What do you consider is too much for a brush

[Wayne]

Personally I have Five expensive brushes, well to me they are. Two Shavemac's and three Ferdmans all well over £100. The Ferdmans have the nicest handles but have TGN knots that are not the best, nice hair, terrible shape and the Shavemac's have lovely knots but average handles. They are really at the top of my price range and a brush is going to have to be seriously stunning for me to pay over a ton again and nothing is turning my head these days apart from a Lime Green Wiborg

 

[Batch300]

A £150 Brad Sears/M&F or Mervyn Cadman that I like and use weekly is a better value than a £50 brush I used infrequently. Buyers remorse is not cheap.

Like others, I do have budget restraints and diminishing return values. Cost is a big factor not the only factor. I have no trouble eating my Chinese take-out from the plastic container, however, do not ask me to use a butterscotch shave brush. Everyone has different priorities and if 100% satisfied with a £25 brush, your priorities are slightly different than mine and also correct.

 

[MPH]

Personally I have Five expensive brushes, well to me they are. Two Shavemac's and three Ferdmans all well over £100. The Ferdmans have the nicest handles but have TGN knots that are not the best, nice hair, terrible shape and the Shavemac's have lovely knots but average handles. They are really at the top of my price range and a brush is going to have to be seriously stunning for me to pay over a ton again and nothing is turning my head these days apart from a Lime Green Wiborg

I know what you mean about sometimes the best knots are in average handles and visa-versa. That's why I have 3 Romera knots in WolfWhiskers handles!!!! They work out cheaper than many other brushes too. You just have to wait until you can get each part! :-(

 

[Colnagoglyn]

I paid $250 plus all the import costs for the One Blade(Thater) Silver tip brush. I know I could have bought a similar brush direct from Thater a fair bit cheaper but I fell in love with the handle which is exclusive to One Blade. It was definitely too much but I've forgotten about the price long since and love the brush so maybe it was worth it!

 

[Rowlers]

If the £££ gave a substantial increase in performance then yeah, spending £100+ on a brush can make sense. My most expensive are Shavemac's and whilst they perform really well I personally don't think they perform £100 better than my Chinese Finest.
I'd still drop £100+ on a brush, but it would really need to be something really special.
I DO NOT understand the lust after Simpson - they look bland and boring in my eyes!

 

[Dr Watson]

I DO NOT understand the lust after Simpson - they look bland and boring in my eyes!

 

[Wayne]

If the £££ gave a substantial increase in performance then yeah, spending £100+ on a brush can make sense. My most expensive are Shavemac's and whilst they perform really well I personally don't think they perform £100 better than my Chinese Finest.
I'd still drop £100+ on a brush, but it would really need to be something really special.
I DO NOT understand the lust after Simpson - they look bland and boring in my eyes!

Amen to that brother, apart from the specials I do not like any of the Simpsons models and the specials are just too dear for my liking.

 

[Rowlers]

My dad has a lathe on order
So my handles may become interesting... Can't wait

 

[Holyzeus]

The law of diminishing returns applies to EVERYTHING in life. I first encountered it in hi-fi 30 years ago.
Is a £200 brush twice as good as a £100 one, of course not but is it better (unless you've made a bad choice..) of course it is.

 

[R181]

The law of diminishing returns applies to EVERYTHING in life. I first encountered it in hi-fi 30 years ago.
Is a £200 brush twice as good as a £100 one, of course not but is it better (unless you've made a bad choice..) of course it is.

Yes, the law of diminishing returns applies to everything in life and so do budget constraints for most of us. Those two are alive and well in my life consequently I look for the best bang for the buck or ideally an item the punches above what it's price point would indicate. The last are the real prizes.

I am not too sure that paying more always gets you any appreciable increase in performance even though it supposedly is there. Nobody wants to make a mistake at those prices and that is not always avoidable either.

Some times less is more. The more being more money in your pocket for necessities and the less being less disappointment in the minuscule improved performance.

Take the budget factor out and you can buy what you want. At that point no other considerations matter.

Bob

 

[Quique]

I have two brushes over €120, both shavemac silvertip 2b. when I bought thought were expensive, but after use very often, I think that really expensive were brushes for €50 that I have saved without give them too use.

Now I have 4 very good brushes, two Shavemac Silvertip 2B, a Romera and a Druida and I think my next brush will be another Top brush, maybe one brush per year, but I will not buy another brush that contribute me worse than what I have now

 

[R181]

I suppose when talking about the price of brushes, I'd rather have one expensive brush that I love than 10 cheaper brushes that collectively cost more, but none are as nice. So.... It might be that buying one expensive brush could actually work out cheaper if it kills your BAD.

So.... In conclusion.....Balls to it, I'd still buy an expensive brush £200+ but it had better be bloody good, and I wouldn't buy too many of them!

Unfortunately, the catch with just buying one expensive badger brush and being done with it is that you are not likely to get it right the first time round. At least I did not. It took a few purchases to find the right type of badger, with the right sized knot, with the right density and the right loft to satisfy. Fun journey but a tad on the expensive side.

Bob

 

[MPH]

Unfortunately, the catch with just buying one expensive badger brush and being done with it is that you are not likely to get it right the first time round. At least I did not. It took a few purchases to find the right type of badger, with the right sized knot, with the right density and the right loft to satisfy. Fun journey but a tad on the expensive side.

Bob

Yep, totally agree, and I certainly don't have one brush!

I went on a bit of a brush journey, as most of us here have and found the size and types that suited me with less expensive brushes, so when I bought expensive I knew pretty much what I was after.

.....however .... I think it's possible that my tastes will change over time (regarding size at least). I always loved bigger brushes, but recently I've been really enjoying my smaller brushes.... Oh dear.

 

[MPH]

Yep, totally agree, and I certainly don't have one brush!

I went on a bit of a brush journey, as most of us here have and found the size and types that suited me with less expensive brushes, so when I bought expensive I knew pretty much what I was after.

.....however .... I think it's possible that my tastes will change over time (regarding size at least). I always loved bigger brushes, but recently I've been really enjoying my smaller brushes.... Oh dear.

Also..... With many (if not all) brands each brush can differ. Some people swear buy M&F but I didn't rate the 3 I've had. I've heard Shavemac d01 described as "soft" and others say scritchy. So you could buy the brush of your dreams, but just get a particular one that doesn't suit you.

The more I think about it, it's about of a minefield really. Not sure why I got into this now!!!!

 

[Wayne]

I'm sure there is no such thing as a Golden Badger, So all things being equal Badger hair, whether finest, silvertip or best is just that, Badger hair. We are going to be hard pushed to to find one that looks after it's golden tresses constantly washing, conditioning and blowdrying. What we are actually paying for is how that knot is formed how well the knot is stuffed and finished. Most makers buy knots in like my Ferdman and Cadman brushes then set them in their handles. When buying in bulk from China to some extent like TGN you get what you are given and have to work with them as is. Others buy the hair and form their knots like Simpsons and I believe Shavemac. There is more quality control with this and the knots are usually better formed and look nicer. That is the extra we pay for. I'm happier buying for a better formed knot. I'm dying to take out the TGN's from my Ferdmans and put Maseto knots in them. I think I'll start with the 24mm Keyhole and see how hard/easy it is. I'll try steaming it. I think the knot is spoiling a lovely handle.