Semogue Torga/Galahad Boar Hair Grade?

[TBoner]

Excellent info. I want to add that in my lathering tests of late using a 1470 (EX), 610 (EX), and Torga C5, I find the Torga to be dramatically different to the other two. It blooms like they do but has taken a long time to break in at all. The tips are not fully split, but they have come a long way relative to where they were after a dozen lathers. I still believe the grade of hair in the Torga comes close to that in the 2009 LE, which in turn was the prototype for what became the SOC. In particular, the time it is taking to fully break in and the absence of great lather capacity for its size are comparable. Now, whether or not the SOC is still the same (per the above post) may be another question. However, the Torga is not as soft-tipped as my Excelsior bests, to be sure, and I have not used an SOC - a notable gap in my Semogue experience.

Having said all of that, I can and do face lather with any Semogue I've come across, the Torga included, but my skin is not very sensitive at all.

 

[energyloop]

Excellent info. I want to add that in my lathering tests of late using a 1470 (EX), 610 (EX), and Torga C5, I find the Torga to be dramatically different to the other two. It blooms like they do but has taken a long time to break in at all. The tips are not fully split, but they have come a long way relative to where they were after a dozen lathers. I still believe the grade of hair in the Torga comes close to that in the 2009 LE, which in turn was the prototype for what became the SOC. In particular, the time it is taking to fully break in and the absence of great lather capacity for its size are comparable. Now, whether or not the SOC is still the same (per the above post) may be another question. However, the Torga is not as soft-tipped as my Excelsior bests, to be sure, and I have not used an SOC - a notable gap in my Semogue experience.

Having said all of that, I can and do face lather with any Semogue I've come across, the Torga included, but my skin is not very sensitive at all.

Thanks for participating in this experiment with your findings. Having my sentiment echoed about the EX Best vs HE Premium certainly is bittersweet, but I hope this thread serves as research for potential Semogue purchasers in the future.

 

[TBoner]

Thanks for participating in this experiment with your findings. Having my sentiment echoed about the EX Best vs HE Premium certainly is bittersweet, but I hope this thread serves as research for potential Semogue purchasers in the future.

I used the Torga again this morning. It's got a very unique feel at the tips. It is maybe a bit coarser, but also somewhat slippery, almost like a boar imitating a synthetic. Not to say it feels synthetic, just like it's imitating that feel. I would say about a third of the tips still haven't split, which may affect the feel significantly. I'm going to give it time. Today was far and away the best lather I've had from it, and the best shave with it. It's got 25 or so lathers on it now and held 4-5 passes of luxurious, creamy lather from a Valobra stick without any extra effort or excessive loading. I'm going to use it every other day for a while and see how it does. Maybe it will be a keeper after all.

 

[Zhang Doe]

Good to hear the positive turn. I went with a Torga C3 over the 610, and your post was starting to worry me.

 

[TBoner]

Good to hear the positive turn. I went with a Torga C3 over the 610, and your post was starting to worry me.

The C3 is different hair than the C5, I believe. Like a slightly beefier 620.

I have not used a Semogue that was unusable. In fact, I've never had an unusable boar, but I have had many unusable badgers, with issues ranging from poor flowthrough to scritch to excessive shedding to low lather capacity.

 

[energyloop]

Good to hear the positive turn. I went with a Torga C3 over the 610, and your post was starting to worry me.

Are you referring to the Torga C3 Extra IT? It's a different grade from the C5 Premium. Much softer, bleached tips with a hint of scritch and fairly strong backbone. Doesn't splay as much as a 620 but makes for a very focused brush.

 

[TBoner]

My C5 performed magnificently again today. I did get a hint of scritch when I first began lathering, but it vanished as I continued building the lather on my face. The lather generated was perfect, and the volume it made and held exceeded my needs. I am finding the handle more useful than I did at first, although it's still not ideal IMO. If you put this knot in an SOC handle, I think it would be a guaranteed keeper for me. It may be a keeper anyway. I would really like to compare this hair to an SOC boar. I haven't used one, and I know it's a longer loft, but looking at the way even this 50mm loft splays, I can't help but wonder if it's the same or similar hair.

 

[DarkSpy]

I think it will be the same hair, or at least very similar.
The difference, besides the handle, is in the loft. The SOC has a 5mm higher loft. 24x55 vs 24x50 in the Torga-C5.

 

[TBoner]

I think it will be the same hair, or at least very similar.
The difference, besides the handle, is in the loft. The SOC has a 5mm higher loft. 24x55 vs 24x50 in the Torga-C5.

Yeah, and I'm not sure how I'll feel about the longer loft, but I love the handle shape (I have it in several other brushes) and am now wondering if the SOC would be the happy meeting place of all the boars I have loved. Who knows? Anyway I need to sell things before I acquire anything else, so for now, it's just speculative.