What brush do you use with a shave stick?

I know a lot of guys here love to use shave sticks as I do. I noticed when I use a shave stick I can get much more lather and more easily if I am using a synthetic brush.  I tried using a boar brush several times but I just can’t seem to get the same lather with it.
So you shave stick lovers out there, what is your favorite type of brush to use with a shave stick: boar, badger, synthetic, or horse hair?  

Any one works for me, Just need to rub enough soap on my face.

.... a boar does seem to take a bit longer, however.

(06-02-2016, 09:11 PM)GloryUprising Wrote: Any one works for me, Just need to rub enough soap on my face.

.... a boar does seem to take a bit longer, however.

I can't seem to get enough soap to do a second pass with a boar.

Any brush works for me.

Any brush works for me also. If you don't get enough lather for a second pass rub the stick a bit longer on your face or just rub some more on before the second pass and subsequent passes. Just experiment a little.

Bob

The only time I use a shave stick (Harris Lavender currently) is when I travel.  The brush I'm now using with it is a Muhle medium synthetic.  They work very well together, but I expect that any of my 30 badgers and 2 boars would work well too.  I could use the shave stick when I'm at home, but I have many other excellent creams/ soaps to use.  I like the stick for travel because it's compact and doesn't have to go in the little plastic bag with my liquids, creams and gels for airline carry-on.  I've taken to using a synthetic brush for travel because the knot dries very fast compared to badger or boar.

Shavemac finest bulb or omega boar.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

When you guys say "Any brush that works for me." what type have you used?

Any brush works for me, also. Just take a look at my SOTD photos for the types of brushes I use, but they are mainly dense 2-Band knots.
I don't have any issues using badger, boar, synthetic, or horse-hair ( these are my least favorites) as they all work, very well.

All you, really, need to do to replicate the lather you are getting with a synthetic is just take a bit more time; work the lather more, add water little by little, use more paint-brush strokes and voila!
You just need a bit of readjustment of your technique, I presume, if you are having difficulties.
There are quite a few videos on Youtube illustrating how to face-lather.

Personally, I don't like the feel of synthetics and gravitate towards the larger and denser 2-Band knots.
Best of luck.

For example when I use a Mystic Water soap stick, I usually have plenty of soap, too much in fact if I don't be careful. But when I'm using a boar brush with the same soap and load even more soap, I just barely have enough for one good lather. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I tried so hard to get a Semogue 610 to work for me but I had to give up.

I prefer using my Semogue 830 and the Kent Infinity Silvertex, when I use a shave stick. Kent Inifnity is my travel brush, I really enjoy it, though the knot is not of my liking, it's too small but does the job really good.

I don't use a stick often, when I do I mostly use my synthetic brushes.  They work better for me on the road.

I am not sure that in the end the brush makes much difference to me but I can appreciate for some it it might seem this way.  In the end, to me anyway, it's all about the soap to water ratio, and a less than desirable lather is simply lacking one or the other (I say lacking only because you can't take away soap or water once you've started, so if you need to rescue a crummy lather you're going to have to add one or the other).  Personally I like to use a smaller diameter badger brush when using shave sticks.  Perhaps this is because the only time I use shave sticks is while I am traveling and all I have is my trusty smaller diameter badger brush, so this experience results in my liking the small diameter badger knots when using shave sticks.

Here is my favorite little travel brush, a Rooney Style 1 Size 1 Finest (22 mm x 44 mm)

ymmv... +1 on smaller diameter brushes

(06-03-2016, 08:39 AM)shave/brush Wrote: For example when I use a Mystic Water soap stick, I usually have plenty of soap, too much in fact if I don't be careful. But when I'm using a boar brush with the same soap and load even more soap, I just barely have enough for one good lather. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I tried so hard to get a Semogue 610 to work for me but I had to give up.

Different knots/brushes will work differently and you just have to get used to their specific attributes and work with them or alter your methods with each respective brush.
I would suggest practicing quite a few palm-lathers with the Semogue 610 to see what you need to specifically do to achieve the lather that you are desiring.
Similarly, if you bowl-lather, then practice a few times with the same brush to achieve the desired results.

I still believe it is a matter of practice with most shave-related items. Try not to get frustrated and just allow for some time to see what happens and, then, if you don't like the way the brush(es) perform, let them go and keep using what works best for you. 

Good luck.

(06-03-2016, 10:07 AM)merkur man Wrote: I am not sure that in the end the brush makes much difference to me but I can appreciate for some it it might seem this way.  In the end, to me anyway, it's all about the soap to water ratio, and a less than desirable lather is simply lacking one or the other (I say lacking only because you can't take away soap or water once you've started, so if you need to rescue a crummy lather you're going to have to add one or the other).  Personally I like to use a smaller diameter badger brush when using shave sticks.  Perhaps this is because the only time I use shave sticks is while I am traveling and all I have is my trusty smaller diameter badger brush, so this experience results in my liking the small diameter badger knots when using shave sticks.

Here is my favorite little travel brush, a Rooney Style 1 Size 1 Finest (22 mm x 44 mm)

The only traveling that brush would do if it were mine would be from the safe to the sink and then back again.

(06-03-2016, 11:04 AM)Mouser Wrote:

(06-03-2016, 10:07 AM)merkur man Wrote: I am not sure that in the end the brush makes much difference to me but I can appreciate for some it it might seem this way.  In the end, to me anyway, it's all about the soap to water ratio, and a less than desirable lather is simply lacking one or the other (I say lacking only because you can't take away soap or water once you've started, so if you need to rescue a crummy lather you're going to have to add one or the other).  Personally I like to use a smaller diameter badger brush when using shave sticks.  Perhaps this is because the only time I use shave sticks is while I am traveling and all I have is my trusty smaller diameter badger brush, so this experience results in my liking the small diameter badger knots when using shave sticks.

Here is my favorite little travel brush, a Rooney Style 1 Size 1 Finest (22 mm x 44 mm)

The only traveling that brush would do if it were mine would be from the safe to the sink and then back again.

Oh believe me, it makes that trip very often too, but it fits so nicely into my Simpson's travel tube that I can't resist taking it along for the ride. However when we travel it seems to be to a specific location to spend some time instead of bouncing from hotel to hotel which makes taking this one song for the ride very doable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(06-03-2016, 06:18 AM)shave/brush Wrote: When you guys say "Any brush that works for me." what type have you used?

Badger - All kinds (don't own floppy badgers though, they have been sold years ago) (own 30 High End badgers)
Boars- All kinds (own 10)
Synthetics - All kinds (own 12)

I own 15 different shave sticks. Anyone having trouble getting perfect lather from any shave stick have technique issues or are rookies.
YMMV

(06-03-2016, 06:18 AM)shave/brush Wrote: When you guys say "Any brush that works for me." what type have you used?

I use badger, boar and synthetics and all will lather up a shave stick well. I suppose horse hair would too but I don't care for it. Just use enough soap, add the right amount of water and you will have a good lather. It is a matter of technique not really the type of brush used. You may have to play around a bit to dial it all in.

(06-02-2016, 09:17 PM)shave/brush Wrote:

(06-02-2016, 09:11 PM)GloryUprising Wrote: Any one works for me, Just need to rub enough soap on my face.

.... a boar does seem to take a bit longer, however.

I can't seem to get enough soap to do a second pass with a boar.

That's pretty common with boars and perhaps also some shave sticks, especially if you have hard water.

But this is what shave sticks are so perfect at. You don't need to use your already soaked in lather brush for the 2.nd pass, if you need more product.

Just rub the stick on your face once again. If you run out of lathr for the third pass too, then.....surprise   - RUB IT ON YOUR FACE AGAIN.

As some wise guy said once - it's not rocket science, just wet shaving