Simpson Beaufort B4 pure badge shaving brush
The Simpson Beaufort B4 pure badger shaving brush is handmade in Britain and features a faux ivory handle and pure badger hair bristles. Simpson, which was acquired by Progress Shaving Brush (Vulfix) Limited in 2008, touts it as a “superb brush for bowl lathering.” I have pretty much used it exclusively for lathering shaving cream directly on my face with good results. It’s a great brush that has served me well.
Basics Facts
Here are some basic facts about the brush:
- The brush stand four inches tall from the base of the handle to the tip of the bristles.
- The bristles are about 2 1/4″ wide now. I’m not sure how wide it was when I initially bought it, but looking at pictures on various websites it seems to have widened a bit.
- As can be assumed from the name, it’s made of pure badger hair.
Things I like About It
The main thing I like about the Beaufort B4 is that the bristles are stiff. It does a great job distributing the lather around my face and head without giving me the feeling that I’m mopping my face with it that I’ve experienced with other shaving brushes.
I’ve had this shave brush going on 10 years now. I bought it in early 2011 as a part of a straight razor set from the now defunct Straight Razor Designs website. It’s still going strong, but it is starting to lose bristles probably due to poor maintenance on my part. Simpson’s website has this article that I should have read years ago about (not an affiliate link) proper badger hair brush shave maintenance. Unfortunately, I have probably done almost everything they say not to do in the article. However, it’s still lathering like a champ.
I haven’t had any complaints with it and it’s been my go-to shave brush since I purchased it. I have a few other shave brushes that I have received as gifts either separately or as a part of shave sets I was gifted, but I haven’t tried them out because I’m happy with this one. Although, you’ll probably see me branching out soon so I compare this brush to other shaving brushes.
Negatives
I can’t think of anything bad about this brush. It does what it’s advertised to do. I don’t think it’s appropriate design me to list the loss of bristles here because, as I mentioned previously, this is most likely due to my mistreatment of the brush than anything inherent to the brush design.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoy this brush and it has served me well throughout the years. If you don’t purchase this (not an affiliate link) shaving brush, then at least get (affiliate link) any other shaving brush
out there. Shaving brushes really do elevate the shaving experience and make it much more enjoyable than the alternative of spraying shaving foam/gel on your hand and using your hands to spread it around.