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Tell me the truth - I can handle it!

bald as

bald as

ARKO! dealer & walking ECG
As I have stated I'm not a massive Badger fan but my entire life of shaving is Boar based. A boar breaks in and is sensational, it does take a while to reach that point.

I have about 3 badgers and the knots are all Silver tip yet to me they do not perform as well as the broken in boar brush so in my ignorance of all things badger I ask the following. I fully understand loading, water etc- that is not the point of this question.

Despite the the difference in fur/hair/bristle do you prep [apart from defunking] the bristles, do you break in a badger in anyway similar to a boar.
If the answer is they are excellent out of the box then a broken in boar is streets ahead.


I believe @alfredus may have posted this video in the past. It is not about differences but the methodology used works well for all the boar brushes I have as well,

I am trying to like a badger, so help a fellow wet shaver conquer the snarly little beast :)

Steve
 
@bald as, I think you do have do break in badger but in a different way to boar. It may take up to 5 uses for a badger to break in but it is more of a loosening in the knot where the hair opens up somewhat. I don't think there is any considerable change up in the softness of the tips in a same way that happens with a broken in boar brush (with splitting of the tips). You can use a badger brush for years and not notice any discernible change up in the softness of the tips.
One of the main differences is that badger hair doesn't hold water like a boar brush does, hence doesn't require a heavy pre soak like boar does. The 2 hair types hold water differently IMO. Badger holds water in between the hairs but the hairs don't actually hold water themselves (if that makes sense).
I guess other factors come into play as well like differences in the thickness of individual strands of hair (with boar being thicker) and that badger brushes are generally denser.
The point is, they are both different to each other and you may have to master a different technique to get comfortable with badger brushes.
 
I've not posted that video...the problem is there are HUGE differences in badger hair...and sadly a modest badger is often not a pleasant experience.

Having said that, a decent badger requires more work to get to the point, mostly because it is way denser and can hold much more water/lather.

But if you use a bowl and don't care about the face feel of the brush,,,boars will probably get you there quicker and synths even more so

My reference videos:
 
I fear your quest is futile...you can't have a Mercedes experiences with a Mazda 2 (tell me about it)
 
alfredus said:
I fear your quest is futile...you can't have a Mercedes experiences with a Mazda 2 (tell me about it)
Click to expand...
I think the challenge is to find the right badger. At 200$+ a brush experimenting would add up fast.

Not sure what the solution would be.

A rent a badger club? 😅
 
I find silvertip badger to be broken in after about 3 uses.

Two band finest however, takes a good 8 shaves to soften up. I do notice the tips slightly split and the water holding capability much improved. After the break in period, I really the two bands the most.
 
My personal opinion and observations are that badger brushes are incredibly poor bang for buck based on the huge outlay for a brush that may only be a slight improvement on a well made and broken in boar. An example close to my heart is Japanese natural stones. There is a massive amount of hype and people hunting for the next best stone. A Jnat has to be tried to be fully understand if it is a truly fine stone, if it isn't then there goes valuable time and cash. I see and hear the same with a lot of people and badgers. I don't have the money to spend on speculation that xyz badger will give me an unforgettable experience. It might, but for the wrong reason. In the past 24hours I have taken the time with the badgers I have and treated them like badgers, not boars or horses and the lather has been quite good. A badger does seem very well suited to cream soap from my observations.

I have ended my quest quite content to reside on the impoverished side of the tracks with the brushes I currently have.
 
There is no easy way to say this but the best thing you could do here is chuck all the boar nonsense straight in the bin, and start again with some premium badgers. I prefer 28-32mm myself, anything less tends to leave me wanting.
 
bald as said:
Oh dear :)
Click to expand...


Set yourself up with a couple of $250 - $450 Badgers, as I said in the 28-32mm range. My recommendations would be Simpsons or Declarations at a pinch (and a few Paladins) avoiding the 'disco lights' phenomena when it comes to handles that seems to have crept into the hobby :)

alfredus said:
I fear your quest is futile...you can't have a Mercedes experiences with a Mazda 2 (tell me about it)
Click to expand...

Paging @nsavage :D
 
todras said:
Set yourself up with a couple of $250 - $450 Badgers, as I said in the 28-32mm range. My recommendations would be Simpsons or Declarations at a pinch (and a few Paladins) avoiding the 'disco lights' phenomena when it comes to handles that seems to have crept into the hobby :)



Paging @nsavage :D
Click to expand...

Did someone say ‘Disco Light’.....

bnznd1Z.jpg
 
@bald as if you are not getting along with the badger you bought from me two meet ups ago I would be concerned that you are either a) never going to get along with badgers or b) need to invest in a suitably high end offering. I would personally tend to lean towards the latter as I cannot possibly imagine that someone would not love the results that can be obtained from such a high end offering. I would suggest that the next step be to invest a considerably modest outlay on a higher end offering. Specifically my recommendation would be along the lines of something with a Nathan Clark Envy White knot in a highe end handle turned by a master handle maker such as Doug Korn. From time to time they even come up in the BST on here
 
Far be it for me to quote myself -- :)

bald as said:
so in my ignorance of all things badger I ask the following. I fully understand loading, water etc- that is not the point of this question.
Click to expand...

My question before the badger establishment was a possible breakin period?

bald as said:
In the past 24hours I have taken the time with the badgers I have and treated them like badgers, not boars or horses and the lather has been quite good.
Click to expand...

As for the amount spent to get a "premium" brush. It is best I withhold my opinion.

bald as said:
I have ended my quest
Click to expand...

And @nsavage - the brush is very good - :) for a badger. No it is very good.
 
StratMan said:
is there no love on this forum for synthetics?
Click to expand...
I have been using a 'Plissitane' for years and years now. Maybe 6 years? It's my daily driver, and I usually take it traveling with me also. It was a cheapie that was on sale ages ago and I snapped one up from another member that bought out the L'occitaine store.... I think they were going for $30 instead of the normal $90 (no way they are worth $90).

Never been an issue, always performed, economical on soap to the point I cannot finish tubs....

Personally I really do not like boars. The Smog 830 was outperformed by a handful of wet noodles. The couple of Omegas I have tried have been very sub-par.

Badgers are usually the middle ground for me, good experience but generally lather hogs.
 
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