Ali Express A$14.35 Delivered 26mm. H 65mm I'd say that's f#!!@*g good value not sure at this point what knot I'll get in it but was curious on quality and I have to say Brilliant absolutely Brilliant.
So I'm reading all over the place and getting tweaks from some guys on what knot to put in this handle and low and behold my old mate on here saves me again he will know who he is a posting on a thread from 2016 which I found really interesting and thought others would as well.
G'day I hope this will help you,
Badger. Badger bristles are one of the traditional fibers used in brushes. Badger hair has some unusual properties that make it ideal for use in a shave brush. Badger bristles are actually wider at the tips than they are at the base. This is part of what gives a badger brush it’s characteristic “bloom.” Like a flower opening up, badger brushes go through a similar process after they have been used a few times. Badger bristles trap water in between the bristles. This results in a brush that has excellent water retention properties. The tips of badger brushes are also typically softer than boar bristles and as such, badger brushes require less of a break-in time than boar brushes. There are several different grades of Badger brushes and this adds to the inexperienced shaver’s confusion. To compound this, different brush makers use their own grading system. Top manufacturers include Vulfix-Simpson and Rooney.
NOTE: New badger and boar brushes and older brushes that have been unused for a time have a pungent odor. This smell can be strong or faint when you first get the brush. Over time, as you use the brush the smell will go away. There are also cleaners manufactured specifically for cleaning cosmetic brushes. Using these cleaners is the recommended method of sanitizing, cleaning and "de-funking" a brush.
Photo of European badger pelt courtesy of Tiste. The above diagram is not entirely accurate, as back hair is considered too wispy for use in shave brush knots. Most hair used in brushes comes from the neck and upper shoulders.
This is the general grade system:
Pure Bristle. Any brush that is labeled “badger bristle” typically falls into this category. The bristles can come from any part of the badger and the knots are trimmed into shape. Unless you prefer a stiff, very scratchy brush,
new users are better off using a better grade of badger brush. These machine made brushes never pack the bristles as tightly as hand formed knots do, and as a result, they tend to shed bristles, often throughout the entire life of the brush. In some rare instances, tangling can occur when the knot is thinned out or loosely packed. These brushes retail for about $10-$20. Primary manufacturers are Van der Hagen and Tweezerman.
*Note: Pure Badger from European and British manufacturers use a mix of black, brown, grey, and silvertip hairs. This gives the brush an overall grey look. These brushes are generally of good quality, but some people find thim excessively prickly. $40-50
Best. The British manufacturers call this "Pure Badger." Best Badger brushes fall into two categories, Some contain a mix of full length hairs and trimmed hairs or more commonly, full hairs only, but harvested from lower grades of hair, generally from the belly section. $30-$60
Two-band or Finest. Two-band brushes are so called because instead of the light, dark, light configuration of most badger brushes, they just have a dark to light bristle configuration. These brushes are made from the thickest badger hairs. They are both less dense and stiffer than most badger brushes. These are favorites of face latherers, though any user can enjoy a two-band badger brush. $60-$120
Super. High end British manufacturers call this grade, "Best." The grade just below or equal to Silvertip. These brushes are not quite as soft as Silvertip brushes and are otherwise nearly identical in softness and performance once broken in. Some retailers have started bleaching and treating the tips of Super brushes to give them silvertip like properties. $60-$120+
Three Band. Similar in concept to the Two Band, but made from what British manufacturers call "Best" badger and what the rest of the world calls "Silvertip" badger. These brushes are essentially an ultra-dense Silvertip brush with a good backbone, ideal for face latherers or those who like a stiff soft badger brush. Note: Many badger brushes have three bands of hair color, but that does not automatically make the brush a Three Band brush. Only densely packed Silvertip knots should be called a "Three Band Brush." $100+
Silvertip. The British manufacturers call this grade "Super," and consider it to be a step above a "normal" Silvertip brush. These are the nom plus ultra of the brush world. These brushes are made from the badger’s softest hairs, which are harvested from the muzzle, neck and back of the badger. These hairs have a distinctive gray hue at the tips and when viewed from above, look silver colored, thus the name- "silver tip." Due to the limited supply and quality of Silvertip hair, these brushes command a premium. $80-$200+
High Mountain White & Manchurian. Sometimes called other names as well- Genuine White, Upland White, etc. These are generally limited edition brushes with magical powers and inflated price tags. In actuality, these are mostly two band brushes with different coloration than the other brushes that particular manufacturer sells. Marketing and hype are these brush's main features. How the knot is formed and the density of the hair mostly determine the face feel of a badger knot, not the coloring of the hair.
A "true" High Mountain White or Manchurian badger brush will be made from a small section of hairs on the neck of the European Badger (Meles Meles). However many brushes marketed as "High Mountain brushes" come from the pelt of a hog badger, rather than the more common European badger. Hog badger hairs are about 1.5 times thicker than European badger hairs, giving them a bit more backbone. Does it make a difference in the quality? Nope. It shouldn't make a difference in price either, as the knots are sourced from China, and the cost is about the same as their silvertip counterparts. True High Mountain White hair is more expensive, due to the small area of pelt it can be collected from.
