Boar Bristle Brush

[Anonymous]

Hey guys,
I'm in the market for a new brush. Seems mice like to chew these up.
Any suggestions?

 

[Mikem]

I bought mine at Caswell Massey: http://www.caswellmassey.com/store/item.aspx?DepartmentId=74&ItemId=351&SortBy=& and have gotten many years service out of it. Some other places that sell brushes, etc. are:

http://www.colconkproducts.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=nde2qkiur8e964ukao5dm77an7
http://www.leesrazors.com/categories/Brushes/
http://www.classicshaving.com/Shaving_Brushes.html

I prefer the medium sized badger brushes as I think they work best on my face. I had a non-badger brush and it just didn't lather up the soap near as well as the badger brush.

 

[Hermit]

Hey guys,
I'm in the market for a new brush. Seems mice like to chew these up.
Any suggestions?

They eat any more of your pipes?
You need a cat or two. :lol:

 

[HoosierPuffer]

Got a vulfix pure badger from classicbladesllc.com.

Good stuff.

 

[Dubbya]

My all time favorite boar is the Omega "Big Red" Professional. It's the high loft version of the Professional.

 

[dubhdarra]

sort of related question, i can't get a decent lather going, could it be that i have an insanely cheap POS boar bristle or is it more likely my soap or technique? total noob to shaving, at this point it is actually easier for me to make a straight razor than to use one...

 

[Anonymous]

sort of related question, i can't get a decent lather going, could it be that i have an insanely cheap POS boar bristle or is it more likely my soap or technique? total noob to shaving, at this point it is actually easier for me to make a straight razor than to use one...

It could be either. What color are the bristles on the brush? This helps determine quailty.

What soap are you using? Wal mart sells soap for this, but it was pretty bad; didn't lather at all. I forget the brand I use; it's the one they sell at the tobacco shop.

Sometimes I buy soap, and/or glycerin.

Next thing:

Are you filling the mug with hot water with the bristles in it and letting it sit for 1-3 minutes? Then dump the water and start whisking?

This will help narrow down your problem.

BTW, I forget if mine is badger or boar, but it wasn't cheap. I guess what I'm trying to say is you have to spend some money on a good brush.

 

[puros_bran]

Good advise...

One other thing worth taking into consideration.. Boar brushes seem to work better with soap as opposed to creams. When using soap I go straight from the puck to the face and build a lather there.. A little water goes along way.

When building lather in a bowl a few drops of water can be the difference between way to much water and a almost foamless lather and a thick paste.

Go to youtube and watch Mantic59 shave videos, several years later they are still the cream of the crop.

 

[dubhdarra]

so my soap was williams, though i have VDH and a locally made one (beer flavored) that i don't have much information on. the brush is also VDH (van der hausen i think).

i'll check out that video though, and thanks for the input

 

[n4mgr]

I purchased my brush from wal-mart, along with the bowl and soap they sale as a set. I have since purchased a stand for my razor and brush and have stopped using the bowl and soap in favor of a bay rum soap I got from Ogallala Bay Rum. The brush that came with the set still works well for me, though it is beginning to show signs of use. I have been using it and throwing back in my dopp kit every day so traveling has taken a toll of sorts.

 

[Carlos]

I think that boar brushes, being stiffer, dig into bar soaps more. Makes it a little harder to whip up a nice later in the mug. That's why some fellows make the lather on their faces after getting the brush loaded with soap and a bit of water.

My badger brush makes a nice lather from any bar soap. But really makes a super silky and rich later with creams. Just a large pea sized amount makes more than I need.

Something else I like to do is set the mug into the sink of scalding hot water to warm it well while I hold a wet and hot towel to my beard for a few minutes. Mugs with bar soap I will actually immerse in the hot water completely to help warm the bar soap also. Then drain. Makes for a nice warm lather when you whip it up.

 

[Maduro Man WCP]

hard water will restrict the lathering... try some distilled water to see if that helps.

some soaps are more sensitive to amounts of water than others.

 

[dspiveyjr]

I think that boar brushes, being stiffer, dig into bar soaps more. Makes it a little harder to whip up a nice later in the mug. That's why some fellows make the lather on their faces after getting the brush loaded with soap and a bit of water.

My badger brush makes a nice lather from any bar soap. But really makes a super silky and rich later with creams. Just a large pea sized amount makes more than I need.

Something else I like to do is set the mug into the sink of scalding hot water to warm it well while I hold a wet and hot towel to my beard for a few minutes. Mugs with bar soap I will actually immerse in the hot water completely to help warm the bar soap also. Then drain. Makes for a nice warm lather when you whip it up.

I think that having a good Badger brush is a must, I have a boars hair at my beach house, not even close to my Trufitt and Hill Silver tip badger brush, I also think cream is the way to go, I agree with Carlos, a pea size of cream makes enough lather to shave three or more passes. I use boar and soap at beach and it will be replaced soon.

 

[wintermute]

The two best brands in the boar brush game are Omega (easily procurable stateside) or Semogue. I own a Semogue and love it as much as my Rooney best badger. The boars just have a long break-in period needed to create some split hairs. The best place to get Semogues is vintagescent.com . Don't be afraid of the shipping from Portugal. The owner's a really nice guy, charges a pittance for shipping, and gets it to you FAST.