Boar Brush Problem (sorta)

[poppi]

I have tried several different boar brushes from Omega/Semouge/Zenith, etc. All have been 24/26 x 55ish. And I've liked none of them BUT I wanted to. They just didn't work for me and not sure why except they might have been to small.

What are y'all thoughts on the larger boar brush like the Omega 48? Would they perform better and maybe give what I'm looking for which is a good feeling, good lathering and one that I would want to keep?

Thanks in advance and enjoy those shaves

 

[Garry357]

Hi @poppi

I have the Omega Pro 48.
Once broken in it is easily my favorite brush. It is quite large I always bowl lather so it's a good size for me.

It took me 4-5 days to break-in. Although I was also using it during this time.
I used the towel dry method to break-in. Soak overnight, towel rub dry, then soak for 4 hours and repeat for a few days.

Once the hairs split, they become really soft but still have full backbone.

Remember, you will need to soak for 15 minutes before use, or the brush hold all the lather and not release it.

 

[sanookd]

I have tried several different boar brushes from Omega/Semouge/Zenith, etc. All have been 24/26 x 55ish. And I've liked none of them BUT I wanted to. They just didn't work for me and not sure why except they might have been to small.

What are y'all thoughts on the larger boar brush like the Omega 48? Would they perform better and maybe give what I'm looking for which is a good feeling, good lathering and one that I would want to keep?

Thanks in advance and enjoy those shaves

I own an Omega48 and in fact I posted it yesterday in Straight Razor SOTD.
It lathers like a monster which is probably why so many Italian barbers use them. The only negative I have is the lack of backbone. If you apply the lather while holding the brush at the handle it might prove to be too floppy for you. On the other hand if you choke up on the handle and grasp the bristles while applying the lather that becomes less of an issue. I hope that helps you. In any case the brushes are not terribly expensive if you buy one and don’t like it.

 

[Jayson74]

Some boar brushes can take many lathers before they are fully broken in.

My Semogue 1250 took at least 25 or 30 shaves before it felt like it wasn't changing.

 

[Paulastoria]

I have tried several different boar brushes from Omega/Semouge/Zenith, etc. All have been 24/26 x 55ish. And I've liked none of them BUT I wanted to. They just didn't work for me and not sure why except they might have been to small.

What are y'all thoughts on the larger boar brush like the Omega 48? Would they perform better and maybe give what I'm looking for which is a good feeling, good lathering and one that I would want to keep?

Thanks in advance and enjoy those shaves

I own 15 boar brushes and my favorite is a "whipped dog" 30mm

 

[bmiller3230]

I think its important to ask if you are bowl lathering or face lathering. In general, I like larger brushes for the bowl and smaller for the face

 

[bmiller3230]

I think its important to ask if you are bowl lathering or face lathering. In general, I like larger brushes for the bowl and smaller for the face

That said, I like my Semogue SOC Boar (24 mm) for face lathering and my badgers for bowl, but they are also larger

 

[musicman1951]

Some boar brushes can take many lathers before they are fully broken in.

My Semogue 1250 took at least 25 or 30 shaves before it felt like it wasn't changing.

I think my Semogue SOC boar brushes took more like 50 lathers before they were completely broken in. They also grew in width (splayed) considerably during that process.

 

[WThomas0814]

Semogue SOC (24x55) are my favorite boars, but, the Pegasus (26.5x55) is good as well.

Have you tried larger Zeniths? The 507 series is 27.5x57, the bleached are pretty soft out of the box, unbleached takes more time to break in. Another option is the Connaught Omega Jade or Ivory (26x53, if I remember correctly).

I need to clarify, I think…. I’ve never had an issue with the stiffness or scritchiness of new brushes, no matter the brand. I will enthusiastically face lather with a brand new boar and have no irritation/burn and I consider my skin a bit sensitive (I use exclusively mild razors).

 

[JCinPA]

I have the 10049, which is yours in black. It also comes in red. Same brush. They call it the PRO for a reason, and it is supposedly the #1 brush with Italian barbers. Like @Garry357 it is my favorite brush along with a smaller cousin, a B&B Anniversary boar.

I have a little over a dozen brushes, boar, badger of various grades, and synthetics, and those two win the title of favorite walking away. Follow Garry’s advice in post #2, use it only ever other day (unlike synths and badgers these should dry for a day between uses) and soak it while you shower prior to a shave, these do absorb water. I mean the bristles, badger and synth do not.

In about 2 months of every other day shaves, you’ll likely have a brush you love. Luckily we do not have to choose but if I had to narrow it down to just 2 brushes, it would be these two boars. I’d want to rotate them every other day, but other than that these would be my “desert island brush”.

 

[Andris83]

I have tried several different boar brushes from Omega/Semouge/Zenith, etc. All have been 24/26 x 55ish. And I've liked none of them BUT I wanted to. They just didn't work for me and not sure why except they might have been to small.

What are y'all thoughts on the larger boar brush like the Omega 48? Would they perform better and maybe give what I'm looking for which is a good feeling, good lathering and one that I would want to keep?

Thanks in advance and enjoy those shaves

first you need to figure out what you don't like about them. a bigger omega feels similar in feel to a smaller omega knot in general.
how have you broken in your brushes? we'll know more when you have answered these questions.

 

[JCinPA]

The bigger Omega knots are very different. Very, very different. You may not find you like it, that’s to be determined, but the 10049-10048 series are very different from what you’ve tried. Not even close, except they are all boars.

 

[taiga]

After solely using synthetics for about a month and a half, I recently came back to my Omega 48 pro... and I miss my synthetics. All brushes will work, but some better than others based on your personal preferences. Can you pinpoint a reason as to why you didn't like the boars you tried? I find the boar is more finicky and time consuming to use... that being said I am interested in getting a smaller size boar in the future.

 

[JCinPA]

I'm not the OP, but the only "problem" I've ever had with a boar is the length of time to break it in properly. Badgers and synths really don't require a break in.

Brushes are as YMMV as blades, I'm sure, but if you've used a large boar like the Omega Pro series for 60-90 shaves, it becomes a wonderful thing. Both my Omega 10049 and the B&B Anniversary brushes have hundreds of shaves on them, which is a big part of the reason I'm so partial to them. They take a little effort.

LOL, I go the other way, when I use synths, I miss my boars.

 

[poppi]

Thanks for all the replies/info. I decided to go with an Omega 20106 and see what happens. I'll try to keep y'all posted

 

[gdawg55]

I like the larger boar 27+ size knots. They seem to work better for me for some reason. The smaller knots tend to be too wimpy.

 

[Alex Jr]

LOL, I go the other way, when I use synths, I miss my boars.

Me too.

Actually mine are not even used anymore. Display only. I think I may give them to my baby boy to play around.

They all feel like a toy to me anyways.

 

[JCinPA]

It's funny, I do like my synths--I have 3, well 2 and1/2. The Yaqi Mysterious Space brush, the PAA Amber Aerolite, and a Muhle 23mm knot I'm going to put in an Ever Ready 100t handle. I like them.

But I also like my naturals, both boar and badger. I'd say in order of preference I like boar, then badger, then synth, but I probably use them all about equally these days.

 

[BurnFree]

There is an inherent variation with natural brushes...and then there are Italian boars. Sure, the size range can quickly be narrowed down based on personal preference, but the hunt for the perfect boar still comes down to trial and error. Fortunately this is easier on the wallet than it is with badgers.

Italian makers seem more concerned about building a good brush using the fibers in front of them rather than strictly adhering to published spec. It is hard to "prove" this without buying duplicates, but same-brand models that are similar on paper often perform strikingly differently, and are sometimes opposite of expectations (the 1-2mm shorter brush is/feels softer or bigger, etc). Even the density can vary, although an Omega is still pretty much an Omega and a Zenith is still a Zenith.

Coming from someone who has settled back onto ~24-26 x 57-60 boars, OP might enjoy a Razorock Blondie (a relabelled Zenith) in addition to the big Omegas. At 26x64mm (plastic, olive, or cherry handles), it still does everything I like about medium boars, but is significantly bigger at the business end without being floppy - easily twice the volume of soft tips. It is all Scrub, no Scritch, and releases lather easily due to the increased length...again, without being too floppy. It is too much brush for my needs, but offers a compromise between precision/soap consumption and the luxury of the professional Omegas. There is also the trend toward wide & short (or just plain short), which might appeal to someone looking for some Scritch.

YMMV...enjoy the process.

 

[Brutus]

I hardly ever use my two Pro Omega boar bushes (10098 and 10083).
When I reach for a boar it’s usually one of the Semogue SOCs or Torga C5s, or my Zeniths.


As a face latherer, Omega Pro brushes are too large for my taste.
I don’t dispute that Italian barbers may use them more than any other brushes, but shaving a guy in a chair is a different thing than shaving yourself looking into a mirror, and for professional barbers cost is more of a factor than for devoted shavers who don’t mind spending a bit more.

Lastly, unlike badger and synthetic shaving brushes, it can take quite a few cycles (using the brush and then letting it dry) before the boar brush is broken in and only then will it show its true capabilities.


B.