Badger brushes - best value "Humane" brush

hesmellsnice · Post by **hesmellsnice** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:57 am

Hello I live in the UK and I'm a vegetarian plus I care about animal welfare etc.

It kind of goes against the grain for me to buy a badger brush, but everyone here sings their praises.

So my question(s) are:

Is the badger killed for it's bristles? Are they farm reared? If so where?

Basically would my moral stand be comprimised? If not what is the best value "humanely" made brush available here in the UK?

Thanks
Carl

PS Happy 4th July to all the Yanks on the forum.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 12:08 pm

Welcome aboard Carl, It is my understanding Badgers are raised in China for both their meat and hair. Whether their demise is conducted in a humane manner I do not know.

cjc15153 · Post by **cjc15153** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 1:57 pm

I have a Body Shop(pe?) synthetic brush that I'm perfectly happy with. I've never used either a boar or badger brush so I don't know what I'm missing.

AFG · Post by **AFG** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:15 pm

I don't think any of us really know for sure how the badgers are harvested but it is safe to believe they are indeed killed in the process of obtaining the pelt. As for how this measures up to your moral standards only you can decide that. But if your standards include abstaining from leather shoes, belts, furniture and all other animal by products then you should probably look into the synthetic brushes. If not, well I wouldn't think a badger brush is any different than other animal products you may be using. In the end its whatever you feel most comfortable in doing.

MiloFinch · Post by **MiloFinch** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:27 pm

Omega makes a synthetic brush that is, from what I understand, a great one. I don't own one.

But, the badger is killed in the harvesting of the hair. But as Squire said, badgers are trapped in China for the meat, so it isn't as if they just shave the badger and toss the carcass in river.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:50 pm

David, I have in mind something like a mink farm but really haven't researched it.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 5:28 pm

I frankly can't imagine that the treatment of badgers being killed in China is going to be able to be proven to meet any definition of "humane" that one might care to give.

I don't know whether they are wild or farmed or both.

I too suggest going with a synthetic brush. If you go that route, don't buy an un-marked brush; "pure synthetic" or "100% nylon" (or whatever the case may be) should be clearly indicated directly on the brush, not merely at the word of a sales person. More than one person in our midst has bought a boar-hair brush after getting false assurances that it was synthetic.

(Of course, if you don't mind boar hair, then that's not such a problem.)

MiloFinch · Post by **MiloFinch** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:56 pm

Squire wrote:David, I have in mind something like a mink farm but really haven't researched it.

For some reason I want to say that they are mostly trapped. I don't remember where I've read this, so I couldn't cite a source. I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that badgers are considered a varmint in China, and are practically everywhere.

On the other hand though, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they were farmed.

But, as far as the way that they are dispatched, and the humanness of said process, I doubt we'll ever know.

hesmellsnice · Post by **hesmellsnice** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 2:15 am

Thank you Gentlemen.

Knowing the badgers reputation of viciousness and digging tunnels it is not surprising I guess that they are not farmed.

I think I'll go synthetic hair. Thank you once again.

Carl

Ambrosia · Post by **Ambrosia** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 2:26 am

when the brush makes say bristle do they mean synthetic i have a Kent shaving brush and it really is an excellent brush, i'ld highly recommend it to you Carl

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 7:10 am

No. Bristle means your brush is hog hair. All synthetic brushes have the actual word synthetic, or else the name of the particular type of plastic.

DavidB · Post by **DavidB** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 8:44 am

A few years back an online brush merchant said that the badgers that provided the hair for their brushes werre not killed in the process, but shorn like sheep. Dunno if that was the source of the myth, but it certainly promoted it. However, the brushes they sold were made by companies that stated that got the badger hair from China where the animals are hunted.

There are a number of good options for synthetic shaving brushes.

Dave

MiloFinch · Post by **MiloFinch** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:52 pm

I've heard that a couple other places. Supposedly some companies do shave the badgers. I don't see how this could be practical. But who knows, maybe they do. I've never heard anything directly from the brush makers to either confirm or deny this claim.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:54 pm

I suppose they could be farmed, minx are and they're nasty tempered little buggers, but I bet badgers are harvested in whatever way is cheapest.

Ambrosia · Post by **Ambrosia** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 2:35 am

i just googled chinese badger and this is what i came up with

there cant be any easy way of harvesting its hair without killing it, and if they are anything like UK badgers theyre gonna be really strong

TRBeck · Post by **TRBeck** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 5:37 am

And that's just a regular badger. Imagine a Super Badger.

Regards,

Post by **Sam** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 8:11 am

Good one Tim!

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:47 am

And they only come out at night, hmmm.

Big Swifty · Post by **Big Swifty** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:00 pm

Ahhhhh...
He looks friendly and cuddlely.

Adeptus_Minor · Post by **Adeptus_Minor** » Sun Jul 06, 2008 1:22 pm

Big Swifty wrote:Ahhhhh...
He looks friendly and cuddlely.

Sounds like the lead-in to the badger scene from 'Ernest Goes to Camp'

"Although they may look cute & cuddly, never do this to a family of badgers: AbbadeeAbbadeeAbbadeeAbbadeee!!!" (badger growls and Ernest wails ensue)