I'm about to buy my first badger brush. Question, and suggestions request.

Hello!

So... I'm getting ready to buy my first badger brush. Since I know it will be a while before I buy another one (With this one, I will have one synthetic, one boar and one badger), I'm looking into getting a silvertip.

Looking at https://www.whippeddog.com, I see that there are three loft options: Standard Loft, Drill Extra 5mm, and Drill Extra 10mm. 

What would be your suggestion when it comes to:
- Fiber (Anything other than silvertip)?
- Knot size?
- Loft?

Thank you!

What type of soaps do you use and how do you lather them?

What is your current synthetic brush knot and what do you like about it and not like?

If you face lather, you will probably prefer a flatter knot such as a fan knot.
If you bowl lather and paint the lather on your face, you will probably prefer a bulb shaped knot.
With the exception of the boar knots, which are rather flat, the other Whipped Dog knots are bulb shaped.

If you like using hard pucks, you might want to get a brush with a lot of backbone (set deep in the handle).
If you like using softer soaps in tubs, you might want a brush with less backbone (set higher in the handle).

A brush that is small in diameter (22mm or less) will have less badger hair, and will take longer to develop your lather.
I bowl lather and find that 24-26mm knot diameter is my sweet spot. I do not like either smaller brushes or larger brushes.
If you get a 24mm knot, I would suggest that the knot be set to give a loft around 52-55 mm.
If you primarily use hard pucks, you might want to set it deeper.

I have not tried one of the Whipped Dog brushes, so I cannot comment on their quality and value. However, he does have a good reputation for offering decent quality at decent prices.

Further riffing on the comments above by RayClem , I exclusively bowl lather and 26 mm is my sweet spot.  I prefer bulb shapes and much prefer badger over boar or synthetics.

I have a Whipped Dog High Mountain 30 mm brush which I bought to try out a larger size brush.  The handle is serviceable but not top grade.  The knot works but is not top grade. Given the prices he charges, however, you are getting a very fair deal.  High Mountain will generally be stiffer than a Silvertip.  I suspect that his Silvertip will be serviceable as well.

Another alternative is to purchase a Maggards knot and set it in a handle of your choice.  I like the SHD knots they sell.  The cost will be higher.

May I ask a question just out of curiosity?

Are you looking at badger because there is something you do not like about your boar brush?

I currently have at least one of all three, for different purposes, but I do have a favorite.

Further riffing on the comments above by RayClem , I exclusively bowl lather and 26 mm is my sweet spot.  I prefer bulb shapes and much prefer badger over boar or synthetics.

I have a Whipped Dog High Mountain 30 mm brush which I bought to try out a larger size brush.  The handle is serviceable but not top grade.  The knot works but is not top grade. Given the prices he charges, however, you are getting a very fair deal.  High Mountain will generally be stiffer than a Silvertip.  I suspect that his Silvertip will be serviceable as well.

Another alternative is to purchase a Maggards knot and set it in a handle of your choice.  I like the SHD knots they sell.  The cost will be higher.

I second the motion about the Maggard SHD knots. I have two of them. One is a 28 mm, but it blooms so much that the brush huge and holds a lot of soap. As a result, I purchased a 26mm SHD and absolutely love it. The 26 mm SHD knot is $63. They have handles for $16-23. If you order, be sure to get the handle that is 1mm larger than the knot. Although not advertised as "gelled" knots, they do have bleached tips and mine do gel when in use. I like bowl lathering, so I ordered a bulb knot. If you face lather, you might prefer the fan knot.

May I ask a question just out of curiosity? 

Are you looking at badger because there is something you do not like about your boar brush? 

I currently have at least one of all three, for different purposes, but I do have a favorite.

The only reason I want a badger is because I've never had one. I am not one to have much to spend, so, I am looking to get a brush that gives me the best value. 

There is nothing wrong with the boar brush, I really like it. Also, I love my Muhle Synthetic.

May I ask a question just out of curiosity? 

Are you looking at badger because there is something you do not like about your boar brush? 

I currently have at least one of all three, for different purposes, but I do have a favorite.

The only reason I want a badger is because I've never had one. I am not one to have much to spend, so, I am looking to get a brush that gives me the best value. 

There is nothing wrong with the boar brush, I really like it. Also, I love my Muhle Synthetic.

Good badger brushes are not cheap. You can get a good boar brush or a good synthetic brush that is cheap. Because there is a lot involved in the harvesting, sorting and assembling badger hair for a brush, good ones tend to be more expensive. 

Badger hair comes in several grades. The lower, less expensive grades like pure badger and black badger tend to be coarser. Since they are larger in diameter, it takes fewer hairs to produce a knot. If you  like a brush that is good for exfoliating your skin, a cheap badger brush can get the job done. 
The next grade up is best badger; then two band finest. Silvertip tends to be the most expensive hair as it is very fine and it takes thousands of hairs to make a brush knot. However, the face feel of silvertip is much nicer.

Brushes can come in varying levels of hair density. In a denser knot, more hair is packed into the same diameter knot. The additional badger hair is more costly, so denser knots like the Maggard super high density knot are not cheap, but the are a good value.

The larger the knot diameter, the more badger hair it takes to produce the knot. A 26 mm knot will require 70% more hair than a 20 mm knot of similar density. Thus, the larger knot will be more expensive due to the extra hair.

Better quality brush handles, especially those produced by artisans are going to be more expensive.

You can purchase badger shaving brushes on Amazon for under $10. You are likely to find that such a brush uses low grade badger hair, is small in diameter, low in density and has a cheap handle.  If that is the best your budget can afford, I suggest that you stick with boar and synthetic.

A high quality badger shaving brush is likely to last you the rest of your lifetime and you might be able to pass it to your heirs. Over the lifetime of the brush, a quality brush is a good investment. However, you do to have to purchase an expensive brush. There are brushes that cost $500, but they are not necessarily an significant improvement over a brush costing $100. I would suggest you start off with a brush costing $50 - 100. Most of us eventually end up with a variety of brushes in our collection as we discover the type of brushes we like best. 

I have a variety of badger, boar, horsehair and synthetic brushes in my collection. My favorite brushes are a 24mm Saville Row silvertip badger that cost $150, a 26mm Maggard SHD brush (around $85), a Simpson Trafalgar T3 synthetic ($45), and an Omega 10098 Professional boar that cost $13. No matter what your budget, there are excellent brushes available. The Omega boar was terrible when new, but once fully broken in was as luxurious as the more expensive Savile Row brush.

In my earlier post, I mentioned Whipped Dog brushes. Although I do not possess one of his brushes, they are reported to offer good value. You can get a 24mm silvertip brush for around $50. A smaller diameter knot would be less expensive, but it will take longer to lather with a smaller knot. I find 24-26mm to be ideal.

May I ask a question just out of curiosity? 

Are you looking at badger because there is something you do not like about your boar brush? 

I currently have at least one of all three, for different purposes, but I do have a favorite.

The only reason I want a badger is because I've never had one. I am not one to have much to spend, so, I am looking to get a brush that gives me the best value. 

There is nothing wrong with the boar brush, I really like it. Also, I love my Muhle Synthetic.

One sensible approach is to scour the BST section of this board to see if you can pick up a good brush for fewer dollars. Right now, I see a listing for a Simpson Tulip brush in two band Silvertip for $75. This is a high quality brush for just a few dollars more than you are now considering. It is a little small for my taste but you can see the dimensions and the retail price if you go on the Simpson website.

When I was starting out, I was informed that a Simpson Duke 3 in Best offered the best value. For me, this was a sensible choice and still is. It is very functional. At retail, I suspect it may be beyond what you want to spend.

May I ask a question just out of curiosity? 

Are you looking at badger because there is something you do not like about your boar brush? 

I currently have at least one of all three, for different purposes, but I do have a favorite.

The only reason I want a badger is because I've never had one. I am not one to have much to spend, so, I am looking to get a brush that gives me the best value. 

There is nothing wrong with the boar brush, I really like it. Also, I love my Muhle Synthetic.

Thank you for your response.

If you will indulge me only a little further, may I ask what boar brush you currently have and what you like about it?

I’d buy a H.L.Thater two band brush. Not too big.