The 8 Best Shaving Brushes of 2019

A good shaving brush is an essential tool for a good wet shave. So today I’m going to do some quick reviews and a guide that will help you find the best shaving brush for your needs and budget.

If you are new to wet shaving, you may be questioning if a shaving brush really is essential or just something wet shaving needs like using. After all, you’ve been shaving your entire life without using a shaving brush. But let me ask you something: how is that working out for you? Are you satisfied with your shaves?

Alright, let me quickly breakdown some of the benefits of buying and using a shaving brush and then I think you’ll see why it is so important:

• The primary reason to use a shaving brush is that it helps build your puck of shaving soap or shaving cream into a nice, frothy lather. You really should ditch the aerosol cans of shaving gel and upgrade to a high quality shaving soap or cream. And to be able to lather shave soap or cream effectively and efficiently, you need a shaving brush. I don’t want to get too much into the details, but the water retention in the bristles is what allows you to work the hard puck of soap or cream into a rich lather.
• The bristles lift the stubble and prep it to be shaved off.
• The bristles exfoliate your skin.
• So I was a little misleading earlier when I said you absolutely need a shaving brush to lather shaving soap or cream. It is possible to do it by hand, but it is incredibly inefficient and ineffective. Using a shaving brush will allow you to get a much higher-quality lather and much quicker.
• Using a shaving brush also allows you to get a better lather using less product. Investing in a good shaving brush will save you money over time because your soap will last a lot longer.

6 Things To Consider When
Shopping For A Shaving Brush

Before we get into the reviews and recommendations of which shaving brush to buy, I want to help give you a quick cheat sheet on what you should be considering when you’re shopping so you’re not overwhelmed by all the options.

My best advice though — don’t over-complicate it. Finding a good shaving brush is not nearly as difficult as finding the right safety razor. It should be pretty easy and straightforward to identify what you’re looking for.

1) Bristle Material

Shaving brushes are usually categorized by what material their bristles are made from. Why? Because the bristle quality is really what dictates the overall quality and price of the brush. It’s easily the biggest factor in overall performance.

There are 3 main categories of bristle material on the market right now: badger hair, synthetic bristles and boar hair.

Badger Hair

Badger hair brushes are the most popular, and there are three different categories of badger hair: pure badger, best badger and silvertip badger.

• The entry-level badger hair is pure badger hair. It’s perfect for beginners or wet shavers on a tight budget.
• Best badger hair is the next step up in both performance and price.
• Silvertip badger hair is considered the best most premium badger hair. The cream of the crop. 

Synthetic

Synthetic bristle are also a popular material but they can be pretty hit or miss. There are some cheap, terrible synthetic shaving brushes. But the one’s I recommend rival that of silvertip brushes, in my opinion.

Boar Hair

Boar hair is the stiffest and generally considered lowest grade.

Here’s my quick ranking of bristle material from best to worst:

• Silvertip badger hair
• Synthetic bristles
• Best badger hair
• Pure badger hair
• Boar hair

2) Price

In my opinion, price is the second most important factor to consider after brush material. In fact, your budget really is going to dictate what you are going to be able to buy. If you’re budget is only $10-$20, you’re going to have to stick with either a pure badger or a boar hair.

But if you’re budget is $50+, then you can get that sweet silvertip.

The good news is there are great options in every budget. Seriously. Even some of the cheap pure badger brushes perform fantastic. They might not be as soft or luxurious but they will get the job done.

3) Is a Stand Included?

It is extremely important that you use a stand after using your shaving brush. Yes, you could just stand it up on your counter between shaves, but that is not going to allow it to properly dry out. It’s very important for the bristles to dry out completely between lathers and using a stand is the only way to achieve this.

Some of you may already have a razor stand that has a spot for a shaving brush as well. If so, that’s all you need. But if you don’t already have a stand, you’re going to need one. I wouldn’t recommend buying a brush just because it comes with a stand, but it’s a nice bonus if it does.

4) Handle Material

There are a wide variety of handle materials out there: wood, acrylic, plastic, bone and ivory. Wood, plastic and acrylic are the most frequently used.

The main thing you want to make sure is that the handle is well made so that it will hold up over time. You don’t want a handle that will crack or start falling apart when it’s put through the elements.

5) Loft Size

Pretty much all shaving brushes are roughly the same size. But you do want to pay attention to the size of the loft and just make sure it’s not too small. Bigger lofts generally lather a little better. 

6) Tip Shape

There are primarily 3 different tip shapes: bulb, fan and flat top. The two most common are bulb and fan. All 3 do an equally good job at applying the lather so this really shouldn’t be much of a concern or impact your decision.

Best Silvertip Shaving Brush

Silvertip badger hair shaving brushes are considered the best of the best when it comes to shaving brushes. Yes they are the most expensive, but that’s because they are so much better than anything else on the market. And what makes them so much better? Well there’s 2 areas where silvertips really shine: 1) they are incredibly soft and 2) they retain a lot of water in the bristles.

So if silvertip shave brushes are so great, do we recommend these for every wet shaver? Definitely not.

In my opinion, not everyone needs a silvertip. If you’ve got the budget and want the best brush you can find, this is where it’s at. But I think most of you can get by with a synthetic or pure badger, save some money and still be happy with the performance.

I’m a big fan of the faux-horn handle on Parker’s silvertip shaving brush. I like that it is made from acrylic which helps Parker the price down, but the faux-horn makes it look like a really high-end and expensive shaving brush. Sometimes these faux-horn acrylic handles end up looking cheap, but Parker did a remarkable job at making it look expensive but keeping costs down. The chrome base on the bottom is a really nice design element too as it adds some more weight and texture for grip.

Overall, the Parker silvertip is just incredibly well made and durable. I really don’t see any big design flaws. It has a strong backbone and if you take if it, this brush will last a long, long time.

Speaking of taking care of it, your purchase does come with a nice little brush stand. It’s nothing particularly fancy or unique, but it does a great job for those of you that don’t have a stand to hang your brush on and let it dry out properly.

Who Should Buy The Parker Silvertip?

Best Synthetic Shaving Brush

Synthetic bristle shaving brushes can be very hit or miss. There are some premium synthetic bristles that rival the feel and performance of a silvertip brush. But there are also some synthetic brushes that are just uncomfortable and don’t lather well.

So what do I think is the best synthetic shaving brush on the market?

Another standout feature on the Vikings Blade synthetic shaving brush is the handle. In fact, there are 4 really great handle options. There are two available in the classic bulb handle shape (dark stallion and white knight) and then there are 2 handle options in a more modern “capsule” shape (dark raven and fire mare). I personally like the classic bulb shape because they are a little thicker, but all options are very well made from top-quality, durable materials. They handle is made from a durable acrylic and the base is a Swedish alloy. It is a great-looking handle while still being a very functional design.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about the Vikings Blade synthetic shaving brush. It is incredibly well made, durable and the bristles are as close as you’re going to get to silvertip quality without buying an actual silvertip.

Who Should Buy The Vikings Blade Synthetic?

Best "Best" Badger Shaving Brushes

Alright, next up is the best badger hair shaving brushes. These are what I would consider your mid-range shaving brushes in regards to both price and performance. They are definitely an upgrade over a pure badger hair brush, but they’re not as soft (or expensive) as a silvertip.

Best badger hair brushes are a really good option for a lot of wet shavers. In fact, I know some men that actually prefer these over premium silvertips because they have just a little more rigidity. Some guys find silvertip brushes to be too soft.

So if you’re looking for a higher quality badger hair but don’t want a silvertip, these are going to be perfect for you.

Another reason I like this brush is because it is just so well made, like all Edwin Jagger products — excellent overall construction with top of the line materials. The knot is particularly impressive, very tightly packed and it doesn’t lose any bristles when used.

The handle isn’t too flashy but it’s very durable and functional. It’s available in either an imitation ebony or imitation ivory color scheme. The handle is a little on the smaller side, but I don’t have any issues with it and my hands are definitely bigger than average.

This brush does come with a stand and it is made from the same material as the handle. Solid brush stand if you don’t already have one to use.

Who Should Buy The Edwin Jagger Best Badger?

Overall, just exactly what you would expect from a Parker shaving product — top-quality construction and high performance. It is Parker’s version of an “entry-level” brush, but it really is more of a mid-range shaving brush in terms of both performance and price.

Best Pure Badger Shaving Brushes

Pure badger brushes are easily the most popular shaving brushes on the market. Why? Because they get the job done and they are really cheap.

All pure badger brushes are the same in that they are all a no frills brush. There’s really nothing fancy or innovative about any of them. However, that doesn’t mean they all perform the same. There’s a pretty drastic difference between the high-quality pure badger brushes and the low-quality pure badger shave brushes. Not all pure badger hair is the same quality.

I’m a big fan of pure badger shaving brushes (especially for beginner wet shavers), but you do need to manage expectations if you buy one because pure badger hair is considered the lowest grade of badger hair. That doesn’t mean it’s bad or poor quality, but it’s just not as soft or high-performing as silvertip or best badger.

So which pure badger hair shaving brushes do I recommend?

And yes, the bristles have quite a bit of stiffness to them, but they aren’t uncomfortable or scratchy. And if you are looking for a brush that will really exfoliate your skin and face, this will do a great job at that.

The handle on the Perfecto is really simple, available in either black or natural wood color, but it’s made from good material and durable. It doesn’t have a chrome base, but that’s okay because that helps keep the costs down which is what most prospective buyers of this brush are most concerned with: cost.

Who Should Buy The Perfecto Pure Badger?

This is a really great option for beginner wet shavers. If you are new to wet shaving and safety razors, this is the perfect first shaving brush. It will deliver really good performance and you will learn the basics of how to use a shaving brush. What do you have to lose? It’s so affordable that you can use it for a while and get your money’s worth before upgrading to a silvertip or a synthetic.

The Perfecto pure badger shaving brush is also a great option to use as your traveling shaving brush. Just leave it in your dopp kit and you won’t need to pack one every time you travel. And since it’s so cheap, it won’t set you back much money and you won’t feel guilty about not using it very often.

Lastly, if you’re looking for a cheap shaving brush because you have a really limited budget, this is perfect for you. Yes, it’s very affordable, but you’re still going to get a really good lather with average comfortable bristles. It’s not some cheap brush that won’t lather and falls apart after only a few weeks. Yes i’s cheap when it comes to price, but it’s not cheap when it comes to quality.

The Escali pure badger brush is made with really good quality pure badger hair. It’s not the softest, which is expected from a pure badger brush, but it does retain a ton of water and it lather ups really well. Isn’t that the whole point of using a shaving brush anyway?

Bottom line, this brush provides really good value. It’s an affordable shave brush that does a great job at lathering shave soap/cream. I personally prefer Perfecto’s pure badger shaving brush, but this is a really good alternative that is preferred by a lot of wet shavers.

Best Boar Hair Shaving Brushes

Alright, last but not least I want to take a look at a few of the best boar hair shaving brushes on the market.

Boar hair is a different animal from badger hair. Both literally and figuratively. It has a very different feel and overall performance from everything else we have looked at so far.

Boar hair is probably best known for being much more stiff than badger hair. It’s just not as soft or easy on the face. It also typically has a stronger smell when you first get it, but that smell does dissipate over time.

Boar hair is a really great option for guys that want a rigid bristle. I think most guys prefer the feel and performance of badger hair, but boar hair brushes definitely have a devoted following.

Who Should Buy The Semogue 1305 Superior Boar Hair?

Semogue’s 1305 superior boar hair brush is a great option for any man that really prioritizes a stiff but high-quality bristle in the entry-level price range. If you get a pure badger hair brush and it’s not rigid enough for you, then the Semogue 1305 should get the job done.