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Thinking about getting a Badger brush

Spider said:
Nope. Their look/shape never really appealed to me. And refer back to my previous comments about Wood Handles.....
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Roger that, But I'm referring to the knot. They are a treat, if these Group Buy Brushes are identical to their regular lineup. (y)
 
@Shavin’ Yeti I think it was briefly mentioned here...but if you want a budget friendly approach to a pretty good badger (maybe not the best but pretty darn good) look at the badger brushes that Stirling has to offer. They are all a nice size and perform bigger than their actual knot sizes let on. But they are a really good and solid performing badger that will give you an idea of what better ones will do.
 
CBLindsay said:
There are others who are a whole lot more into the whole brush scene, I like what I like but don’t tend to go crazy buying brushe or feel the need to get more. I kicked myself early on for piddling around with the $10-$15 badgers I would find on Amazon or eBay, once I found Whipped Dog I learned a better quality badger would last longer and performed better. At the time WD was ground breaking but now there are a number of “artisan” makers and importers of what amounts to the same knots WD offered us. Now we have access to basic quality across the spectrum but that doesn’t mean every knot delivers the same experiences ...the size, depth of setting and size of hole relative to knot size all impact performance.

In general, I think the biggest reason badger, boar and synthetic lather differently is how they hold and deliver water. Synthetics are pretty consistent from brand, size and setting AND have a very desirable (maybe scientifically designed-purpose driven) way of holding and delivering water that results in an ideal lather almost every time. Boar has a distinct way holding water once hydrated, it can be a lot like a synthetic with the added benefit of being course enough to scrub up extra soap from a hard puck. If you have a nice, dense boar that you’ve become accustomed to it might be your best friend. Badger brushes will have a character all their own, I found the premium brushes like the SV are magically constructed to check all the boxes, easy to load with consistent and predictable water/hydration properties, scrubby yet soft all that and a bag of chips. I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on a few custom26mm and 30mm knots for handles I’ve made for myself but I couldn’t tell you how I recognized they were going to make me happy.

There is more to a great brush than the knot though, a great brush feels great in your hand and looks beautiful to you. Balance and beauty are where an artisan shows their skill. It’s funny how the little things come together and make a brush GREAT and how a great brush makes everything feel so wonderful.
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Thanks for the great information about water holding capacity.
 
dangerousdon said:
@Shavin’ Yeti I think it was briefly mentioned here...but if you want a budget friendly approach to a pretty good badger (maybe not the best but pretty darn good) look at the badger brushes that Stirling has to offer. They are all a nice size and perform bigger than their actual knot sizes let on. But they are a really good and solid performing badger that will give you an idea of what better ones will do.
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Good idea, I really only look at soaps/splashes/EDT’s when I am on the Stirling website. I will definitely take a look.
 
bentheduck said:
Somebody on here other than me has a 70/30 badger/boar knot. Once broken in, you get the best of both worlds in my opinion. Great price point too. Uhhhhh. Try not to get sucked into that rabbit hole. :ROFLMAO:
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I’ve had one sitting in my project drawer waiting for me to turn a handle from one of the dozen acrylic blanks I’ve made but the only thing MORE likely to be used to hang or store stuff on than exercise equipment is a lathe...mine has been unusable for months. Lucky for me my wife just cleaned the garage exposing my work area ...although now that I think about it I DONT recall seeing my lathe present in the work zone, hmmm.

I’ve been curious about the 70/30 but lately I’ve been comfortable with my SV brush and CBL butterscotch synth, between the two my lathering world is zen.
 
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