Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Beehive. Butterscotch.
It arrived today. I've already shampooed it, soaked it two hours in water, and shampooed it again. Maybe it will be dry enough to use in the morning.
Happy shaves,
Jim
H.L. Thater Premium Boar Brushes
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Beehive. Butterscotch.
It arrived today. I've already shampooed it, soaked it two hours in water, and shampooed it again. Maybe it will be dry enough to use in the morning.
Happy shaves,
Jim
White beehive handle Thater boar brush bought on the Bay, used w/stand. Brush is as good as any brush I have used. I do like the Thater 2 band Badger best though. No scritch at all with either though. Boar brush Looked new when I got it. I find not soaking it for more than 30 secs., leaves the brush with good backbone and plenty soft. Best boar brush I have even used and should improve with use. I have used many Boars including Semogue and Omega. Always wanted a shorter loft boar brush for less paintbrush sloppy soft feel. The Thater has--- that not a paintbrush not sloppy feel-- in Spades, IMHO! Nice handle too! Worth the price to me!
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- #83
I had a Thater 2 band Badger and I like the Boar much more. I soak mine in warm water for about 2 minutes. Works great. The best Boar brush I ever used. The Beehive handle is the best. Very comfortable to use. The Badger Thater I had had the octagon handle which I found to be too small for my liking.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I've not even used my Thater boar once yet since it just arrived today.
How long are the rest of you soaking yours?
I always soak my brushes from before I get into the shower until I get out, dry off and such, and begin building lather. I never time the process, but it's a few minutes.
Is this too long to soak this particular brush? I suppose I'll find out.
Happy shaves,
Jim
How long are the rest of you soaking yours?
I always soak my brushes from before I get into the shower until I get out, dry off and such, and begin building lather. I never time the process, but it's a few minutes.
Is this too long to soak this particular brush? I suppose I'll find out.
Happy shaves,
Jim
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- #85
I don't see a big difference in performance in regards to how long you soak it for. I find a big dense brush like this takes at least a minute to soak the whole knot. That still may not be necessary. Like you said, you have to find out for yourself. I would start at 2 minutes if I were you.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
One shave into using this brush and I'm thinking about selling it.
Some have said the brush has backbone, but I find it as floppy as a paint brush. Other than that it is okay. I expect it to become less scritchy and softer, and it is already pretty soft, but the floppy stuff is, I would think, unlikely to improve.
I am not impressed at all with this brush after using it once. I rather dislike it. I have other boars with a taller loft which have far more backbone.
Will I keep it? I don't know. It's hard to imagine how it could improve. At this point I'm very much unhappy that I listened to the glowing reviews. My $7 Omega Mighty Midget is a brush I like better than this $85 Thater.
I take 100% responsibility for buying the brush, and it has a truly lovely handle, but I wonder about the reviews describing backbone? Is my brush a lemon?
Happy shaves,
Jim
Some have said the brush has backbone, but I find it as floppy as a paint brush. Other than that it is okay. I expect it to become less scritchy and softer, and it is already pretty soft, but the floppy stuff is, I would think, unlikely to improve.
I am not impressed at all with this brush after using it once. I rather dislike it. I have other boars with a taller loft which have far more backbone.
Will I keep it? I don't know. It's hard to imagine how it could improve. At this point I'm very much unhappy that I listened to the glowing reviews. My $7 Omega Mighty Midget is a brush I like better than this $85 Thater.
I take 100% responsibility for buying the brush, and it has a truly lovely handle, but I wonder about the reviews describing backbone? Is my brush a lemon?
Happy shaves,
Jim
I used my Thater Boar yesterday and yes Virginia, it does have backbone and it's certainly not floppy at all. But every brush is unique and so is every face and every idea of what is floppy or backbone. But the important point is to find what YOU like and if it's not that Thater then it's not that Thater no matter what anyone else likes.
First see if you can return it and if not, then sell it and consider any price difference a rental fee.
AbE: I used my SOC today and I still think my Thater is far more than twice as nice as the SOC.
It's designed like a Thäter badger, particularly like a 2-band silvertip fan. I call that "plush" but some people find those badger brushes floppy. It all depends how you use it and what you are expecting. It's nowhere near as stiff as an Omega '49, so if you were expecting that kind of scrubby massage, this brush won't deliver. It's more like a larger SOC than an Omega. I think if you try using a lighter touch and lots of Soap it might grow on you. I think Buddha said "accept the brush for what it is, not for what you want it to be." Or maybe that was my friend Bill. Either way, good luck with it, I hope it ends up working out.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I use and am familiar with several two-band brushes and silvertip brushes. I also have some good boars, including a well broken in SOC. I have a variety (not a huge collection) of these badgers and boars.
This Thater doesn't feel to me at all like a two-band or a silvertip or any of my other boars (I have one other new boar I've not used and don't know what it will be like).
I have only one brush with less backbone and it is a super floppy silvertip. Its previous owner told me upfront it was only any good for creams.
Maybe I did get a lemon.
Happy shaves,
Jim
This Thater doesn't feel to me at all like a two-band or a silvertip or any of my other boars (I have one other new boar I've not used and don't know what it will be like).
I have only one brush with less backbone and it is a super floppy silvertip. Its previous owner told me upfront it was only any good for creams.
Maybe I did get a lemon.
Happy shaves,
Jim
- Thread starter
- #90
Still the best boar brush I ever had. I may buy a second one.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
If mine isn't a lemon, I really want to figure it out. I'll try soaking it very briefly next time.
My understanding has always been it's necessary to soak boars especially in order to not damage the bristles. The length of the soak seems to be generally the time it takes to shower (which is far from standard). The optimum time may vary with brushes, but I've never before encountered that as an issue.
If mine is a lemon I'm wasting any time I spend worrying about or dealing with it, but I'd be surprised if mine differs from anyone else's. So, there's a technique to it (like a short soak or a partial knot soak or something). Either that, or my brush is the same as the others, but we experience it differently. Backbone, yes. Or, backbone, no. Or, it breaks in and then it has a backbone.
Maybe there are other possibilities.
I've spent $85 on shoes that ended up never fitting right so I gave them away. No big deal, just a puzzle, and a disappointment so far.
Happy shaves in any case,
Jim
Hi Jim
based on what you've experienced and also based on what boar brushes you like it seems like we have some of the same brushes and this Thater is my favorite with the Proraso pro, SOC 860, 49 and I just got the Italian flag and it looks promising but haven't used it yet.
I've probably read at least 50 reviews of the Thater boar and I have not read one bad review yet so with that said I think you may have got a dud..it happens and I'd call the vendor and maybe he'll help you out. Your experience just doesn't line up with what most of us have experienced. Not saying that everyone is the same but so many good reviews on all the forums I belong to I'm starting to think there is something wrong with yours. I really don't think it's anything your doing wrong that is the reason it's not working for you. It's not like your a newbie...just saying I'd contact the vendor. For the money you spent you should be happy. If they won't take it back I'm sure it will sell in no time at all.
Good luck and I hope it all works out for you one way or the other.
Frank
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I love the brush, but I was hoping for more a bit more backbone. It is luxurious. The hairs started to explode, not split, after the third wash. It holds a boat load of lather, but doesn't fling it all over the bathroom. Zero scritch, and when pressed and splayed it feels wonderful. Near perfect, except I would like a bit of push back.
Are Thäter boars available for us European fellows or are we have to have them shipped overseas..?
- Thread starter
- #95
Go to BullGoose Shaving site and see what it says there.
Thanks[emoji108]
Give it time if you have the patience.
I've been using my Omega 10005 since April of last year every other day since I bought it. Its been my only brush until the other day.
It went through several stages during the time I've used it, but its really an excellent brush.
It started scratchy and stiff, even after a 5 minute soak in warm water it wouldnt even bloom. The the scratchy went away for a couple weeks and was replaced by floppy, as in flinging soap around the bathroom floppy. That lasted about a month. Then it started hogging the lather and was still a little too floppy for me, but I stayed with it.
It took maybe 4 months of being used every other day before it turned into a really fantastic brush and has only gotten better.
Now after a quick soak, the first nearly 1/2" of the tips turn snow white. Its soft as a cloud, has no scritch at all, decent backbone and only stops releasing lather when theres none left too release. A month or so ago only the first maybe 1/4" of the tips would turn white and its softer now than it was then, but hasnt given up any backbone.
As far as loading, using a Stirling soap takes about 15 seconds to easily give me enough lather for 3 full passes and 3 clean ups if need be. With Tabac, maybe 30 seconds loading if you like the lather thick. Thats with taking it out of the bowl its soaking in, giving it 3 firm shakes and into the soap.
If I add a bit of water after loading Tabac that long, I need a bigger bowl, and my bowl is 2 1/2"s deep and 6"s across the top.
With just a tiny bit of Captain's Choice cream and 15 seconds building a lather, this is what I get from it.
Remember, this is a brush that is under $20CAD.
I think some boars can take a long time to break in fully, but when they do they can be very nice. Provided you have the patience.
Nce write up!
After a glance on the site- not anything on European vendors selling the brushes...
Fascinating. One disadvantage of having a large collection is that boar brushes don't get the face time they deserve for proper break-in.
Jim: sorry, I never meant to imply that the brush feels like a Thäter badger, but that it is designed like one. Rather than stiff and scrubby it's designed to feel plush. I will say that I shampood, then soaked mine for a day with intermittent towel brushing prior to use. Even then it took a few shaves to loosen up, but after that it broke in very quickly. Anyway, I hope it works out for you.
