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Appearance of Boar

Hi everyone. I'm considering trying a boar brush. I've had nothing but a badger brush for more than 2 years and I like it very much. I've looked on eBay and notice a large amount of "boar" brushes that look exactly like my badger. Before I started looking, I noticed the vast majority of boar is yellowish and solid in color. My question is, is there boar that looks like badger, i.e., yellowish on the bottom, then a ring of brown/black, then yellowish again on top? Hope that's clear. Instead of making this post eternally long, perhaps I can answer any questions you have for clarification.

Thanks, all.
 

brucered

System Generated
They are dyed to look like that. I can't stand it.

Semogue natural, undyed are my favorite boar knots.

Thread 'Why are the Boars´Bristles Dyed.' Why are the Boars´Bristles Dyed. - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/why-are-the-boars-bristles-dyed.490233/

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Yeah, the banded boar is dyed to have a badger look.

Some people say that bleaching and dyeing soften and change the bristles in a good way.

I had some vintage ones that were terrible, probably from deterioration, that I re-knotted. I haven't tried a new one and probably won't because I think they are ugly. My boars are all natural bristle.
 
Thank you, gentlemen. I'm looking at an Omega Shaving Brush #10083 Boar Bristle Professional on Amazon, but know little about knots and how they relate to the feel of the brush. I'm looking for something that my face will feel. I'm not looking for something that's very giving and floppy. I guess I'm looking for scrinch.

Any advice? Is the one I'm looking at up the right alley?

Thanks again.
 
The Omega boar brush is a great value and I enjoy mine. It will break in just by using it a lot and the tips will get softer and softer over the first month or so (the tips get split ends - it's a good thing). Some people (I'm one of them) speed up the break in period by soaking overnight and then batting the brush against a towel. When I was watching a movie or something like that, I would put a towel over my knee and bat the boar brush back and forth on the towel. Did several overnight soaks and towel beatings and the tips got nice and soft pretty quickly. Other people will say don't do this so it's up to you -- it's a $12 brush so buy two of them and break one in fast and the other slow and see what you think.

Oh and the Omega can smell pretty strong of boar when you first get it -- that will fade away as it breaks in.
 
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Any advice?

Yes. Don't do any of the convoluted voodoo magic break in techniques that are on the internets. Bleached boars don't need it. And if you do want to speed up the bristles splitting, a quick 5 min soak (or palm lather) is sufficient: the brush drying is what splits the bristles.

If you get an unbleached boar, which you will eventually :) a series of palm lathers will remove the funk.

Welcome to the Brotherhood!


 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I have about a dozen badger brushes and love my Simpson Manchurian and Semogue Finest; I also have a single boar brush - a Semogue 610. If the Semogue 610 boar had been my first brush then I need not have bothered with badger at all. I could have saved a small fortune. If you like a Duke 3 or Chubby 1 in Best or Manchurian then my guess is a Semogue 610 will suit you.

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Thank you, gentlemen. I'm looking at an Omega Shaving Brush #10083 Boar Bristle Professional on Amazon, but know little about knots and how they relate to the feel of the brush. I'm looking for something that my face will feel. I'm not looking for something that's very giving and floppy. I guess I'm looking for scrinch.

Any advice? Is the one I'm looking at up the right alley?

Thanks again.

It's difficult to go wrong with the Omega Pro boar. If you want a slightly smaller Omega, I'd suggest the 11137 with ash wood handle. Or, one of the best Omega boars is the Jade, available from Connaught Shaving in the UK. That has a solid, nice quality resin handle and a lower loft for a scrubby feel, but still gentle.

Semogue 610 is a good smaller brush with a 22mm knot. Another nice scrubby Semogue is the C5 Torga boar with 24/50mm knot and solid black resin handle.

Zenith from Italy has some very nice boar brushes. The B03-A26 is along the same lines as an Omega Pro, but with aluminum handle. There are many other good ones, though.
 
I received the Semogue 2000 last night. It had no funky smell. Just to jump start the tips of the hairs splitting, I palm lathered with Proraso Red for about 5 minutes, shook it out, and put it up to dry overnight. This morning it was dry, and smelled like my badger brush, which has been been in use for 2 years.

I look forward to using it tonight and letting you all know about the experience. Looking forward to it.
 
Hi everyone. I'm considering trying a boar brush. I've had nothing but a badger brush for more than 2 years and I like it very much. I've looked on eBay and notice a large amount of "boar" brushes that look exactly like my badger. Before I started looking, I noticed the vast majority of boar is yellowish and solid in color. My question is, is there boar that looks like badger, i.e., yellowish on the bottom, then a ring of brown/black, then yellowish again on top? Hope that's clear. Instead of making this post eternally long, perhaps I can answer any questions you have for clarification.

Thanks, all.
There is an Omega 10218 brush among my brushes. This is a badger effect model. In the photo, she is the first on the right.



 
I used the Semogue 2000 tonight and picked up some differences between boar and badger. Although the brush was sufficiently loaded with soap, after the first pass it gave off no more foam. That was fixed easily enough by loading the brush again. I like the increased backbone the brush provides. Very comfortable.
 
I used the Semogue 2000 tonight and picked up some differences between boar and badger. Although the brush was sufficiently loaded with soap, after the first pass it gave off no more foam. That was fixed easily enough by loading the brush again. I like the increased backbone the brush provides. Very comfortable.
They take a little while to break in, longer than badger. Once they do they won’t hog soap like they do during a break in. Once you see the tips split, you’re mostly there. Just give it a full dry cycle after use. I live in hot and humid and a 24hr dry has almost always been enough for me
 
I let my boars soak quite a bit before loading and keep it more on the wetter side when in use.
My method of use is to hold (pinch) the bristle at the base of the knot and kind of fan it out with my thumb and index finger.
This allows me to make a luxe (and wetter) lather that lasts multiple takes to the face without having to reload. But, I've never
expressed an issue with having to revisit the soap with the brush - it is what it is.

full

10/3/24 with the Semogue Torga C5
 
I would swirl the brush around in a coffee mug of warm water with a shot of gentle dishwashing liquid for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly. You should soak a boar for a few minutes in warm water before using. Unlike badger, boar bristles soak up water.

While I am at it, I will plug the Semogue Torga C5 boar for a scrubbier experience.
 
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