There are few small luxuries a man can buy that pay back as reliably as a good badger brush. It costs less than a decent tie, lasts for decades if you look after it, and it transforms the daily grind of shaving into something close to a pleasure. The brush lifts the beard, exfoliates the skin, holds hot water against the face, and whips soap into a warm, cushioning lather that no can of foam has ever matched. Once you have shaved this way, you do not go back.
A quick word on the grades, because the labels confuse everyone. Badger hair runs from Pure at the affordable end, through Best and Super, up to Silvertip, the softest and most prized, hand-selected from the back of the animal with those pale, silvery tips. Confusingly, some houses use their own names: Simpson calls its silvertip “Super.” And softer is not automatically better. A first-time user is often happier with a slightly firmer, more resilient knot that offers a pleasant scrub and stands up to enthusiasm. With that settled, here are ten brushes worth your money, roughly from the sensible starting point to the summit.
1. Simpson Commodore X2, the best first badger
If you buy one brush to begin, make it this. In Best badger, the Commodore X2 costs around sixty-five dollars, lathers beautifully in both bowl and on the face, and earns the same loyalty from men who own it after they have bought far more expensive brushes. It is the sensible, joyful entry into the whole world. Simpson, founded by a Scotsman in 1919, is the name every wet-shaver learns first for good reason.
2. Simpson Chubby 2, the icon
The Chubby 2 is, quite simply, the most famous shaving brush ever made. A dense, plump, generous knot on a fat, comfortable handle, it is pure luxury in the hand and a lather machine on the face. It is not cheap, especially in Super or Silvertip, but it is the brush most enthusiasts covet and many consider the one to end the search. If you want a grail and can stretch to it, this is the classic answer.
3. Simpson Duke 3, the everyday workhorse
Smaller and more restrained than the Chubby, the Duke 3 is the brush for a man who wants Simpson quality in a practical, versatile size. It has lovely backbone, drives soap into a fast lather, and suits both bowl and face lathering without fuss. A quietly perfect daily driver.
4. Semogue Owner's Club (Finest Badger), the connoisseur's value
Semogue, the great Portuguese house, built its name on boar brushes but its badgers are superb. The Owner's Club in finest badger, around sixty dollars, offers real backbone that works beautifully with firmer soaps, and performance that shames its price. For the man who wants something a little off the beaten path, this is a knowing choice.
5. Zenith Manchurian, the best-kept secret
Zenith, another Italian family firm, makes some of the most admired brushes at their price on earth. The Manchurian, in the seventy-to-a-hundred-dollar range, uses a premium grade of badger hair and delivers a dense, characterful lather that punches far above its cost. Enthusiasts hoard them. There is no better value in serious badger.
It costs less than a decent tie, lasts for decades, and turns the daily grind of shaving into something close to a pleasure.
6. Simpson Chubby 1, the compact grail
All the density and luxury of the legendary Chubby knot, in a smaller, more manageable body. The Chubby 1 is for the man who loves everything about the Chubby 2 but wants something a touch more compact, or who travels and cannot bear to leave the good brush at home. It is indulgence, sized sensibly.
7. Thäter 3-Band Silvertip, for pure softness
When the conversation turns to sheer softness, the German house Thäter comes up first. Its three-band silvertip knots are famous for a plush, cloud-like face feel that few brushes match. If your skin is sensitive, or you simply love the sensation of the softest possible tips, this is the house to seek out.
8. Shavemac (Two-Band Silvertip), the custom master
Shavemac, another revered German maker, is the choice of the truly particular, offering dense, resilient two-band silvertip knots and the option to have a brush built to your own specification of knot size and loft. A Shavemac is the brush a man buys when he knows exactly what he wants and will accept nothing less.
9. Edwin Jagger Chatsworth, the handsome all-rounder
Edwin Jagger, Europe's foremost maker of handsome shaving kit, hand-assembles its brushes in Sheffield. The Chatsworth silvertip pairs a genuinely soft, capable knot with one of the most elegant handles in the business, so it performs beautifully and looks a picture on the shelf. A lovely gift, and a lovely thing to own.
10. Mühle Silvertip, the modern benchmark
The German house Mühle makes beautifully engineered brushes with a clean, contemporary look, and its silvertip knots are soft, quick to lather, and full of backbone. For the man who wants heritage quality in a modern design, Mühle is the sophisticated, reliable answer.
A note on care
Whichever you choose, treat it well and it will outlive the fashion for it. Rinse it thoroughly after every shave, shake out the water, and hang or stand it to dry with the knot facing down so water does not rot the glue at the base. Never leave it soaking. Do that, and a good badger brush will still be raising a warm lather twenty and thirty years from now, which makes it one of the great bargains in a man's grooming life.
Dress for yourself, not the room. And begin the day with a ritual, not a chore.
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