What is your favourite brush type knot ? Badger, Synthetic or Boar ?

So what kind of shaving brush do you favour ?

Badger ?
Synthetic ?
Boar ?
Horse ?

I own brushes from badgers, boars and synthetics.
Have been face lathering now for 5+ years solely.

Will soon begin bowl lathering once in a while again, just to mix things up a bit and to give my face a break once in a while from the face lathering massage.
I have always favoured my prime/higher end badger brushes over all other brushes.

With the recent addition of new synthetics in different lofts, knot sizes and fibre material, I'm slowly chaging to synthetics and accepting their greatness.

Badgers still have the far better heat and water retention over synthetics, and also a more solid better feel.
But the synthetics are coming strongly in my den.

Boars are still there, I own 8 of them, but rarely use them.
Currently I'm down to 24 badgers, from owning 100+ in 2014, my synthetics number is 14 and I will add futher to this in 2017, I'm certain.

For face lathering I still think badgers have the superior feel, and the nice water holding and heat retention, but honestly I think I prefer the lather I now make with my newer synthetics, and I like, that I pretty much use them/abuse them without thinking more of it, since they are so relatively sheap compared to my prime badger, which often can cost $200-$350 each.
I also like that they dry fast, they don't need soaking and they just feel angel soft on the skin.
I dislike the too springy synthetics though, like the smaller Mühle STF.

What are your favourite brushes and why ?
Do you see anything changing regarding the type of brushes you will use in the future and if so why ?

I've discovered two new synthetic knots that are so soft it's like comparing a boar to a normal synthetic. They don't have a lot of backbone but that's because they're so soft but they are wonderful knots. I am going to put them into my 007 brushes and see if they get a positive responce.

I like my boars best. Currently I have a 22mm from Zenith and a 26mm from RazoRock, but I do believe it is made by Zenith, so essentially the same hair. Very soft brushes. A tad "floppy", some might say, but I jsut adore the way they feel on my scalp.

I do really enjoy my Maggard's synthetic 24mm and my 24mm silvertip badger as well, but nothing beats my boars...

Plisson-style synthetics, 24mm knot. I've tried 'em all, but I keep coming back to a $10 brush! My daily driver is the original Razorock Plissoft.

Vie-Long Horse Hair - have four of them
Stirlings new Finest Badger - both the black and white

synthetics..they're incredibly soft, cheap and dry very fast. I haven't used a badger or boar in probably 6+ months or longer.

synthetics..they're incredibly soft, cheap and dry very fast.  I haven't used a badger or boar in probably 6+ months or longer.

Did you try/own one of the so called high end / prime badgers and if so, how would you rate these badgers up against the best synthetics you have tried so far ?

Do you face lather or bowl lather ?

My idea is that bowl latheres really don't have the same need for the top badger brushes, because they basicaly do the deep massage to the inside of the bowl to create the lather, then paint the lather on their face, where as a face lather shaver do the massage lather build up on the face and therefore there the face lather will feel more of how the brush works, when building the lather on the face, as oppose to the bowl latherer, that really gives this feel to his bowl and only paint with the brush.

My poin is, that it is my believe, that really only true face latherer will feel and urge for the higher end badgers, where a bowl lather does not go through the same feelings and sensations with a brush, becaue the lather is always 80-90-100% ready and made in the bowl.

Semogue Barbear Classico Cerda. I face/head lather exclusively, and this brush is amazing. Densely packed bristles set low, once broken in (and man did it take some work to break in) became an amazing scrubby brush. I was told the Omega 40033 has similar properties due to the knot dimensions, so I'll be trying one of those in the future. I'm currently breaking in a Zenith boar (24mm x 48mm).

Runners up are my Shave Revolution "Manchurian" 2-band in Evolution handle and AMACK Game Changer in custom L&L handle.




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Right now, I only use synthetics, my favorites being the Mühle 35 K 252 Silvertip Fibre XL and Stirling Soap Company Kong.

To be honest, though, I don’t have a lot of experience with badgers. Since all badger hair comes from China, and I know how animals are treated there (which is not well at all), it is a bit of an issue for me, although not exactly the deciding factor. Synthetics are just so care-free, and whip up great lather.

I face lather 100% of the time, so in that sense, a nice badger might be a welcome addition. On the other hand, I usually use cold or lukewarm water, so heat retention isn’t really important to me.

I really like the fauxmere style synthetics, though the only badger I've tried is a TGN Super badger, so I still need to pick up a decent silvertip at some point.