It's all Bill Oddies fault!

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ecoshaver

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On stepping up my shaving efforts with my first DE razor I thought it might be about time I ditched the brush I bought from the hardware chain Wilko's for a whole 50 shiny pennies and get myself something a bit more badgery.

Unfortunately the first thing my son asked me on finding out about my potential badger acquisition was, “Is it like with sheep, do the badgers not mind being shaved when it's hot ?”

I hadn't thought about it, previously, I kind of assumed the badgers might be persuaded to part with their bristles by gentle persuasion or at least some form of mutually advantageous action like shearing but I imagine this is not the case. (It isn't, yeah?)

I considered suggesting that these were Chinese badgers not the lovely English badgers we all know from Wind in the Willows, and that those Chinese badgers had it coming to them! But it's just not the kind of logic y'd want to instil into a small boy.

So, unless someone has a more convincing argument I'm going to be buying one of these new Muhle Silvertip Fibre things. I've read reviews that suggest it's not really upto silvertip badger standards but then I wasn't going to buy silver tip anyway and it's a very reasonable 25.50 from Connaught. :)

I do have a specific question about these synthetic brushes though, does it matter if they're not completely dried? I travel a bit and I have a stainless bowl with a rubber lid to carry the soap around in, would it be ok to stuff a wholly synthetic brush in there with the slightly damp soap ? I'd prefer to keep all the bits in the one container (not the razor of course) or I'm bound to leave something behind, err, probably the razor to be honest.
 
Well those badgers are not simply killed out of hand by a quick whack on the head by a bit of two by four, ooh no.

The high price commanded by such brushes are due to the whole process which starts with the badgers being stalked of a night time by very well and expensively trained badger scouts. This being a very small and little talked about group in the ROC, not to be confused with the PPFJ (splitters).

They lay in wait buy the side of pre-recce'd badger trails and with the gentlest of touches can identify the size, weight and age of the totally unaware badger. Once the operative has identified the badger as meeting all of the prerequisites of the above he/she (ROC allow women to enlist into the veterinary units which is an added advantage in this units work) strikes quickly with a technique that is a mixture of systema and sambo which results in a very quick and painless death.

No weapons are used so as to eliminate leaving any sign or scent of spilled blood to alert other badgers.

So you see fella, it's not as simple as some would have you believe.
 
Well it's a detailed, thorough and comprehensive description of the pointy end of badger brush production, and in the words of Douglas Adams, it no doubt contains much that is apocryphal or at least wildly inaccurate. But, damn it, I'll run it past the young lad tonight and see if he buys it ;-)

Edited to add: If, and I know it's really a million to one shot, but just in case the boy doesn't buy into the whole humane dispatch thing, if anyone has an opinion on the, storing a synthetic brush in a slightly damp soapy environment on a regular basis idea, it'd be much appreciated. ;-)
 
Have you thought of horse hair? I don't know what's involved in how they collect it, but it may be a more humane alternative. There is a thread on here about them.
 
ecoshaver said:
I do have a specific question about these synthetic brushes though, does it matter if they're not completely dried? I travel a bit and I have a stainless bowl with a rubber lid to carry the soap around in, would it be ok to stuff a wholly synthetic brush in there with the slightly damp soap ? I'd prefer to keep all the bits in the one container (not the razor of course) or I'm bound to leave something behind, err, probably the razor to be honest.
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OK I've quoted this question not because I'm going to answer it but because it looks to have been missed so far and hopefully somebody will answer it for you.

I must just vouch for boar as an alternative to badger. The Semogue 1305 is excellent. Not completely sure about the animal rights issues but as far as I know the consensus is that boar is better than badger. Urban Hermit here has looked in to things more than me and come to the conclusion that horse is the way to go. I suppose even synthetic has the issue of being oil-based, but it's just a drop or two I expect!
 
soapalchemist said:
Have you thought of horse hair? I don't know what's involved in how they collect it, but it may be a more humane alternative. There is a thread on here about them.
Click to expand...

I have indeed been thinking about the hair of other animals. My position is that as long as y'eat it, anyway then it's fine even if the hair's coming off a dead animal. (slightly tenuous argument I know, but I can live with it ;-) )

I had considered hogs bristle (I assumed this is from pigs) which is fine as pigs are delicious, but I've seen lots of complaints about pricklyness with hogs hair. My current Wilko 50p special is prickly and it precludes face lathering, I get stubble rash :-(

I know Taylor's do an immitation badger brush which isn't synthetic but nor does it involve the untimely demise of Mr Badger. However, I am unable to determine what the hair actually is, it could be cat for all I know and their fully synthetic brush is outrageously expensive.

Actually, I seem to remember coming across a statement that badger hair (and people hair) was different to typical mammal hair so it can't just be any mammal anyway.
Would people hair work ? Can I grow my own brush? :) Err, assuming I don't have to be dead to extract the bristle of course!?!?!?
 
ecoshaver said:
I have indeed been thinking about the hair of other animals. My position is that as long as y'eat it, anyway then it's fine even if the hair's coming off a dead animal. (slightly tenuous argument I know, but I can live with it ;-) )
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Based on my 3 trips to China, I can assure you if it moves, they will eat it. If it doesn't move, they'll try it anyway. The only surprise here is that they don't eat the badger's fur too...
 
From minimal research (and I mean minimal, I went to the Wiki badger page) it seems it's eaten in Russian and Croatia as well as China. But it's really hard to tell if they're eating the stuff as a by product of the brush industry or the pelts are a by product of the Russian kebab shop industry. The long and the short of it is I myself am not going to eat it. I couldn't even if it's not wearing spectacles and a scarf it still looks like Mr Badger!
However, the American badger (if you can call it that) is another matter entirely; doesn't look anything like a badger. Looks a bit vicious too (no offence to the American members) I'd happily scoff one of those without any sign of remorse, assuming they were in a nice sauce. Unfortunately, I believe they're protected, damnit!

Edited to add: I've just remembered there's something called a honey badger, also looks nothing like a badger, also rather vicious. Endemic to the Indian subcontinent! Do the Indians make badger hair brushes?
 
ecoshaver said:
Unfortunately the first thing my son asked me on finding out about my potential badger acquisition was, “Is it like with sheep, do the badgers not mind being shaved when it's hot ?”

I considered suggesting that these were Chinese badgers not the lovely English badgers we all know from Wind in the Willows, and that those Chinese badgers had it coming to them! But it's just not the kind of logic y'd want to instil into a small boy.

So, unless someone has a more convincing argument I'm going to be buying one of these new Muhle Silvertip Fibre things.
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Hi there,
There's a story you can tell your son about how those badger knots are made that won't upset the boy. It's the same BS I use when explaing to squeamish members where the badger fluff comes from.

The badger fuzz is gathered in the spring, when the badgers are moulting their heavy winter coats. Small clumps' brush off as they walk along low lying bushes and the like.

Then it's gathered by workers (not unlike picking cotton), and made into brushes. Even better than a sheep being sheared, since it's a totally nature and organic method and doesn't harm the badger in the least.

How's that sound?

Martin

Oh yeah, you can even make up a mystical animal that harvests the fluff. Oh wait.....your son isn't over 30 is he?
 
The way I look at it, the badgers are being killed anyway - either to be eaten or to stop them eating the crops in China (I'm sure I read that somewhere)

As such, having a shaving brush made from badger hair is either a by-product of them being eaten or a by-product of them being culled and a way for something "good" to come out of their lives.
 
Most synthetic knots (all of the ones I have owned, and all the ones I have heard/read reports of) dry very quickly; usually faster than badger.

If you want a very non-prickly boar brush, I personally highly recommend the Semogue Owners Club brush (available from Leon at A Vintage Scent).

The horsehair brushes Juan at Gifts&care.com sells are from Vie Long and Tres Clavelles (3 Carnations), & are also very highly recommendable by me.
  • They also dry at least as quickly as badger knots I have owned.
    No horses are harmed or killed (general disclaimer, as I'd guess very few might get nipped by clippers when newbie harvesters first train with live horses) by the harvesting of their hair which is clipped from mane & tail then cleaned and sterilised in most companies knot preparations.

I haven't tried the Muhlë(sp?), knots but I believe they are still using Edwin Jagger synthetic knots; which I have tried (as long as the vendor was accurate), and found to be as good as a synthetic as are out there; same as menu première's synthetics.

So ethically, I guess (without considering YMMV values for you personally with each type involved), the horse and the synthetic are on opposite sides of a coin. Is it 'greener & cleaner' to buy animal sourced hair from an animal that is neither harmed nor killed for its hair, or to chemically turn petroleum/oil into fake hair and deal with industrial waste issues?
 
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