Omega 11137 vs. Semogue Owners Club

[oscar11]

The Omega knots pop out of the handles easily then you can cut the plastic cups off and adjust the loft like you would normally. If you trim the knot you mess with the feel of it. I usually pick a knot that's a little longer than I need and adjust the loft down a bit. I found the knots by Omega are a little arbitrary when it come to size. I'm not surprised to find a 24mm knot fitting in the same hole as a 22mm knot. At any rate, I enjoy the Omega's but Semogue makes a very nice brush with much better handles, IMO. Here's a homemade Omega.

 

[shm]

Resurrecting a somewhat old yet important thread.


I don't think it is nitpicking at all. Lately I came to realize how important is a good handle in a brush and how a mediocre brush design just takes away from the whole experience. I have the 11137 which is nice. I actually messed it up a while ago by soaking it in very hot water in vase like dish and it started shedding after that, but it was fun while it lasted. I took delivery of the 2012 LE SOC (mixed badger/boar knot). I have not used it yet beyond the defunk lathers, but the handle is the same shape as the SOC. While the 11137 handle is adequate, the SOC handle is superb.

The Omega from connaught is $14 shipped.
The SOC from vintagescent is about $30 shipped.
And to complete the picture, the Semogue 1800 is $20 shipped (amazon). It is different but well regarded nonetheless.

Is it worth to pay double the price just for a handle? in my opinion the answer is a resounding yes. An mediocre handle is harder to hold and just makes the hand tired, it depends on the person of course, but for me it makes a big difference.

I'm glad, that I'm not the only one who think the handle is (almost) just as important a part of the brush as the knot, and well worth spending money on

Here's a homemade Omega.

That is one sweet looking brush
Congratulations on a job very well done

 

[Oscroft]

This is an interesting thread. I have a 10005, and it seems much less dense than the SOC to me, and floppier - but I can't do a direct comparison, as the two brushes are in different countries.

 

[Eeyore]

Excellent review Soren! I truly enjoy reading them my friend.

I recently myself have been trying to compare my omega pro to the Semogue LE 11 FBristle 2. The loft on the pro 48 is so long I trimmed it to equal the exact loft of the semogue. This is what I got after trimming it. Its a great hobby to try out and a cheap alternative for sure. It is very scrubby and lathers like a monster. The loft went from 70mm to 55mm Here are some pics attached!

Oops! Clipping a boar brush is not good! A boar gets is softness, after break in, because the tips of the bristles split. With clipped bristles, there is nothing to split.

 

[YMMV]

Another great comparison. Thank you very much

 

[Doryferon]

This is what I got after trimming it. Its a great hobby to try out and a cheap alternative for sure.
The loft went from 70mm to 55mm Here are some pics attached!


View attachment 248878

Very interesting !
You did it with a scissor ?

 

[Dave Deluxe]

"This is what I got after trimming it. Its a great hobby to try out and a cheap alternative for sure.The loft went from 70mm to 55mm Here are some pics attached!"


Looks like you a great wisk broom now. Fit to dust off home plate.

 

[amateur]

I had a brush 11137 and I didn't like that there was a soap coating on the handle that I couldn't remove. Of course, this does not affect the work of the brush, but it looks sloppy.

It looked like this.



I had to bury this brush. Now I have an Omega 10005. And I am very pleased with this acquisition.