's a hidden gem. I have several boars which cost considerably less the £80 and all are a joy to use, but don't give me as much pleasure as my more expensive badgers. As for synthetics, I have yet to find one that comes close to any of my badgers or boars in terms of performance and overall satisfaction. I do, however, use an AP Shave Co. SynBad synthetic when I travel because it dries very quickly and does a competent job of lathering. One brush that never ceases to amaze me is the Semogue Taj mixed badger and boar. It embodies the best of badger and the best of boar in a gorgeous handle and is very reasonably priced. The bottom line is that I'm ‘into' brushes more so than any other part of my shaving kit.

Great quote. The Semogue Taj mixed badger and boar is also a favourite of mine - cracking brush. Sadly I put a donought in mine with over enthusiastic use, but another one will be ordered.
 
I have two brushes. An Italian made Omega (chosen for price and reviews and purchased when I made the change from cartridges and spray foam to proper shaving) and a Wilkinson Sword "Cheapy" donated by my father (who has joined a popular brand of "mail-it-to-me" cartridges).

Frustratingly, I get a much better lather with the Wilkinson than I do with the Omega. Neither is really satisfactory though. Suggestions accepted on a sub-£20 brush available in the UK?
 
I have two brushes. An Italian made Omega (chosen for price and reviews and purchased when I made the change from cartridges and spray foam to proper shaving) and a Wilkinson Sword "Cheapy" donated by my father (who has joined a popular brand of "mail-it-to-me" cartridges).

Frustratingly, I get a much better lather with the Wilkinson than I do with the Omega. Neither is really satisfactory though. Suggestions accepted on a sub-£20 brush available in the UK?

Check out https://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/co...s/omega-boar-brush-small-brush-quartet.47016/
 
Suggestions accepted on a sub-£20 brush available in the UK?

Razorock BC Silvertip or Razorock Bruce.

I have 4 synthetic brushes and don't ‘need' another. But I do keep looking at the Shavemac configurator though. Some of the custom colours look amazing, even if they do cost a little extra. Has anyone here ordered a custom Shavemac? I am most likely looking at a synthetic one
 
I have two brushes. An Italian made Omega (chosen for price and reviews and purchased when I made the change from cartridges and spray foam to proper shaving) and a Wilkinson Sword "Cheapy" donated by my father (who has joined a popular brand of "mail-it-to-me" cartridges).

Frustratingly, I get a much better lather with the Wilkinson than I do with the Omega. Neither is really satisfactory though. Suggestions accepted on a sub-£20 brush available in the UK?


This one. A few chaps on this forum have the same brush and like it a lot.

Good balance of density, size and the right height of glue bump so it isn't really floppy and has enough backbone to work well with creams and soaps.

My most used synth brush by quite some margin.
 
Razorock BC Silvertip or Razorock Bruce.

I have 4 synthetic brushes and don't ‘need' another. But I do keep looking at the Shavemac configurator though. Some of the custom colours look amazing, even if they do cost a little extra. Has anyone here ordered a custom Shavemac? I am most likely looking at a synthetic one


Hi Dave

I was lucky to pick up a little used Shavemac 26mm Synthetic at a bargain price a while back, pictured here . . .



It performs faultlessly - easy loading and releases lather well. Soft tips, and a good amount of backbone
The knot is much more dense than my RazoRock and YaqI synths - which seems to make it perform much like a two band badger
It really is an excellent brush

Would I pay the full retail price ? . . . . No, but I wouldn't fork out that much on ANY brush (I prefer to spend more on razors than other hardware)
 
I have two brushes. An Italian made Omega (chosen for price and reviews and purchased when I made the change from cartridges and spray foam to proper shaving) and a Wilkinson Sword "Cheapy" donated by my father (who has joined a popular brand of "mail-it-to-me" cartridges).

Frustratingly, I get a much better lather with the Wilkinson than I do with the Omega. Neither is really satisfactory though. Suggestions accepted on a sub-£20 brush available in the UK?


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Omega-01...450590?hash=item46a4137a1e:g:rwIAAOSwI45d8k5S
 
Hmm.. Not sure if i agree with that.

Synthetic? No. - I have tried several cheap synthetic that are horrible.
Boar? No. - maybe.
Badger? Yes. - i agree.

A £5 brush will never be as good as a £80 brush - no matter the material. Stop fooling around :)

You're too new to this game, son. As an owner of a number of synths ranging from 10 quid to over 100 - there's ZERO difference in terms of the knot's properties. Only in craftsmanship/materials. The fact that you've tried shitty ones doesn't prove anything - you absolutely CAN get a brilliant synth brush for a tenner.
 
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