Might the problem be the quality of "modern badger hair"? I have two badger brushes that have been in continuous use for over thirty years. One brush, set in a large handle, is at least sixty five years old. The handle is scarred, nicked, and beat, but the brush itself is still extremely fine. The other brush, a travel brush set in aluminium, is more than thirty years old. It, too, is beat up, but the brush is still extremely fine. Neither brush has lost many bristles/hairs. I don't "play" with my brushes, and I don't handle them too much (oil from one's hands and all that) - they are tools for a specific task and that is how I use them.JRLT wrote:But finding a good badger hair shaving brush is difficult. I have had two from Taylors of Old Bond St. and one from the Art of Shaving in NYC and all shed hairs badly. I am loathe to buy any more (at probably GBP 50 or so for even a small one) when it seems to me that this is a fault inherent to all badger hair brushes (even though I carefully rinse and hang said brushes upside down after use). I have nothing like the same hair shedding problem with a couple of cheaper synthetic travel brushes I also use.
Still, I wonder... Maybe today's badger just isn't up for it.
garu