For what these workhorses cost, IF a $10 Omega 49 failed after five years, that brush would’ve cost roughly......a half-cent per shave with daily use!
The biggest bummer of a failed boar would be the process of breaking a fresh one: de-stinking, getting split tips, etc.
I have one boar that has been a huge PITA. Stinky, scratchy, ugly. But this brush, Omega 11126, has a great handle, doesn’t hog lather, and just works. 50 wet/dry cycles in and still not many split ends. If this thing after 150 shaves, became amazing, then the knot fell apart, I would not be thinking of the $17 I spent, I’d be pissed I had to do it all over again!