Lately though I have been wondering if there are even better brushes out there And how much better? The grass is greener and all that. So, if you ever tried these how do you rank them? What would you recommend as an upgrade.
I'll only talk about badger brushes and from my own personal experience. (It will also be my own particular way...)
First - knots (the badger hair itself):
The makers and sellers have many different "types" of badger knots. They call them all different names - most of the time it's just marketing and creating new "grades" so that they can have a range of prices. My own personal take on it is that there are basically two factors*: 1) the hair itself, and 2) the maker of the knot.
(1) From what I can determine there really is hair from three different places of the badger and that means there are three different hair types. I'll call* them regular, softer and long & soft. The regular are good. The softer are great. The long & soft are great (but are springier).
(2) The hair is bought by a maker and made into a knot. A more selective maker will make a more selective, better quality knot. They will choose the best and most finest hairs from each grade and won't settle for anything less. They have high quality control. This factor IMO is what makes a higher quality knot, and so a higher quality badger brush (& higher price tag).
Second - the handle
Some people care a lot about this so they get custom made handles made from different materials (acrylic, metal, wood, etc) and with different colours/patterns/shapes. The ergonomics of a handle (how it feels in your hand and how it invites to be used) IMO is more important than looks. A higher quality brush maker will have put more thought and design and care into making a better quality handle (which will cost you more).
Finally, the combination of these two (the knot and the handle) can be combined to give the badger hair a different "feel"*. If the knot is put into a deeper hole in the handle, it makes the hair more concentrated and "stiffer". If the knot is shallower, the hair spreads out and is "floppier". A good quality maker takes this into account and balances it depending on the knot type, the handle and the intended final result.
So you see, IMO it is an artistic science*.
So there are some who get any hair and make any knot and put it in any brush. This will make a cheaper "any" badger brush.
Then there are those who care about the handle, but buy a pre-made knot that's good quality. This makes a good badger brush.
Then there are those who care about the whole product and choose quality for everything -from the hair to the knot to the handle to the final brush. This makes an expensive (but wonderful quality) brush.
So the answer is yes, there are better badger brushes because there are better artisans/companies with better understanding of their product and want to make something special.
The end.
*This is all created by me to explain this, so take it for what it is...
