Anyone used Bestshave No. 6 horsehair brush from Turkey?

SoapAlchemist

SoapAlchemist

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I would be interested in any comments members may have about the above which can be found here http://shop.bestshave.net/wooden-handled-shaving-brushes-no6-p-67.html
I saw them recommended on a certain shaving blog :icon_eek: and considered stocking them. Naturally, I would be very interested in hearing a range of opinions if any here have tried it. I'm not keen on the rounded bottom of the handle, as it looks like it doesn't stand up on it's own. Any comments?
I've been stocking the Vulfix 404 'bodger' for a long time as a good all rounder, and still have a fair few to shift; however, I have always had some misgivings about its badger content. Particularly as most badger comes from China, and I have misgivings about their animal welfare standards.
So I'ld be very interested to hear any experiences with this brush.
 
Yes, have the old style and the new. Both work very well for me. Great with your soaps. I think I like the 'new' style a bit better. Quality the same; design different.
Hang mine knot down, so standing is not an issue.
 
I have one, and it's my go-to brush which I choose in preference to both my badgers, and my my Vulfix Bodger.

Quality of the handle is not fantastic, as you would expect for the money, but the knot is great, and it really lathers soaps superbly. I do still tend to use a badger or synthetic on the odd occasion I use a cream though.

It stands up fine, and is quite stable (no horse pun intended!) :icon_razz:
 
Took both out and they have no problem standing on their own. Photo . New on top:[attachment=5903]

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Only point is that is is probabely not (only) horse hair, as the tips of the hairs split. Horse hair afaik does not split. So (also) boar is more likely. I like this brush too, btw.
 
Hmmm....found this thread which suggests (like Wil) that they may not actually be horse hair? http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/using-a-horse-hair-vs-badger-hair.28014/
 
Wil said:
Only point is that is is probabely not (only) horse hair, as the tips of the hairs split. Horse hair afaik does not split. So (also) boar is more likely. I like this brush too, btw.
Click to expand...

Being that its made in Turkey it may not be Boar. Not sure how secular they are.
 
Johnus said:
Wil said:
Only point is that is is probabely not (only) horse hair, as the tips of the hairs split. Horse hair afaik does not split. So (also) boar is more likely. I like this brush too, btw.
Click to expand...

Being that its made in Turkey it may not be Boar. Not sure how secular they are.
Click to expand...

They are not that seculair. Jaguar (also Turkish) makes boar brushes (and nice ones too).
 
Greetings

I have one and I like it a lot, the handles are pretty rough but at the price they are it becomes irrelevant.

I am leaning more and more to believing they are indeed boar and not horse at all, I base this on the look of the 'bristles'/hair' compared to my Vie Long 13061M, they are completely different and as previously stated my Vie long has not a single split hair after a lot of use. The Turkish No. 6 came already with the ends split and they have split a lot more and have got softer with use.

I also own one of the Turkish Shaving Factory brushes, the medium model, this brush is actually advertised as Boar and in my mind the bristles in this are from the same animal as the Turkish No. 6 they certainly look identical.

Our friend from Turkey on this forum says they are boar wrongly labled and I believe he is correct.

I do not think for a minute there is any deliberate deception here I do wonder if the translation of the words Boar, Pig, Bristle, and hair especially the latter two have all become a bit muddled.

I would suggest that many folk if asked what the difference between a hair and a bristle paintbrush was, they would either not know or would say; as I once thought, bristle is a stiffer type of hair!

I doubt if Islam plays much if any part in the equation and as Ferroburak says Horse brushes are not common in Turkey. If Turkish chefs are quite happy to handle and cook pork products even though most of them would not eat them I am sure they would be happy to shave with a bristle brush or paint their walls with one.

It would be nice to lay this to rest but unless somebody wants to pay to have a couple of brushes DNA tested (which may or may not yield a result) I don't know how we will know. Either way I like the Turkish No. 6 brush!

Regards
Dick
 
We have a few members that have the equipment necessary to look at and compare the edges on blades and straights, they may want to take on this challenge with the brush hairs!

They seem to stay stiffer than boar. They may just be the non speaking half of the animal!☹
 
Has anyone tried to get the knot out of one of these? Regardless of what hair it is, I'm tempted to buy a couple, remove the knots and pop them in hand-carved handles from native woods.
 
I really like mine! Brilliant value! It's perfect for face lathering with soaps. The hair's definitely split with use, which is rather like boar bristle, but it might well be due to the hair being of a lower grade than - say - Vie Long. The brush will stand on its base. If you're tempted to stock it I'd throw up a couple of warnings. Firstly, it's noticeably low cost (but not low value!) - particularly evident with the handle. Secondly, a quick Google of shaving fora will throw up a few QC concerns which could be a pain for you.
 
Bestshave does have a notice that the new brush has taken into consideration the concerns that customers had voiced. Not sure how it popped up when I went to their site but it recently did.
 
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