Shaving brush question

[Parishow]

This may sound silly, but how does one know when ones shaving brush needs to be replaced; by that I mean, I have a brush I purchased 3 years ago, it seems to be holding up, albeit, the bristles are getting somewhat soft. They still hold the shaving cream and it lathers up fine, I guess what I am asking is how long does one use a shaving brush and then needs to replace it?

I have a basic (cost wise $50.00) badger brush...

Excuse me, if I did not phrase this quite correctly, but maybe you get by 'drift'

Thank you

[charles]

It seems a pity only to have one brush. I have 8 - collected over 25 years and none shows the slightest sign of wearing out. The crucial thing -for me- is to have the maker's name etched into the handle possibly along with the name or style of the brush. Simpsons do an enormous range with excellent names like "chubby" and " Polo" they also do travel brushes " the major" . When travelling I always keep an eye open for a new brush whether in the UK or abroad..picked up a beautiful clear handled one in Venice..go mad and treat yourself.

[JLibourel]

Are there any virtues to having a large number of brushes, as there are with a sizable rotation of shoes. Does letting a brush dry out for six or eight days prolong its longevity, I wonder?

I have always assumed that a brush is on its last legs when it starts shedding hairs wholesale. When I bought my Mason-Pearson badger brush, I was assured that it alone should serve me well for at least 10 years. Was this sales hype? I would enjoy hearing from shaving mavens on these points.

[DD MacDonald]

My experience with shaving brushes is that they last for 10-15 years. In 20 years of shaving I've never worn one out. The two that I've replaced were do to a puppy chewing up the first (after 8 years) and my two year old daughter misplacing my travelling one.

I do two things which i believe helps with this longevity, after use they are hung bristle down on a little plastic stand and when used they are never cork-screwed into the face, more brushed up and down. The first insures that moisture has the best chance to leave the brush and the second keeps from twisting the bristles loose from the base.

In reality a brush is a pretty expensive object in the $80-$140 range. I've bought simpsons and Trumpers house brand at Trumpers. At the same time, this is cheap over 10+ years. Even if the brush lasted 5 years because you like a big old circular scrub-up on your face, big deal.

Now, I've never considered collecting them though.

DDM