Help me boar myself

[will_i_ockham]

I have been wet shaving for over a year now and have never used a boar brush. I have been thinking about picking one up to add to the arsenal, but am not sure what to look for as far as knot size.

I am pretty much exclusively a face latherer and prefer brushes with more backbone. Most of my current badger brushes have a loft of 50mm and I prefer 2 bands (not sure that matters here). What knot sizes should I be looking for?

 

[gosiaopus1]

I have an Omega Pro (the large one with plastic hadle ion red, black or white I think, with a black ring around the knot), for $9 it made me put all of my badgers aside for good. It is floppy, great backbone, broke in nicely, soft feel on the skin, makes great lots of lather in a bowl. Should have found that one way earlier and saved big.

 

[mistercitizen]

I have the Semogue 620, 830 and SOC boars and I face lather with all of them. I'd say the SOC is my favorite, but it is bigger and has a longer handle than the other two. The handle is extremely comfortable though and suits face lathering very well even though it is long. The 830 is my next favorite.... it's the in between size of the three. Personally I don't think that you can lose with any of them.

Ben

 

[azshooter40]

Not sure of a specific loft but the Omega 10066 is great for face lathering. I prefer it because it is smaller and lets you work the lather in more when face lathering. The loft for that is 56mm. Once it is broken in it is very soft and great with creams and soaps. Plus, for $9 you cannot beat it. Smaller in size but easy to manage.

 

[SteveWY]

Great suggestions already. I have 3 Semogues and there are so many choices its really all personal preference. IMO, picking a Semougue is like picking a kitten... just reach in and grab one! For Semogue boars I would vote for the 620, 830, 1305, 1800 or SOC. Some think the SOC is a little on the large size for face-lathering.

I would be remiss if I didn't put in a heary plug for the Badger & Blade Essential Boar from West Coast Shaving! It has a dense packed knot yet soft tips. I have two of them and honestly I could use just the B&BEB forever and be happy. $20!

There are several nice Omegas that can be had for about $10.

 

[hillcpa]

The only 100% boar I have is the Semogue 620. I have a Kent synthetic just for kicks and an Omega Mighty Midget (half boar) for travel, but if I could pick only one brush, it would be the 620. Some people find it a little small, but for me, it's the perfect size for face lathering.

 

[gus1942]

I have the Semogue 620, 830 and SOC boars and I face lather with all of them. I'd say the SOC is my favorite, but it is bigger and has a longer handle than the other two. The handle is extremely comfortable though and suits face lathering very well even though it is long. The 830 is my next favorite.... it's the in between size of the three. Personally I don't think that you can lose with any of them.

Ben

Ben, I also face lather with those three plus the 1800 and An Omega 49. I've got a grand invested in shaving brushes and shave with $9-$40 brushes. SBAD is a shaver's most ludicrous malady.

Gus

 

[will_i_ockham]

Thanks for the suggestions so far! I am leaning towares a Semogue.

Is there a difference in performance between the banded and unbanded knots or is it just an aesthetic?

 

[intotheforge]

aesthetic only. I have both banded and unbanded and I prefer the unbanded simply because it seems more natural.

 

[Antique Hoosier]

Italian barbers choose Omega Pro

 

[California Cajun]

I have been wet shaving for over a year now and have never used a boar brush. I have been thinking about picking one up to add to the arsenal, but am not sure what to look for as far as knot size.

I am pretty much exclusively a face latherer and prefer brushes with more backbone. Most of my current badger brushes have a loft of 50mm and I prefer 2 bands (not sure that matters here). What knot sizes should I be looking for?

I have an Omega 10005 boar brush and really like it. Great buy for $15. http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/om10bobrwi.html

 

[grump]

I enjoy boars and badgers for face lathering and also pretty much own all two bands. I would recommend the Semogue 620 for the face. The shorter loft is nice for working in the lather and does not splay too much. I liked it so much I bought another.

 

[BigFoot]

My go to for face lathering has become the B&B Essential Boar. If John is out I have an inside source telling me more will be arriving.

 

[oldtrout]

For face-lathering I'd pick the Semogue 610. If you plan to bowl lather as well, the SOC or B&B Omega are hard to beat.

 

[Reevers]

Semogue 830... Man those tips are soft when broken in!

 

[djh]

I have and enjoy a Semogue 620 as well as the B&B Essential. I tried the Omega 49 and although it was a good brush, it didn't suit me as well.

 

[Snargle]

I love my badger brushes but am becoming seduced by boar brushes lately. The Omega Pro 49 is a big brush but it works surprisingly well for face lathering. The B&B Essential brush is probably a better size. Mine is just breaking in but it's great just out of the box.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Use boar brushes only sporadic, but the two I have are great: one is a vintage Rooney in a butterscotch handle, it has very soft, nearly badger like, tips. The other is a Semogue 1305, nice backbone but also soft tips. Great brushes!

 

[Lucidor]

Out of my meagre experience, both 10066 and SOC boar are good brushes. If you have no beard, then go with SOC for face lathering, it's great, and almost a tad floppy compared to other boars. If you don't have room for the Herculean size of the SOC on your face - go with 10066, which is soft on the tips, and stiffer than the SOC.

 

[ailevin]

My regular brush is an Omega Pro 49 which I like very much and have used primarily for bowl lathering. It seemed a bit large and hard to control as I started experimenting with face lathering, so I just started breaking in a new smaller brush yesterday. It is an Omega 10275 ($10 from WCS) with a 22mm knot and 47mm loft so it is considerably smaller and more precise. It is a little too early to judge the softness as I have only used it twice, but I like the shape and size of the handle (cheap but very functional like my Pro). I have been using it for face lathering but it works fine in a bowl (I use a fairly wide latte cup). It is a better sized knot for me when face lathering. It doesn't splay much at all unless I want it to, and it puts the lather right where I want it, even while working it up. If I load it using Marco'c method it holds enough lather for three passes + touch up. This is compared to the 49 which holds enough lather to shave a small village. I know it seems blasphemous to talk about too much lather, and I have no interest in saving soap at the moment, but using Marco's method with the 49 gave me an unmanageable amount of lather. I ended up doing more fingertip massaging than brush massaging once the lather formed up. With the 49 I now use less water and load for less time.

Alan