Best Badger (in general) is rarer than pure badger hair and offers a significant improvement in feel and quality over pure. It is finer and more pliable than pure badger and lighter in color, ranging from light brown to gray. Because the hair shaft of best badger is thinner than pure badger, a best badger shaving brush contains more hair and has better water-absorbing capabilities than a pure badger shaving brush. Consequently, it is an ideal brush for creating a richer, more profuse lather. Sometimes best badger hair is bleached to whiten the tips to make them more eye-appealing (QED Select brushes are NOT bleached). Brushes made exclusively with best badger hair cost more than “pure” badger. 

 

 

Although badger hair is found throughout China, it is alleged that the coldest part of the country - known simply as "The Northeast" and historically as "Manchuria" - produces the highest-quality badger hair. However, contrary to popular marketing, "Manchurian" is not a grade of hair as much as it is a location. Unlike the QED Select Best Badger shaving brushes, the QED Select 'Manchurian' Best Badger shaving brushes contain only the highest quality hand-packed, uncut, unbleached, unmixed Best badger hair from Manchuria, retaining the hair's suppleness, softness, and natural color. Our badger hair supplier has assured us that "... this type of Manchurian best badger is exclusive to QED and it is very rare hair in the market ...". Because of the rarity of this hair, the Select 'Manchurian' Best Badger cost a bit more than the Select Best Badger. The densely packed 26mm knot has superb ‘backbone’ (resiliency) yet soft tips. The exceptional water-holding capacity of this brush ensures a rich, warm lather. For the gentleman seeking a softer tactile lathering experience than that offered by a pure badger brush, the QED Select Manchurian Best Badger shaving brush is the ideal choice. For many wet shavers, the variance between the qualities of ‘best’ badger and the higher grade 'silvertip' badger is negligible. The best badger shaving brush represents the best value in quality for the price. $52.00

 

Brush measurements (approximate):

• QED Select Model number: 2T24

• 'Bengal' Handle height: 55mm (2.17”)

• Manchurian Best Badger Hair height: 52mm (2.05”)

• Total height: 107mm (4.22”)

• Knot size (hair diameter at base) = 24mm (0.94”)

 

NOTE: All the photos on this page are of the same brush. The Bengal pattern on every brush is unique and will exhibit variations in pattern and color from those shown in the photos.