There is a Lot of High Priced & Overpriced Crap Badgers Out there..Simpson for One..They Got Popularized in Forums & the Prices went Crazy for Years..That Said..I have Never Came Across a So Called Rough Badger Brush Yet.,Forum Talk Can Lead Folks into FALSE Expectation's..Just Like Politicians..
Billy
If you're happy with your brush that's all that matters.
Personally I didn't think high-end badger brushes were worth it until I tried one, and I'd have a good boar or synthetic over a cheap badger any day of the week.
I think that there are various grades of how much hardcore one is about wetshaving. There are those who are in a neverending quest for the "perfect brush", because it has become something like a hobby or collectionism. I just want a bit of variety with something that works satisfactory. For instance, i started with Proraso brush. I never clicked with it. When i moved to smaller 24x55, it was instant satisfaction. Bought them in quantities as spares (ironically, i have found in english, irish and even american shops, Omega brushes that i can't find in Italy!).
Same thing goes for badgers. The only thing that i know for sure that annoys the hell out of me, is a brush that has little backbone. Because already my 24x60mm Omega, is at the limit of flopiness for me. I find the 24x55 much better. With the pure, the only annoyance, is that if i use circular motion it's prickly. I mean, my Omega 24mm boar is way better. If i get the best badgers and they prove that they have enough backbone, i am settled. Ultrasoft brushes that have no spine don't interest me.
Me neither, a nice dense two-band badger has backbone though and lovely soft tips.
Well, the only way i see me getting a 2 band, is from Yaqi, since i will simply not pay over 60 EUR, to get something that my boar brush does for 6 EUR. But since luck brought me to order already a Yaqi best badger and an EJ Best badger, if these 2 feel satisfactory, i don't see me ordering another badger for a long time.
You can get along quite happily without badger, it's not compulsory to have one. I have a few really quite expensive ones and I still get most use from my synthetics.
Remember Spock's advice; "Live Long and Accumulate".I just like variety a bit. Not too much though, because each brush has its quirks. I think the boars are actually the quirkest kind i 've tried, which is also why i decided to stick to 1 main type. Now that i have thoroughly used it, i know it like the back on my hand.
I only have Omega S-brush as synth for now, but i have ordered a Yaqi plissoft. However, after reading many reviews, i have a gut feeling that i won't like the plissoft much either. Because what i dislike in the S-brush is 1) the unnatural springyness, 2) the feeling that the hair is "plastic" , 3) the weird water retention or rather non retention. And it seems from reviews, that plissoft has still these, albeit in lesser degree. If so, this will be my 1st and last plissoft and i will keep a rotation of 2 boars, 2 badgers and 1 synth and that will be the end of story.
Properties like "the plissoft makes lather easier" or "uses less soap", i find them secondary to the 3 characteristics i mentioned. Because, if you can make good lather with boar, then anything else isn't a problem and i am young enough to not having problems with rotating my hand in a bowl and with 50 unused soaps/cremes, using "less" soap is the last of my concerns.
So somehow, i have the feeling that i will end with natural hair brushes mainly. That said, if something happened and best badgers and above became superexpensive and the only thing left was the EJ pure badger i have, i would gladly buy it again and be happy.
So, no big deal. In the boar, i like the backbone and that the brush seems indestructible. And well, even if you destroy it, it's 6 EUR! In the badger, i like the way the hair bends when doing painting strokes (it has a sort of smoother bending) and that it appears to carry more lather, although, the boar seems to release the lather more readily (this can be both good and bad, depending on what you want to do. If you like overworking the lather on your face, easy release may mean you will be left with little lather for 3rd or 4th pass. The key is not to overwork it).
I have a Simpson Duke 2 in pure badger and like it very much. It does have a wee bit of prickle, but not enough to bother me. My favoured badgers are Simpson best, shavemac finest and shavemac/Thater/VP Leonhardy 3-band silvertips, but I find my pure badger to compliment them quite well. In fact, once I've sold a few more brushes I'll buy a shavemac pure. As concerns boar, I find my Semogue OC boar and Omega B&B Essential boar feel quite different to the Simpson pure. I should add that I prefer the Simpson pure to my Muhle silvertip fibre and Kent Silvertex.
A shame but as you have found badgers vary so, so much... if you want a badger with backbone maybe look for a Maseto 2 band finest, that will make your boars feel floppy!
If you'll never use the best badger perhaps try to trade it for something else that you will use on ilrasoio?
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