Who here uses boar brushes exclusively? What are your thoughts about them. I use boars for 90 percent of my shaves. I like the fact that the Omegas are so cheap and work so well. I don’t see myself ever buying another badger again.
Boar Brushes
- Thread starter razorhead63
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Not me. I used an Everready boar for the first 40 years of shaving. My father always wanted a badger, but you couldn’t find them and there was no internet. In 1977 I found a barber in Ashtabula, Ohio who could order one for me. My dad loved it.
In 2012 I finally bought a badger and for me there’s no looking back. I have a Semogue that I use occasionally, but I like the feel of badger. For me sensation is everything.
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Boars are what I use most of the time. Favorites are Semogue 1250, Semogue 620, Zenith B03-A26 and Omega 49. I have one badger, one horse, and three synthetics I rotate in, also. The boars excel with harder soaps.
I'm not sure I need any more brushes, really, but I might get another Zenith after this year's sabbatical. Maybe a Semogue 1470. We'll see.
I'm not sure I need any more brushes, really, but I might get another Zenith after this year's sabbatical. Maybe a Semogue 1470. We'll see.
I like them and boars are unbeatable from a value standpoint.
I have one badger that rarely gets used but it was a cheap one and really the only badger i have tried. I buy Boar brushes because they don't break the bank, most i would ever spend on a brush is maybe 60$ and that might make me feel guilty so probably more like 40+. Don't like synthetics for the same reason i don't like fake boobs. JMO
I only have one boar (Zenith) and use that about 1/4 of the time. I do love the extra scritch that the boar gives over badger and synthetic. While still wonderfully soft to boot.
My brush collection is roughly 20% synthetics, 40% boar and 40% badger. I use boar the most and by a wide margin.
I have really enjoyed boar and at this point I don’t see anything else becoming my favorite. Silvertips and synthetics are very very soft but I just don’t derive the joy and pleasure from using them like I do with boars. I will admit I like the two manchurian zenith badgers I have as they share some similarities in feel to boar, but they aren’t the same experience of boar as a whole.
I have a horse hair brush in transit. I don’t know what I expect from it but I wanted to try it nonetheless.
I was turned on to the zenith brushes by a few well known enablers here on the forum. I am thankful they took the time to sing the praises of this brand of brush. I also enjoy semogue boars nearly as much. I am the odd man overall in that I don’t much care for the omega boars. I just didn’t feel they were good enough quality in feel for my money, and the bristles just don’t break in the way I’d like them to. I tried the jade model that everyone raves about, and after 6 months of use, just could not find myself liking it. It worked well, but was just not a brush I enjoyed. There were a few other entry model omega boars I tried early on as well and my feelings were the same.
I have really enjoyed boar and at this point I don’t see anything else becoming my favorite. Silvertips and synthetics are very very soft but I just don’t derive the joy and pleasure from using them like I do with boars. I will admit I like the two manchurian zenith badgers I have as they share some similarities in feel to boar, but they aren’t the same experience of boar as a whole.
I have a horse hair brush in transit. I don’t know what I expect from it but I wanted to try it nonetheless.
I was turned on to the zenith brushes by a few well known enablers here on the forum. I am thankful they took the time to sing the praises of this brand of brush. I also enjoy semogue boars nearly as much. I am the odd man overall in that I don’t much care for the omega boars. I just didn’t feel they were good enough quality in feel for my money, and the bristles just don’t break in the way I’d like them to. I tried the jade model that everyone raves about, and after 6 months of use, just could not find myself liking it. It worked well, but was just not a brush I enjoyed. There were a few other entry model omega boars I tried early on as well and my feelings were the same.
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- #8
I use only 2 brushes now. Both are boars. I feel no need for any more.
I have a love affair with boars.
Okay, that sounds creepy.
I've never tried a Badger, and as cheap as I am I probably never will.
But, BIG BUT: I was gifted a handmade synthetic by and from @Graydog that has convinced me I'll only spend money on synths from now on. I face lather MOST of the time, and that brush feels like how a bear must feel when he uses his cartoon opposable thumb to rub toilet paper on his cheek doggone!
Okay, that sounds creepy.
I've never tried a Badger, and as cheap as I am I probably never will.
But, BIG BUT: I was gifted a handmade synthetic by and from @Graydog that has convinced me I'll only spend money on synths from now on. I face lather MOST of the time, and that brush feels like how a bear must feel when he uses his cartoon opposable thumb to rub toilet paper on his cheek doggone!
I have 2 synthetics and 1 boar. I use the boar almost daily for face shave. A 26mm syn for my headshave. I really prefer the boar and have larger boar on the way. As a budget shaver I don’t see a badger going on the shelf.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I used to use boar exclusively, but after the second one conked out, I now use synthetics exclusively.
I use boar a bunch. I used boar exclusively for years early in my wetshaving career after trying a ton of badgers and finding none satisfied like an Omega 10066. I feel a bit differently now, and I use Shavemac 2-band and some synthetics and am happy with them, but the reality is that the tactile feel of boar is still my favorite of any fiber or hair.
I normally reach for my Omega 10098 or my Zenith B25, but I have 7 boars, 1 badger, 1 horse, and 1 nylon. I am currently rotating through my brushes (not the nylon) with my preferred soaps to see if I have any reason to keep the non-boars and to see if some of my lesser liked boars might shine in a different light soap.
I've had a lot of pleasure using an Omega 11047 - "Mixed Midget" - Badger/Boar Shaving Brush.
I initially bought it for travel, but liked the blend of boar & badger so much I began using it all the time.
I believe that Simpson makes (or used to make) a mixed boar/badger too.
I have subsequently been using a synthetic for travel (they dry so quickly) but I still love the Omega 11047.
I initially bought it for travel, but liked the blend of boar & badger so much I began using it all the time.
I believe that Simpson makes (or used to make) a mixed boar/badger too.
I have subsequently been using a synthetic for travel (they dry so quickly) but I still love the Omega 11047.
Which zenith boar brush is best for face lathering, Could any gentleman give me some advice?
I hope my translation software works well
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I hope my translation software works well
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Which zenith boar brush is best for face lathering, Could any gentleman give me some advice?
I hope my translation software works well
This one, it's an Unbleached one. Great backbone and very scrubby.
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I've been wet shaving for around 4 years and I've owned synths, boars and the one badger, the latter lead to more irritation than I could have foreseen and was sold.
I keep on returning to my Omega boars, the plain unbanded ones which are the cheapest brushes in my collection. They seem to suit my face, soaps, more than any others.
I do keep a few synths in my rotation, but after a day or two even though they are very easy to use I find they seem to hold the lather in the middle of the knot a little too much for my liking, I don't seem to have the same problem with my Omega boars.
I have the B03-A26 which is my recommendation for someone who doesn’t have strong preference for truckloads of backbone. This has backbone but is also able to splay enough as well and give some gentle scrub. I also have the XL copper super scrubby from the gentle shave, and this guys is all backbone all the time. You have to know that you like that kind of backbone before you start with this monster.Which zenith boar brush is best for face lathering, Could any gentleman give me some advice?
I hope my translation software works well
lastly, if you want something that feels very soft and verges in floppy, you can try the B02-A28, you can face lather with this but I would honestly put this in the hands of a bowl latherer. Face lathering is easily done with it, but it is messy. A great brush nonetheless.
Maybe I prefer the soft one,thank you my friend,thanks for you advice
I travel with synthetics. At home I face lather with a badger (SOC 2 band) and use both boar and badger in the scuttle (although it's 90% boar).
I occasionally use the Kent BK8 and the luxury is miles beyond my boar brushes. But it's a different beast and my current favorite for the scuttle is an SOC boar.
You can get a very fine synthetic or boar for very little money, and a bunch of great ones for a reasonable amount. A great badger is going to set you back some coin, although I think the SOC badger is a fine brush for considerably less than $100 if you shop.
Not that my brush collection is huge, but I wouldn't want to limit myself to one type.
I occasionally use the Kent BK8 and the luxury is miles beyond my boar brushes. But it's a different beast and my current favorite for the scuttle is an SOC boar.
You can get a very fine synthetic or boar for very little money, and a bunch of great ones for a reasonable amount. A great badger is going to set you back some coin, although I think the SOC badger is a fine brush for considerably less than $100 if you shop.
Not that my brush collection is huge, but I wouldn't want to limit myself to one type.
This.
I've gotten back into boar with a Semogue 610. I use badger, horse, and synthetics equally and now have reintroduced the boar. I just like the variety.
