Best (at any price) 2-band brush ? (2024)

  • May 3, 2018
  • #1

E

ead

looking and thinking about buying this one
Shavemac #177-2B 23mm D01 Shaving Brush, Faux Ivory (I have the usual not two-band one)

I want something in the size of 23-24 (don't like small brushed or way to much, I have other 26mm and seem too large to my liking)

So, if money isn't issue and you want the best all around two band brush, what would you recommend please?

  • May 3, 2018
  • #2

smudge

Save yourself a fortune and consider a Semogue Owner's Club 2 Band Badger. I've had one for a couple of years, use it regularly and it's never shed a hair. It's beautifully soft on the face and has a fair bit of backbone.

  • May 3, 2018
  • Thread starter
  • #3

E

ead

smudge said:

Save yourself a fortune and consider a Semogue Owner's Club 2 Band Badger. I've had one for a couple of years, use it regularly and it's never shed a hair. It's beautifully soft on the face and has a fair bit of backbone.

Nice! worth it? is it a good one?
I think Semogue makes great badger brushes

  • May 3, 2018
  • #4

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu

smudge said:

Save yourself a fortune and consider a Semogue Owner's Club 2 Band Badger. I've had one for a couple of years, use it regularly and it's never shed a hair. It's beautifully soft on the face and has a fair bit of backbone.

This is a nice brush. If it's the size you want I think you'll be very happy.

  • May 3, 2018
  • #6

BigJ

You could also consider one from Rudy Vey! Check out the ‘group buy’ which should be one fabulous brush!

  • May 3, 2018
  • #7

JimL911

Shavemac's D01 two band has insane backbone. Go for Elite Razor's Manchurian. Perfect amount of backbone for face lathering, zero scritch and great flow through. Rarely use my Shavemac's or Thater now that I have 3 Elite's.

  • May 3, 2018
  • #8

ackvil

BigJ said:

You could also consider one from Rudy Vey! Check out the ‘group buy’ which should be one fabulous brush!

That's what I was going to say. Rudy can build a brush for you to whatever specifications you want.

  • May 3, 2018
  • #9

RandySp

I have to say that you might have a look at Yaqi Store for 2band badger.

Great stuff and great prices also.

  • May 3, 2018
  • #10

bakerbarber

I am really enjoying the Maggard's badger knots. You'd have to get a handle for the knot, but they're really good.

Each brand and each knot even has its proverbial pros and cons.

D01 2 band is not for everyone. It's a very stiff brush. Some guys love it. I don't use mine very often though. I do enjoy it now and then.

Paladin brushes are great.

Elite Manchurian are very good, but I think they're just a smidgen on the soft side of the spectrum. Still scrubby feeling but not so much as other 2 band brands.

Simpsons Manchurian would be great. They also have a 2 band Silvertip available occasionally. It's much softer than their Manchurian.

  • May 3, 2018
  • #11

dmshaver

RandySp said:

I have to say that you might have a look at Yaqi Store for 2band badger.

Great stuff and great prices also.

Just got my Yaqi 2 band badger a few days ago. I'm really enjoying it!

Best (at any price) 2-band brush ? (15)

Best (at any price) 2-band brush ? (16)

  • May 3, 2018
  • #12

emwolf

I have Razorock's 2 band finest and it is really nice especially for the price.

  • May 4, 2018
  • #13

InsomniHack

People are going kind of crazy these days for the hand-tied knots produced by Scott of Declaration Grooming. As is the case for virtually all brushes, the behaviour/performance of his knots depends on the batch of hair he is working with. He is now producing the 5th batch of knots, known as B5. The easiest way to get one is to buy the handle first and send it to Scott, who will put his knot into it. The brushes Scott produces sell out in seconds. Also could check out Jeff Huck for a 'Hucklaration brush'.

I just ordered my first Elite Razors manchurian white knotted brush in a handle by Vladimir Ferdman of LoveYourShave on Etsy. It hasn't arrived yet, but I am told Bob sources consistently premium quality knots, and he makes magnificent handles as well. As I understand it, you cannot go wrong with one of these, and Bob's prices are fairly reasonable.

Paladins are quite highly esteemed, as are M&F and Simpsons 2-bands, although somewhat overpriced. However, there are many other makers who source very nice badger knots, including Maggard's.

The real challenge is figuring out what you personally value most in a badger brush, and the only way to know that is by trying many. This is not going to be easy, and it is certainly not going to be cheap hahaha... but brushes are easily bought and re-sold, so there is not a great deal of risk involved. If I could make one constructive suggestion, you will save a fair bit of money buying on the BSTs rather than buying new. There are risks involved, but I have fortunately never had an issue.

Good luck, and have fun with it!

  • May 4, 2018
  • #14

W

WoS_

Vie-Long also makes great 2-band brushes. I have Vie-Long 04616 with the barber pole handle and the knot is just great. it's soft and scrubby with a good backbone. Epsilon 2-band with a 55mm loft is also great and of course Semogues Owners Club is good value for the money but currently i like the Vie-Long the most.

  • May 4, 2018
  • #15

dfoulk

Something from Declaration Brushworks or Morris and Forndran (Finest hair knots) would be my first suggestion as these are my favorite knots. The Declaration b2 and b4 knots are excellent. Their b3 had a bit more scrub. The b5 is said to be very similar to the b2 knots, so likely a very good choice there. The current batch of M&F Finest hair, I'm told, is one of the best batches in quite a while. This brush and the Declaration b4 are my favorite knots at the moment. If you order the M&F go with a 26mm as they run pretty true size wise, if you order a Declaration brush maybe choose a 24 as they are very densely packed. I have a 27mm b3 brush from them and it's more like a 30mm in feel.

Shavemac 2 band silvertip (not the d01) knots are excellent as are the Paladin brushes. Very similar feel between these two knots for me. At least with the ones I own. Really, really nice brushes.

For a slightly less costly option the Elite Manchurian is an excellent choice as well. I'll often recommend buying this knot and setting it into a stray handle yourself with some silicone. It'll stay in with the silicone just fine but can be removed with a hard tug so that it can be set again at a different loft. This is a great way to get it set to the exact loft that you prefer. More backbone set it lower, a little less raise it up a little. It's also nice to be able to pull it and set the knot into a nicer handle later on. Perhaps if you were to land a spot on the Wolf Whisker's list or get a handle hand turned from another vendor for a special occasion. For those tight on cash, buying this knot for $60 and putting it into a $60 Wolf Whisker's handle later on it a nice way to break down the brush price into two payments separated by some time in between.

These are the brushes that I use most often and what I feel are the best I've tried at any price.

Last edited:

  • May 4, 2018
  • #16

albsat

dfoulk said:

Something from Declaration Brushworks or Morris and Forndran (Finest hair knots) would be my first suggestion as these are my favorite knots. The Declaration b2 and b4 knots are excellent. Their b3 had a bit more scrub. The b5 is said to be very similar to the b2 knots, so likely a very good choice there. The current batch of M&F Finest hair, I'm told, is one of the best batches in quite a while. This brush and the Declaration b4 are my favorite knots at the moment. If you order the M&F go with a 26mm as they run pretty true size wise, if you order a Declaration brush maybe choose a 24 as they are very densely packed. I have a 27mm b3 brush from them and it's more like a 30mm in feel.

Shavemac 2 band silvertip (not the d01) knots are excellent as are the Paladin brushes. Very similar feel between these two knots for me. At least with the ones I own. Really, really nice brushes.

For a slightly less costly option the Elite Manchurian is an excellent choice as well. I'll often recommend buying this knot and setting it into a stray handle yourself with some silicone. It'll stay in with the silicone just fine but can be removed with a hard tug so that it can be set again at a different loft. This is a great way to get it set to the exact loft that you prefer. More backbone set it lower, a little less raise it up a little. It's also nice to be able to pull it and set the knot into a nicer handle later on. Perhaps if you were to land a spot on the Wolf Whisker's list or get a handle hand turned from another vendor for a special occasion. For those tight on cash, buying this knot for $60 and putting it into a $60 Wolf Whisker's handle later on it a nice way to break down the brush price into two payments separated by some time in between.

These are the brushes that I use most often and what I feel are the best I've tried at any price.

Excellent suggestions.

Do you have experience with cheaper models like those from Yaqi or Maseto? If you have any of their products, I would love to read your feedback.

  • May 4, 2018
  • #17

dfoulk

albsat said:

Excellent suggestions.

Do you have experience with cheaper models like those from Yaqi or Maseto? If you have any of their products, I would love to read your feedback.

I have one of the Stirling Silvertip Fan brushes that I think I've read is made by Yaqi. It's pretty decent and an excellent value brush. The handle is a bit cheap and clunky but the knot is better than one would expect at it's price range. Not as nice of a knot as the ones I mentioned above but still quite respectable and enjoyable to use even by my standards. I find the Elite Manchurian knots to be a step up from the Stirling brush and the others mentioned above to be slightly better than the Elite knot.

I've looked at the Maseto brushes a while back and they get good reviews. I've thought about purchasing one to try but I've very happy with the other brushes I own. So I suspect it would end up sitting in the cabinet next to the Stirling brush that doesn't see much use.

  • May 4, 2018
  • #18

martinocando

I think any brush featuring a Maggard Razors 2-Band knot should be on the top of the list. I recently restored a vintage Ever-Ready #79 handle, and put in a 24mm MR knot, and have been shaving with it every single day. I don't even want to use any other brushes than this one.
I just ordered a couple more knots, 22 and 26mm for other restoration jobs, so that can cover my whole universe of brushes for a while.

Best (at any price) 2-band brush ? (24)

  • May 4, 2018
  • #19

Glaze3

dfoulk said:

Something from Declaration Brushworks or Morris and Forndran (Finest hair knots) would be my first suggestion as these are my favorite knots. The Declaration b2 and b4 knots are excellent. Their b3 had a bit more scrub. The b5 is said to be very similar to the b2 knots, so likely a very good choice there. The current batch of M&F Finest hair, I'm told, is one of the best batches in quite a while. This brush and the Declaration b4 are my favorite knots at the moment. If you order the M&F go with a 26mm as they run pretty true size wise, if you order a Declaration brush maybe choose a 24 as they are very densely packed. I have a 27mm b3 brush from them and it's more like a 30mm in feel.

Shavemac 2 band silvertip (not the d01) knots are excellent as are the Paladin brushes. Very similar feel between these two knots for me. At least with the ones I own. Really, really nice brushes.

For a slightly less costly option the Elite Manchurian is an excellent choice as well. I'll often recommend buying this knot and setting it into a stray handle yourself with some silicone. It'll stay in with the silicone just fine but can be removed with a hard tug so that it can be set again at a different loft. This is a great way to get it set to the exact loft that you prefer. More backbone set it lower, a little less raise it up a little. It's also nice to be able to pull it and set the knot into a nicer handle later on. Perhaps if you were to land a spot on the Wolf Whisker's list or get a handle hand turned from another vendor for a special occasion. For those tight on cash, buying this knot for $60 and putting it into a $60 Wolf Whisker's handle later on it a nice way to break down the brush price into two payments separated by some time in between.

These are the brushes that I use most often and what I feel are the best I've tried at any price.

I will 2nd Declaration and go as far as saying it's not even close. Here is a pic from this morning with a B5.

Best (at any price) 2-band brush ? (26)

  • May 4, 2018
  • #20

paintflinger

albsat said:

Excellent suggestions.

Do you have experience with cheaper models like those from Yaqi or Maseto? If you have any of their products, I would love to read your feedback.

The Maseto is alright, not nearly as good as the Elite Manchurian though.

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