What's new

Help Needed - Semogue Boar or Badger

linty1

My wallet cries.
I would throw a +1 into the SOC boar pile, love mine, great performer, so soft, nice handle on the hands with good length. I got mine from Portuguese Factory.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CCS
I just received my SOC Boar Taj direct from Portugal just now. Looks good and doesn't stink. I think I paid $35 for it shipped to the USA. Far better deal than buying from a USA reseller.
 
Semogue Badger is lovely... another option is the TataraxSemogue badger brush (24mm x 50mm knot)



Screenshot 2022-09-09 at 11.58.04.png
 
@ashwinbalachandran - First, great decision to buy a Semogue. Second, you need a Semogue brush for the simple reason that Semogue makes terrific brushes.

My recommendation is you start with a SOC 2-band finest or SOC mistura. Both are excellent brushes. The 2-band finest will not require any breaking in. The mistura will. My mistura took something like 25 shaves to soften up, after which it became an absolute pleasure to use.

Semogue boars come in a wide range of sizes and hair grades. Do you have any boar brushes? Do you have a preference for knot size?
 
@ashwinbalachandran - First, great decision to buy a Semogue. Second, you need a Semogue brush for the simple reason that Semogue makes terrific brushes.

My recommendation is you start with a SOC 2-band finest or SOC mistura. Both are excellent brushes. The 2-band finest will not require any breaking in. The mistura will. My mistura took something like 25 shaves to soften up, after which it became an absolute pleasure to use.

Semogue boars come in a wide range of sizes and hair grades. Do you have any boar brushes? Do you have a preference for knot size?
Hi there frank!

Thanks for this! This seems to be the consensus! I am really tilting towards the 2 band finest! They are very well priced compared to their isle of mann and german counter parts :)

I am also wondering if i should bite the bullet and buy the silvertip. A silvertip will have less back bone than the finest/2 band?

I currently have a synthetic brush but would love to experience a badger :)
 
Hi there frank!

Thanks for this! This seems to be the consensus! I am really tilting towards the 2 band finest! They are very well priced compared to their isle of mann and german counter parts :)

I am also wondering if i should bite the bullet and buy the silvertip. A silvertip will have less back bone than the finest/2 band?

I currently have a synthetic brush but would love to experience a badger :)

I don't have any silvertip Semogue brushes. My guess is the silvertip will have a tad less backbone than the 2-band finest. My advice is to resist the urge to also buy the silvertip and save your money for something more different than the SOC 2-band finest - like a mistura or a boar.

You can always buy the silvertip later. It's not like they will stop making the brush.

I have now tried almost every wood-handled Semogue. The SOC boar contains a crazy amount of hair. Almost too much for me. The painted wood handles have a reputation for the paint cracking/chipping, though I have a 1305 with paint like cryptonite. The 2000 is a wonderful boar that on paper is a bit of an anomaly with its high loft, but it really works. A large brush that doesn't feel that big. The 1407 has become one of my favorite brushes. The 1407 is small but punches above its weight. The 1407 feels great in my hand and has become my go-to brush for tallow-based soaps.

My advice is to buy the 2-band finest SOC and throw a 1407 into your cart, and then reevaluate after a couple of months.
 
One more. I recently bought a Simpson 22 mm KH4 Manchurian (special order) for what I thought was a fair price. Not cheap but fair. The Simpson Manchurian takes backbone/firmness to the next level beyond Semogue 2-band finest and Shavemac 2-band silvertip. The Simpson Manchurian is prickly/scritchy. Apparently, it will soften some with time.

Again, I would resist the urge to buy a bunch of brushes that are very close in style and evaluate a smaller number before venturing into the other parts of the galaxy.
 
One more. I recently bought a Simpson 22 mm KH4 Manchurian (special order) for what I thought was a fair price. Not cheap but fair. The Simpson Manchurian takes backbone/firmness to the next level beyond Semogue 2-band finest and Shavemac 2-band silvertip. The Simpson Manchurian is prickly/scritchy. Apparently, it will soften some with time.

Again, I would resist the urge to buy a bunch of brushes that are very close in style and evaluate a smaller number before venturing into the other parts of the galaxy.
You are a very wise man sir! I will follow your advice!
 
I am interested in purchasing a brush from Semogue. I have the following option

SOC Boar at 40 euros
SOC Finest Badger at around 70 euros
SOC Silvertip Badger at 100 euros

Where did you find the SOC silvertip? I've only seen the C5 Torga in silvertip.

My favourite brush is a SOC finest two-band but also own a finest mixture.
 
No worries, just wanted to check if I'm missing out.

If you are in Europe all the brushes you listed can be found for less, i.e. the C5 Torga is 77 Euros for me. What brushes are you using now?
 
I think Frank Shaves gave you some excellent advice.
There is however one aspect I want to emphasize that Frank only mentioned in passing.

What kind of shaving brushes do you own so far?
If you have not used boar brushes before, I would choose one of the Semogues (100%) boars, as it will introduce you to a different kind of brush that you may find very much to your liking once the brush is broken in.

If you are not familiar with boar brushes, I would NOT choose a Mixtura.
They are fine brushes in their own right, but a 100% boar brush would better familiarize you with the characteristics of this type of hair. To my way of thinking a SOC (my Semogue “Standard”) or Torga C5 (shorter loft than SOC, thus more backbone) would offer an excellent introduction to boar brushes.


I believe that outside of the Mediterranean area boar brushes are often not given the respect they deserve.
There is a whole new world beyond badger brushes waiting to be discovered… :thumbup:


Good luck with whatever brush you choose…



B.
 
Last edited:
My advice is to buy the 2-band finest SOC and throw a 1407 into your cart, and then reevaluate after a couple of months.

I started looking up this Semogue 1407, but information is hard to come by; e.g. my usual Spanish source for Semogues doesn’t list a Semogue 1407 and neither do other sellers.

Do you have any more information on this brush (e.g. image, description, reviews, availability)?
You see, I am always interested in things that punch above their weight… :a11:



B.
 
In post #2, I suggested getting the Semogue SOC Finest badger and the C5 Torga boar. Those are two of the best IMHO, but if you like the shape of the SOC handle, you might like the 1250 boar in place of the C5 Torga. The 1250 resembles a smaller version of the SOC boar. The SOC boar blooms out to a huge ball of boar hair, so I prefer the smaller Semogue boars.
 
I bought my 1470 (not 1407) from Portuguese Factory:


Thanks, that explains it even though you had written three times “1407” in that post.
But going towards 70, I know only too well about such moments. :glare:


B.
 
Top Bottom