top shelf boar

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:43 pm

Porter, Exactly. Vulfix, of course, has always offered boar brushes and they maintain their firm's reputation by making them well; not stinting on the basic quality of the manufacture. However, they are, and always have been, less expensive than their badger models and they have always viewed them as an 'economy' option but not the brush that they would especially recommend to a buyer unless cost was the primary consideration.
Regards,
Gordon

Kirasdad · Post by **Kirasdad** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 9:30 pm

bernards66 wrote:Porter, Boar shave brushes have always been considered entry level and utilitarian....and there's a reason for that. There never was any real market for expensive boar bristle brushes, and why should there be? Boar bristle was plentiful and cheap and didn't vary much in quality either. Kind of like mass produced CTC tea vs. single estate orthodox manufacture leaf.
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon!!

I always expect a certain "lofty" quality in your postings; and, in fact, this has become one of the things I've enjoyed in reading your missives, emanating from on high. But this one.....Wow!! Can you even see the ground any more, from way up there on that horse??

Dale · Post by **Dale** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 9:37 pm

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 10:16 pm

Andrew, Most of the time.
Regards,
Gordon

drumana · Post by **drumana** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 6:19 am

I always find the boar vs. badger conversation an interesting one. It seems that I should be a boar brush person - I always agree with the boar enthusiasts and their reasons for being so rather than the high falutin badger fancy pants fanatics. But alas, for whatever reason, I prefer my badger hair brushes and I keep buying more. I guess I'm in the latter camp

Ah well. I still have some experimentation to carry out on the boar front (Omega and Semogue), as well as in the world of synthetics (the TOBS and Omega), so the jury is still out. Meanwhile, where to order my CH1 best from...?

vtmax · Post by **vtmax** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 7:18 am

Andrew, wait until we see what Robert at TGS has to offer from the Pre Vulfix Somerset models. Hopefully a CH1 Best with your name on it!!

Max

drumana · Post by **drumana** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:59 pm

Max - Man, that would be a treat. Most of the CH1 best brushes out there right now seem to have that rather bulbish look to the loft. The CH1 three band super I got has a nice fan shape loft, and I'd like the CH1 best I wind up with to match it as much as possible... We'll see.

mikey · Post by **mikey** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:27 am

Hello Gil,

To me, a boar brush is entry-level and a bager brush is an upgrade.

Thanks,
Mike

Baloosh · Post by **Baloosh** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 4:44 am

Kirasdad wrote:
My understanding is that the bristles are clipped off the boar, much like shearing a sheep, and then the boar is allowed to run free. Until he is harvested for bacon (and man do I love bacon!! ) and pork chops! The badger, on the other hand is usually trapped, using an assortment of medieval looking devices, and then is skinned (hopefully after it has died, but not always) so that 15%-20% of the fur can be used to make overpriced shaving brushes.

It is not my place to tell another man what to use to spread soap and water over his face, so that he can then scrape it off with an antiquated device. But I have decided to give up my badger brushes, for the same reason I don't wear a fur coat; the supposed benefit does not justify the level of cruelty involved.

Do you have any proof, or can you cite any sources, for your claim that badgers are trapped and skinned while alive, for the sole purpose of using their hairs to make shaving brushes, and not in any way part of the normal food chain?

michiganlover · Post by **michiganlover** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:36 am

Baloosh wrote:Do you have any proof, or can you cite any sources, for your claim that badgers are trapped and skinned while alive, for the sole purpose of using their hairs to make shaving brushes, and not in any way part of the normal food chain?

+1

It's my understanding that badger is eaten quite frequently in China.

Also, I can't imagine anyone with any amount of sense trying to skin a badger alive. They have a reputation of being quite ferocious!!

A half dead badger still might be able to muster enough energy to bite!!

Mitsimonsta · Post by **Mitsimonsta** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:46 pm

Virtually all badger is sourced from China nowadays (what isn't??) where they are seen as a pest and also a food source.

From Wiki:

Today badgers are commercially raised for their hair, which is harvested to make shaving brushes. Virtually all commercial badger hair comes from mainland China, which supplies knots of hair in three grades to brush makers in both China and Europe. In rural Northern China, badgers multiply to the point of becoming a crop nuisance, and village cooperatives are licensed by the national government to hunt badgers and process their hair. The hair is also used for paint brushes, and was used as a trim on Native American garments. It has been used in some instances as doll hair.

Now I take the position that if something is going to be culled as a crop nuisance, I would prefer that that it be used in a beneficial way and not just left to rot.

And to stay on topic, I have a cheap Omega Boar, plus a Kent VS80. I love the Omega for soaps, the Kent is better for creams as it seems rather soft.... more backbone than a Badger brush however.

I have my eye on a Semogue 830. Interesting to hear people rate the 1305 so highly.

95% · Post by **95%** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:07 pm

I can't comment on the Semogue 830, but the 1305 is certainly a nice brush. It's well made, has an attractive handle, and performs quite well. I find it rather too dense and stiff, however. Consider the Vulfix 374, which is tops in my book for softness and flow-through.

CMur12 · Post by **CMur12** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:16 pm

Porter, if you find the 1305 too dense and stiff, you wouldn't like the 830, which is denser and stiffer. I have both. My 1305 is very well broken in and my 830 is quite well broken in. For lathering in a bowl, the denser 830 requires more work. I can't speak to its performance for face-lathering.

- Murray

95% · Post by **95%** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:28 pm

Thanks, Murray. I think Gary (Brothers) reached a somewhat similar conclusion about the 1305 as I did. I like it and use it, but I wouldn't want anything stiffer.

drumana · Post by **drumana** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 8:03 pm

95% wrote:Consider the Vulfix 374, which is tops in my book for softness and flow-through.

As it happens, I just used the 374 today after a long period of not using it. It's a nice little brush. Great face feel and whips up a helluva lather.

Fido · Post by **Fido** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:07 pm

Is there a boar brush any better than this Semogue LE 2009?

Cicerosecundus · Post by **Cicerosecundus** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 2:53 am

I highly recommend the Semogue 2000 for its quality and quantity of easily created lather and its comfortable feel on the face. Cicerosecundus

roboboticus · Post by **roboboticus** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:02 pm

I love the idea of a brush with wild boar hair. I was kinda disappointed when I found out "boar hair" comes from domesticated pigs. Does that make me cruel?

Hodari D. · Post by **Hodari D.** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:10 am

I probably did the opposite of most in terms of my progression. I started off with low grade pure badger brushes that my father used. I then upgraded later in life to the higher end badger brushes. then, out of nothin more than curiosity, i tried a boar brush. i was extremely impressed with how firm and soft they are. and for the price tag, they cannot be beat in my opinion. they are truly nice with the italian soaps, especially the valobra shave stick, which i also buy under the Art of Shaving label in puck form. I find them to be superb.

Are they on the same level as a Simpson best badger brush? different, sure, but no, probably not as good in my opinion. this doesn't mean it has less value in terms of utility, but in terms of swank, i'll opt for the simpson.

Gary Young · Post by **Gary Young** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:40 pm

Simpson used to make plenty of boar brushes back in the day. Since they were made by a 'badger brigade' company would they have been classed as top shelf boar brushes? They were made by the same craftsmen that made the badger hair brushes (some were even 'branded' as Coates shaving brushes) to the same exacting standards as the badger range. But I agree with Gordon on this. Boar brushes were not great sellers to the likes of Harrods, Trumpers, Floris, D.R.Harris, E.R. Cooper, Cable Car Chemists, Brook Brothers, Aspreys, etc and were not classed by such establishments as the top of the shaving brush world.

Gary