Is there a brush that does not shed?

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
ajglazer
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Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by ajglazer »

I was hoping that someone could recommend a brand of brush that will not shed after a year. I have had a few Simpsons and Rooney all have shed bristles after about a year of use.

Can anyone name a brand that will not do this?
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TheMonk
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by TheMonk »

While I obviously can not speak for everyone, I don't believe there is a brand that will guarantee you that their brushes will never shed a hair.

That being said, I have quite a few Simpson's and Rooney's and only one of them was actually a shedder. Usually the brushes with a defective knot will start shedding almost immediately, and not after one year of use. Although it can occasionally happen, judging from your words I'm assuming this has happened to you more than once, and that doesn't strike me as normal.

Are you sure you aren't inadvertently doing something that causes the long term shedding? Examples of this could be improper cleaning of the brush after use, soaking in very hot water, or even cleaning the brush with vinegar.

PS: Welcome to SMF. :)
David

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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by brothers »

Of course any brush might lose a hair occasionally. My Kents and Shavemac seem to be pretty reluctant to shed.
Gary

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jww
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by jww »

The Body Shop synthetic I purchased a year ago has yet to shed one bristle. But it's also a very inexpensive item that is not high end by any stretch of the imagination.
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DoughBoy68
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by DoughBoy68 »

I have a Whipped Dog Silver Tip badger that has only shed a few hairs in two years. I have another cheaper badger, not sure what brand, that has only shed a few in five years. Before that I had two different VDH boar hair brushes, one tan handle and one dark green handle. The dark green handled one only lost a few hairs while the tan handled still sheds hair. The simple conclusion from my personal experience in six years with 4 different brushes..........sorry, I don't have the answer, who knows why some do and some don't. I would like the answer to that one myself.
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Rufus
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by Rufus »

None of my 26 brushes is a shedder. Most have lost a few hairs on first and second use, but after that nothing. My brushes are from a variety of makers: Simpson, Thater, Kent, shavemac, Omega, Muhle, New Forest, Orchid Isle and Vie-Long
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M6Classic
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by M6Classic »

The answer, gentle correspondent, is no. Every brush can be expected to loose a few hairs now and then. If you lather with soaps, they usually gather at the edges of your bowl. One or two hairs a month...maybe even twenty-five or more a year...is common. If you think your brush is losing too many hairs, contact the manufacturer. However, at the end of the day, you should enjoy your shave kit, not agonize over it. Let's face it, no piece of shave gear (save a plexiglass HMW from Plisson) is very dear or irreplaceable, especially when compared to...Oh?...Leice M series lenses. Right Chris?

Buzz
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Brutus
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by Brutus »

My Shavemacs and Mühles rarely ever loose a hair, but I had two Taylor of Old Bond St. silvertips (judging by handle and design made by Vulfix) that were terrible in this respect and never stopped shedding. Taylor exchanged them free of charge, but the replacements still shed a hair or two every other shave.

A recenly acquired L'Occitane-Plisson synthetic still has to loose the first hair and I came across some discussions that suggested synthetics may be better in this respect.

For me, Shavemac and Mühle anytime again...



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Squire
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by Squire »

Natural hair brushes will shed, some a little, some a lot, some never. It should be pointed out though some bristles are breaking rather than shedding.
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by brothers »

That's an excellent point. I am curious to learn whether synthetic fibers are more or less resistant to breakage than natural varieties.
Gary

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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by Squire »

I expect they would be Gary. In fly tying there is a synthetic material called microfibetts used for tailings on dry flies. They won't break off whereas natural materials can be destroyed by the first fish.
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ShadowsDad
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by ShadowsDad »

Is it a lot of shedding or just a few hairs?

Since they begin shedding after a year I'd be far more inclined to think something was happening to them that takes a year to have an effect.

Question for you to answer privately... are you a brush masher? That would be someone who uses the entire knot right down to the base. That would be another potential cause that hasn't been mentioned. This would result in shedding from the center of the knot as the fibers are exposed and abraded away at their base. After time the entire center has a hole worn into it and only the outer fibers remain. Brushes should only have the outer 1/3 of the knot in use, the 2/3rds of the length of the knot isn't used for lathering. (of course it's there and it flexes)

If that's the case I'd look into a big synthetic brush. The Simpsons Chubby 1 and the Frank Shaving Pur-Tech 28 x 54mm should give you the face feel or feedback you're looking for by mashing, and survive. It won't feel like a badger brush, but that's the entire point. There might be larger brushes with even more push back available, but if so I don't know of them.
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ajglazer
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by ajglazer »

Thank you all for your comments.

My brushes shed 5-10 bristles on every single use at this time. Not sure why. I use great shaving creams and warm, not very hot water. I air dry them in a holder. I many times have bristles on my face after applying shave cream. I have never used any chemical or cleaner on the brushes.

For the amount of money these brushes cost, I would have expected much better and longer life.
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M6Classic
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by M6Classic »

ajglazer wrote:Thank you all for your comments.

My brushes shed 5-10 bristles on every single use at this time. Not sure why. I use great shaving creams and warm, not very hot water. I air dry them in a holder. I many times have bristles on my face after applying shave cream. I have never used any chemical or cleaner on the brushes.

For the amount of money these brushes cost, I would have expected much better and longer life.
It is noteworthy that brushes from different manufacturers all shed an excessive number of hairs at every use. This would lead one to investigate his technique for developing and applying lather as the culprit. It does not take very much pressure from the brush to work up a good lather. Also, you should be able to get a rich lather just using the tips of the badger against the soap. There is much debate about this, and I may hold the minority opinion, but I believe that vigorous whirling of the brush in circles around the soap or bowl will develop enough torque to pull out hairs. Consider just how you make lather and apply it to your face and think in terms of doing so with the least pressure and energy necessary.

Buzz
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by EL Alamein »

M6Classic wrote:
ajglazer wrote:Thank you all for your comments.

My brushes shed 5-10 bristles on every single use at this time. Not sure why. I use great shaving creams and warm, not very hot water. I air dry them in a holder. I many times have bristles on my face after applying shave cream. I have never used any chemical or cleaner on the brushes.

For the amount of money these brushes cost, I would have expected much better and longer life.
It is noteworthy that brushes from different manufacturers all shed an excessive number of hairs at every use. This would lead one to investigate his technique for developing and applying lather as the culprit. It does not take very much pressure from the brush to work up a good lather. Also, you should be able to get a rich lather just using the tips of the badger against the soap. There is much debate about this, and I may hold the minority opinion, but I believe that vigorous whirling of the brush in circles around the soap or bowl will develop enough torque to pull out hairs. Consider just how you make lather and apply it to your face and think in terms of doing so with the least pressure and energy necessary.

Buzz
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Squire
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by Squire »

Buzz you're probably correct.
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by brothers »

Quite likely. I'm probably not doing my brushes much good using them to make that nice enjoyable lather. I figure it's worth it. i don't exactly abuse them to the point of destruction, but I haven't paid any attention to stuff like swirling and trying to use just the tips, and to put it bluntly, I don't plan to start. Example: I've got several big boar brushes that cost somewhere between $15 and maybe $70. They make lather like a maniac. They haven't self-destructed yet, but if they do, I have others in other formats and at different price ranges and they make great lather too. It's interesting that the synthetics I have seem to be pretty much shed free. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, I'm satisfied with what I have, and with how they perform for me.
Gary

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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by rsp1202 »

I don't think any of the Savile Rows I've had has shed a single hair. I try to lather only the tips but can't avoid mashing the brush on my face every so often. This brings up beautiful concentrated lather, but SR's tend to keep the lather up near the tips anyway and is one reason for their great flowthrough. I think more than anything I've been lucky.
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by Squire »

Lucky yes, but they are good brushes.
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blantyre
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Re: Is there a brush that does not shed?

Post by blantyre »

This does sound as if it must be related to lathering technique not the brushes themselves. I have had many brushes and only a couple of them have been shedders usually due to faulty knots. Once in a while one will drop a single bristle but it's so rare that it is not an issue. It might be useful to look at some of the bristles that shed out with a magnifying glass. If they are the full length of the knot and have pulled out of the glue that would indicate knot failure. If they are the same length or shorter than the exposed part of the knot above the handle than they have broken off or been worn through by lathering. I would predict that they will be short since knot failure is very rare and gets lots of coverage on the forums when it happens (as it did with Simpsons a few years ago).
Rick
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