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Badger lover considering a badger/boar mix - Survivable? Sacrilege?

I am a dyed-in-the-wool, backbone-loving, unapologetic high end badger guy, Rooney, Shavemac DO1, Manchurian, Zenith, Semogue Finest LE, etc.
I've sold off modest collection of 40 or so brushes and have the 3 remaining in avatar. P1080530.jpg
Love these brushes but find myself getting the itch to add another brush.

Since I love my 2011 Semogue LE Finest I started thinking I might try their SOC Taj Finest Badger, when lo and behold I espied their SOC "Mistura" Badger/Boar mix.
For you folks who have used both type knots (and LOVE Badger) is the Mistura mix worth a shot? Or am I destined to be disappointed if I stray from my badger path?
All opinions, experiences welcome. Thanks
 
Hmmm...

I love the mixed Semogue knot. It's scrubby and feels dense on the face, but it yields lather better than denser badgers. The initial break-in took time, and there was a touch of coarseness during that period, but since then, just lots of good lather and outstanding feel.

There is a glue bump that eventually annoyed me too much. I am about to sell the brush and the redundant backup I bought (and I seldom like a brush enough to buy a backup...like two other brushes in 12 years). So take that for what it's worth.
 
I haven’t used Semogue’s mistura knot, but I own Omega’s mixed midget and a custom handle I set with a mistura. My only badgers are a Plisson and a Duke in best. Really I’m a boar believer.

With that introduction out of the way, you should not expect the SOC mistura to be a ’badger variant’ or ‘badger plus’.

If you want to branch out and try something new, I’m sure it is a fine brush and will live up to Semogue reputation. It just won’t resemble a badger, especially not a top end badger.

Do you dislike boars? I like Semogue’s, as do most boar users who try one.
 
I haven’t used Semogue’s mistura knot, but I own Omega’s mixed midget and a custom handle I set with a mistura. My only badgers are a Plisson and a Duke in best. Really I’m a boar believer.

With that introduction out of the way, you should not expect the SOC mistura to be a ’badger variant’ or ‘badger plus’.

If you want to branch out and try something new, I’m sure it is a fine brush and will live up to Semogue reputation. It just won’t resemble a badger, especially not a top end badger.

Do you dislike boars? I like Semogue’s, as do most boar users who try one.
Great info, thank you.
To answer your Q, I never did warm up to boar or synth knots I tried. Probably the best of ‘em was the Semogue 1305 but even that didn’t remain with me for long.
 
Hmmm...

I love the mixed Semogue knot. It's scrubby and feels dense on the face, but it yields lather better than denser badgers. The initial break-in took time, and there was a touch of coarseness during that period, but since then, just lots of good lather and outstanding feel.

There is a glue bump that eventually annoyed me too much. I am about to sell the brush and the redundant backup I bought (and I seldom like a brush enough to buy a backup...like two other brushes in 12 years). So take that for what it's worth.
Excellent info. Love scrubby and dense (my wife might say that describes me, lol) and good lather a winner 👍🏻.
May have to give mix a try. Butterscotch or Ivory resin, hmm 🤔 decisions, decisions :)
Appreciate your insights.
 
I haven’t used Semogue’s mistura knot, but I own Omega’s mixed midget and a custom handle I set with a mistura. My only badgers are a Plisson and a Duke in best. Really I’m a boar believer.

With that introduction out of the way, you should not expect the SOC mistura to be a ’badger variant’ or ‘badger plus’.

If you want to branch out and try something new, I’m sure it is a fine brush and will live up to Semogue reputation. It just won’t resemble a badger, especially not a top end badger.

Do you dislike boars? I like Semogue’s, as do most boar users who try one.

I have also had the mixed midget. it's made with pure badger bristles and I found them to be annoyingly poky and sharply tipped, like another pure I've tried. I haven't looked at the Mistura, or any of their historic mistura offerings but I doubt it would give as poky or scrubby a face feel.

to the OP, I'd pay greater heed to the members who have actually tried the brush you ask about, while remembering still... face feel is purely subjective.
 
I have also had the mixed midget. it's made with pure badger bristles and I found them to be annoyingly poky and sharply tipped

I have to +1 this, with the caveat that, in use only as a travel brush my mixed midget is not fully broken in. I should travel more!
 
I haven’t tried their newer mixed brushes, but the barbera Classico or whatever LE was my #2 brush for years. I actually stopped using it in favor of the maggard/apshave mixed knots because it softened up so much that I missed the scrubby action.

Great brushes.
 
I too am a badger aficionado. But I must say the SOC Mistura is a must-have in the rotation. It provides a pleasant change of pace; scrubby but not scritchy, with great flow thru and latherability. Also fun is how that knot evolves and breaks in over time. It’s a mainstay in my roster (and the handle is just about perfect ergonomically).
 
I too am a badger aficionado. But I must say the SOC Mistura is a must-have in the rotation. It provides a pleasant change of pace; scrubby but not scritchy, with great flow thru and latherability. Also fun is how that knot evolves and breaks in over time. It’s a mainstay in my roster (and the handle is just about perfect ergonomically).

Exactly


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I too am a badger aficionado. But I must say the SOC Mistura is a must-have in the rotation. It provides a pleasant change of pace; scrubby but not scritchy, with great flow thru and latherability. Also fun is how that knot evolves and breaks in over time. It’s a mainstay in my roster (and the handle is just about perfect ergonomically).
Great answer, very helpful. Thank you
 
I'm trading another guy for his ApShaveCo 24mm Mix badger/boar so I'll be able to chime in on this discussion. Excited to try it out and hopefully it's not too scritchy.
 
I only had badger brushes until I bought an Omega 10083. Now I have a semogue on the way. There's just something about a boar brush. If you want to try just a boar brush, I can't recommend the Omega 10083 enough.
 
View attachment 1105792

Plus, the SOC Mistura comes in a pretty butterscotch!

I've ordered one. This ^ one.


View attachment 1105794

I want to see how it compares with my ^ Maggard 70/30.

The Mistura's ratio is different. It's 50/50.

Happy shaves,

Jim
Somehow Jim I knew you’d show up here, lol. Since you were primary motivator behind my Zenith Manchurian buy (quite a while ago), seems only fitting that I too am considering this exact b-scotch mistura.
Did you order from across pond - The Portuguese Factory??
thanks, marty
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Somehow Jim I knew you’d show up here, lol. Since you were primary motivator behind my Zenith Manchurian buy (quite a while ago), seems only fitting that I too am considering this exact b-scotch mistura.
Did you order from across pond - The Portuguese Factory??
thanks, marty

Yes, the PF. Free shipping. (Much higher prices though on eBay so go to the PF website).

Vintage Scents also has great prices, but I'm not sure what their shipping is. I am also not sure what they're talking about sometimes in their descriptions but their prices are maybe better than the PF. I'd have to know their shipping to be sure of anything.

Marty, I really like butterscotch, and believe these mixed knots have great potential. I am glad to have joined this party, and also the butterscotch party.

I've forgotten which Zenith Manchurian you got and whether you liked it. I see Zenith now has some brushes in butterscotch. I don't think Zenith has a brush in mixed boar and badger; none I've found anyway.

I'm on a gentlemanly restraint (no more brush purchases; several are on order) until the fall so I'm not tempted but I can still admire them. The restraint began yesterday; I've had a recent brush buying spree of considerable proportions and had to reign myself in.

The mistura reviews are universally great.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
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The Instigator
I have to +1 this, with the caveat that, in use only as a travel brush my mixed midget is not fully broken in. I should travel more!

I found the MM a lousy travel brush - takes too long to dry!

Cheap synth goes now.


AA
 
Vintagescent used to be active here, User was Leon. They were the go to place for semogue and many portugese and spanish products for a long time (I remember he'd often find products that people had trouble getting in the states and start carrying them... 444 aftershave balm sticks out in my memory), and I seem to remember shipping being quite reasonable. Haven't made a purchase from them in some time, but others might know if that is still the case.


As mentioned above, the Semogue mistura are truly great mixed brushes and made me fall in love with mixed brushes. The cheap mixed brushes like the MM and even the grosvenor (there are also several other lesser known ones) don't compare. I doubt you can go wrong with any of their mixed brushes, they seem to know the formula.

I've said this repeatedly because it bears repeating. The ONLY storebought (not custom) brush I'd take over my Semogue BC Mistura is my Rooney Finest. And those brushes sell for nearly $1000 these days... and I'm not selling mine... so that's how good that brush is.
 
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