tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
My $0.02:
1. Yes, plenty of shorter lofted boar brushes out there, although even big barber knots are not necessarily messy. You will find that boar bristle knots do not hold as much water as badger, so are somewhat more controllable when it comes to making and releasing lather.
2. 1470 is a great brush. I love Semogue wood handles. I think the Semogue 1800 is a good starting point in the Semogue line-up. The 1800's knot is a combination of the stiffer and softer bristles, and it has a great mix of softness and backbone. The 1800 handle is a great shape that is very comfortable. Omega has a few wood handled models as well.
3. Every brush is different. Some are really stinky out of the box and some don't smell at all. My preferred de-stinking routine is to whip up a bowl of Proraso Green and let the knot sit in the lather overnight. That usually takes care of it.
4. Yup, plenty. That's what I do.
5. I think every other day is fine. The thing is that while the knot is breaking in, you want to let it dry fully so the tips split. But you also want to keep using the brush frequently so it breaks in faster. Once broken in to your liking, I don't think it needs as much drying time. I often use the same Semogue several days in a row.
Cheers and welcome to the boaring (but not boring!) side of wetshaving!
1. Yes, plenty of shorter lofted boar brushes out there, although even big barber knots are not necessarily messy. You will find that boar bristle knots do not hold as much water as badger, so are somewhat more controllable when it comes to making and releasing lather.
2. 1470 is a great brush. I love Semogue wood handles. I think the Semogue 1800 is a good starting point in the Semogue line-up. The 1800's knot is a combination of the stiffer and softer bristles, and it has a great mix of softness and backbone. The 1800 handle is a great shape that is very comfortable. Omega has a few wood handled models as well.
3. Every brush is different. Some are really stinky out of the box and some don't smell at all. My preferred de-stinking routine is to whip up a bowl of Proraso Green and let the knot sit in the lather overnight. That usually takes care of it.
4. Yup, plenty. That's what I do.
5. I think every other day is fine. The thing is that while the knot is breaking in, you want to let it dry fully so the tips split. But you also want to keep using the brush frequently so it breaks in faster. Once broken in to your liking, I don't think it needs as much drying time. I often use the same Semogue several days in a row.
Cheers and welcome to the boaring (but not boring!) side of wetshaving!
