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How boars break in

I've got a new to me, one test palm lather, Omega Essential 10th anniversary boar brush. It is very usable in it's un broken in state, so my plan is just to shave it into shape and enjoy the transition.

I have a well broken in Omega 10104 , five years plus starting at already broken in, that shows almost zero split ends, yet has extremely soft tips that are almost all tapered to fine points.

I posit that after the boar bristles split, that the weaker side of the split eventually breaks off leaving a tapered end to the bristle.

Time will tell but I'm having fun watching the bristle ends change over time and use. I already see more split ends after the first shave.
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
Pics, man! :taz: If you're going to have a thread about a boar's break-in, you're gonna need pics! :a30:

:lol1:
 
I've got a new to me, one test palm lather, Omega Essential 10th anniversary boar brush. It is very usable in it's un broken in state, so my plan is just to shave it into shape and enjoy the transition.

I have a well broken in Omega 10104 , five years plus starting at already broken in, that shows almost zero split ends, yet has extremely soft tips that are almost all tapered to fine points.

I posit that after the boar bristles split, that the weaker side of the split eventually breaks off leaving a tapered end to the bristle.

Time will tell but I'm having fun watching the bristle ends change over time and use. I already see more split ends after the first shave.

Congrads on the new brush,but it really should take that long to break in a brush lol!
 
The Omega 10th anniversary brush is one of my favorites. It certainly is a premium brush. It does feel broken in after just a couple of uses.
ATT_bowl.JPG
 
I guess that what I'm trying to confirm is that after the bristles split that they eventually shed one of the split ends becoming single tapered bristles. I also wanted to break the brush in with just normal use. Today's shave did indeed feel a bit softer than yesterday's.
 
Looks like they break in differently all the types. My Red Semogue 610 that are 7 years old and still have lots of split ends and looks a little like the picture there. Just more worn :).
 
My SOC has some hairs that have split into three ends, so I don't know if one side breaks off or not. What I do know is it is a great brush that started to break in after about ten or fifteen uses and continued to split and soften for quite a while after that. It is now quite soft; like feathers.
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
@bluesman 7 After many years of use, my Sue version of this brush (2013) still has oodles of split hairs. I have no idea if any of those splits have broken away to freedom over the years, but the brush is still super soft today.
 
My soft as a feather Omega 10104 has over 1800 shaves on it and hardly a split end to be found. I wish I had paid more attention when it was less used. I think it did show many split ends at one time, but I couldn't say for sure. I guess I never expected it to change.

None of this matters of course. Just a muse.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I've got a new to me, one test palm lather, Omega Essential 10th anniversary boar brush. It is very usable in it's un broken in state, so my plan is just to shave it into shape and enjoy the transition.

I have a well broken in Omega 10104 , five years plus starting at already broken in, that shows almost zero split ends, yet has extremely soft tips that are almost all tapered to fine points.

I posit that after the boar bristles split, that the weaker side of the split eventually breaks off leaving a tapered end to the bristle.

Time will tell but I'm having fun watching the bristle ends change over time and use. I already see more split ends after the first shave.
I have a 10048 with 10 years of daily use. Probably over 3,000 shaves on it and it is SOFT! I just got a new 48 and 49 I’m breaking in just by using them. Same knot but I really like the ergonomics of the 49. The 49 is a little ahead of the new 48 because I’m using it more. As inexpensive as Omegas are, they are tops.
 
i have that same brush, and yes, after only 1 month you can see split ends
What I'm asking is 'after 3000 shaves are the split ends still intact, or have they reduced themselves to single ended bristles'? I know that the beginning part of the break in is split ends.
 
Looks like they break in differently all the types. My Red Semogue 610 that are 7 years old and still have lots of split ends and looks a little like the picture there. Just more worn :).

@bluesman 7 After many years of use, my Sue version of this brush (2013) still has oodles of split hairs. I have no idea if any of those splits have broken away to freedom over the years, but the brush is still super soft today.
Any estimate of numbers of uses. X years old doesn't really mean much. The edges of my down hill skis have stayed sharp for over a decade. :001_tt2:

I was just comparing my 1800+ shaves 10104 bristles to the B&B brush [4 shaves] and the ends of the 10104 are much much thinner with very few splits. Doesn't mean much as it is a different brush from a different era, but it does support my idea that the bristles keep splitting and then shedding the weaker sides of the splits.

Maybe this only happens to my boars for some reason. I do use the same brush every day and dry it with a towel. I have found a split black bristle on the B&B that I can relocate. I'm going to keep an eye on it to see if it sheds a side at some point.

The B&B has gotten a lot softer in just 4 shaves.:001_smile
 
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rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
Went through the logs of the 365-shave threads and the # of uses so far on my B&B Essential boar is 835.
 
Any estimate of numbers of uses. X years old doesn't really mean much. The edges of my down hill skis have stayed sharp for over a decade. :001_tt2:

I was just comparing my 1800+ shaves 10104 bristles to the B&B brush [4 shaves] and the ends of the 10104 are much much thinner with very few splits. Doesn't mean much as it is a different brush from a different era, but it does support my idea that the bristles keep splitting and then shedding the weaker sides of the splits.

Maybe this only happens to my boars for some reason. I do use the same brush every day and dry it with a towel. I have found a split black bristle on the B&B that I can relocate. I'm going to keep an eye on it to see if it sheds a side at some point.

Totally agree and get what you are saying years vs. usage. I have some winter running shoes with ice-spikes. 5 Years old. Used under 10 times :) .
The Semogue 610 have been used cirka 1200+ Shaves probably. I have only the 610 and an eBay badger that I use every other day. Think the eBay badger knot might fall out of the handle soon. Bought the badger some months before the boar.
 
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Totally agree and get what you are saying years vs. usage. I have some winter running shoes with ice-spikes. 5 Years old. Used under 10 times :) .
The Semogue 610 have been used cirka 1200+ Shaves probably. I have only the 610 and an eBay badger that I use every other day. Think the eBay badger knot might fall out of the handle soon. Bought the badger some months before the boar.
IMG_20190508_221756.jpg
 
Thanks @olegunnar , looks like lots of split ends on that one. And @rockviper says he can see lots of split ends on his B&B.

Like I said, 'maybe it's something about the way I use the brush.' The splits do occur, but I'm pretty convinced that they then shed one or more of the branches on my Omega boars.
 
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