New Semogue SOC, thoughts?

[Rustyshackelford]

1st lather after 2hr soak and rinse.

How are you liking the boar SOC in comparison to a badger brush? I just received my amazon delivery that was supposed to be the Boar SOC cherry wood, since I really want a good boar brush to break in and use for the long haul. Much to my surprise when I opened the SOC box, an SOC badger brush landed in my hand... I’m happy to have benefited from this error, but I still desire the SOC badger, and want to know if it’s worth laying out the dough once again?

 

[RiderX]

The SOC is a very nice brush and that sounds like a good deal. Just be aware it will 'bloom' into a larger size. If you face lather, it may be too big and rather soft. Something like a Semogue 610 or 620 would be a good face lathering brush. A Semogue 1250 or 1800 is versatile enough to do both face and bowl lathering. Note that a new 1250 is less than $15.

'Bloomed' SOC and a 620 still being broken-in:

View attachment 1054121

Wow! Sweet bloom! Reminds me of my 2nd ex wife.

 

[RiderX]

How are you liking the boar SOC in comparison to a badger brush? I just received my amazon delivery that was supposed to be the Boar SOC cherry wood, since I really want a good boar brush to break in and use for the long haul. Much to my surprise when I opened the SOC box, an SOC badger brush landed in my hand... I’m happy to have benefited from this error, but I still desire the SOC badger, and want to know if it’s worth laying out the dough once again?

All I've done so far is soak, rinse and make bowl lather so far.

 

[RiderX]

FYI, before I soaked them, I ran my thumb over the top to feel the hairs.
The SOC felt more dense and stiff than the Proraso. IMO.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

FYI, before I soaked them, I ran my thumb over the top to feel the hairs.
The SOC felt more dense and stiff than the Proraso. IMO.

Are the SOC hairs thicker than the Omega/proraso hairs? If so, my thoughts would be that the hairs on the SOC being thicker may split better or in multiples that would be a better brush once fully broken in.

 

[RiderX]

Are the SOC hairs thicker than the Omega/proraso hairs? If so, my thoughts would be that the hairs on the SOC being thicker may split better or in multiples that would be a better brush once fully broken in.

Yes, appears that way to me.

 

[RiderX]

This is really something, these Suckers are making really nice lather right out of the box. I rinsed them, was gonna let them dry, then grabbed them and did it again. No face or hand lathering, just making it in the bowl. I'm impressed so far, tomorrow is shave day, we shall see.

 

[Rosseforp]

The SOC is a very nice brush and that sounds like a good deal. Just be aware it will 'bloom' into a larger size. If you face lather, it may be too big and rather soft. Something like a Semogue 610 or 620 would be a good face lathering brush. A Semogue 1250 or 1800 is versatile enough to do both face and bowl lathering. Note that a new 1250 is less than $15.

'Bloomed' SOC and a 620 still being broken-in:

View attachment 1054121

I never cared for my Semogue 1800 for all of those reasons, plus it took forever to break in. Traded it for an Omega 49.
I just got a Semogue 620 and it shot to the top of my rotation immediately. It was splitting hairs after it's first use with MdC Agrumes and broke in after 3 uses. It doesn't look like it will hold enough lather for 3 passes, but it will.

 

[lancre]

How are you liking the boar SOC in comparison to a badger brush? I just received my amazon delivery that was supposed to be the Boar SOC cherry wood, since I really want a good boar brush to break in and use for the long haul. Much to my surprise when I opened the SOC box, an SOC badger brush landed in my hand... I’m happy to have benefited from this error, but I still desire the SOC badger, and want to know if it’s worth laying out the dough once again?

I assume you're asking if it's worth it to add an SOC Boar to the SOC Badger you already hold. I have both and love both. Of course they're different brushes, boar vs. badger after all, but they're both exemplary brushes. Keep both for a little variety in your shaves.

 

[Chevyguy]

Screw the overnight soak, 2hrs in the water. Made lather with the Dr. Harris Arlington and Proraso brush on the left, TOBS Sandalwood with the SOC on the right. I did NOT shampoo either brush, I DID soak and rinse them in warm and cool water before the lathering. Gonna let them sit in the lather for an hour or so then rinse,shake and let dry over night. Don't think I'll towel dry. Let's see how it goes.
Smells good, no nasty. [emoji41]

Semogue's don't really smell when they are new.

Clayton

Sent from my SM-A705U using Tapatalk

 

[The_SwampFox]

I thought buying a SOC for $30 on Amazon was great. I hope you have great shaves with them!

 

[RiderX]

I'm thinking of waiting on the other 2. Hold off and see how these turn out.

The handle on the SOC is beautiful. Outstanding feel. Close to perfect in my hand.

 

[RiderX]

I don't think you have to go to extremes for quick break-in. Soaking it for a few days is OK, just be careful since it has a wood handle, you don't want to damage that. Just soak the tips of the bristles. Palm lather with your less expensive soaps, then rinse and hang to dry. Repeat every two days for four or five times. Then just start using it.

People often complain a new boar brush "eats the lather" or does not lather well. To avoid this, remember these tips:

• Soak the brush at least 10 minutes to get the bristles fully saturated
• Leave the brush wet. Allow excess water to drip off, but don't press the water out or shake it
• Load your soap heavy

Learn to build lather with a wet brush, it will help a lot with a new boar brush.

I followed your instructions, outstanding results! Take a look at the pics I posted!
It's already blooming! Nice, Thanx for the input!

 

[RiderX]

I like a bunch of my boars.

View attachment 1055526

The Connaught Omega Premium Jade is the boar I think the best of mine (and I've tried a few).

The Mondial boars are excellent (the ones which looks like boars and not like fake badgers; see this post for photos).

I like my Zeniths, too, as well as the Proraso Pro (made by Omega). Really I like most all of my boars. The little Mighty Midget included (pictured ^).

The ones I've not liked so much have tended to be taller than 57 mm. I didn't like the Thater Premium either. Didn't like the Stirling boar.

I've done a ton of posts about boars so if you search...but this is the gist of it.

Happy shaves,

Jim

A beautiful thing!

 

[Rustyshackelford]

I assume you're asking if it's worth it to add an SOC Boar to the SOC Badger you already hold. I have both and love both. Of course they're different brushes, boar vs. badger after all, but they're both exemplary brushes. Keep both for a little variety in your shaves.

Yes, ordered the boar, received the badger. Hoping to hear good reports for the boar SOC and may try my luck again.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

My SOC boar arrived mid day yesterday. I noticed the density of the knot right away. I went ahead and soaked for 15 minutes, then gave myself a shave. Cleaned it up afterward drying on a towel, then decided to return to the brush scuttle for a soak. Left it in while the wife and I ran some errands. When we returned 3 or so hours later, I set forth with drying the brush on a fresh clean towel. The brush was pretty much dry in 20-30 minutes. I let it sit out for another hour before returning it to the scuttle for another soak. 2 hours later I repeated the process of drying on the towel once more. At the end of this step I could really see a difference in the loft and how much the brush was starting to bloom. Additionally, the bristles were starting to split.

The brush went back into the scuttle overnight, and got a quick 3 minute towel drying this morning. The newest development at this stage is the number of hairs in the center of the brush that have the slightest bit of split occurring. I think I’m done making a specific effort to break in this brush, and I will take it the rest of the way home through routine use.

I am not sure how much more I should expect this brush to break in from a visual standpoint. I am puzzled as to the number of folks who say this brush takes forever to break in or who say this brush has hard or stiff pointy bristles that poke at your face. the first shave 20minutes after it arrived produced no discomfort of the sort. And this far, I think this brush is showing a good willingness to break in nicely.

 

[sugardaddy]

Semogues have always broken in easily for me.

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[RiderX]

My SOC boar arrived mid day yesterday. I noticed the density of the knot right away. I went ahead and soaked for 15 minutes, then gave myself a shave. Cleaned it up afterward drying on a towel, then decided to return to the brush scuttle for a soak. Left it in while the wife and I ran some errands. When we returned 3 or so hours later, I set forth with drying the brush on a fresh clean towel. The brush was pretty much dry in 20-30 minutes. I let it sit out for another hour before returning it to the scuttle for another soak. 2 hours later I repeated the process of drying on the towel once more. At the end of this step I could really see a difference in the loft and how much the brush was starting to bloom. Additionally, the bristles were starting to split.

The brush went back into the scuttle overnight, and got a quick 3 minute towel drying this morning. The newest development at this stage is the number of hairs in the center of the brush that have the slightest bit of split occurring. I think I’m done making a specific effort to break in this brush, and I will take it the rest of the way home through routine use.

I am not sure how much more I should expect this brush to break in from a visual standpoint. I am puzzled as to the number of folks who say this brush takes forever to break in or who say this brush has hard or stiff pointy bristles that poke at your face. the first shave 20minutes after it arrived produced no discomfort of the sort. And this far, I think this brush is showing a good willingness to break in nicely.

Agreed.! I am finding this a beauty

My SOC boar arrived mid day yesterday. I noticed the density of the knot right away. I went ahead and soaked for 15 minutes, then gave myself a shave. Cleaned it up afterward drying on a towel, then decided to return to the brush scuttle for a soak. Left it in while the wife and I ran some errands. When we returned 3 or so hours later, I set forth with drying the brush on a fresh clean towel. The brush was pretty much dry in 20-30 minutes. I let it sit out for another hour before returning it to the scuttle for another soak. 2 hours later I repeated the process of drying on the towel once more. At the end of this step I could really see a difference in the loft and how much the brush was starting to bloom. Additionally, the bristles were starting to split.

The brush went back into the scuttle overnight, and got a quick 3 minute towel drying this morning. The newest development at this stage is the number of hairs in the center of the brush that have the slightest bit of split occurring. I think I’m done making a specific effort to break in this brush, and I will take it the rest of the way home through routine use.

I am not sure how much more I should expect this brush to break in from a visual standpoint. I am puzzled as to the number of folks who say this brush takes forever to break in or who say this brush has hard or stiff pointy bristles that poke at your face. the first shave 20minutes after it arrived produced no discomfort of the sort. And this far, I think this brush is showing a good willingness to break in nicely.

I am finding the same with mine! Truly a pleasure at minimal effort.

 

[RiderX]

I'm luving this brush! !!! Very pleased! !!!

 

[Rustyshackelford]

I'm luving this brush! !!! Very pleased! !!!

Totally agree. After today’s shave this brush has moved to a whole new level of soft. I’ve decided to use this brush exclusively throughout February, then I will try the SOC badger I received by mistake for the first time. I suspect the boar will not hold a candle to this boar.

I am really not finding this brush to be at all difficult to break in. And since the third shave, not the least bit scratchy. I am really can’t imagine there is another boar that breaks in softer or better than this one. Perhaps similar or equal to, but not better than this.

I have attached a pic of the brush after today’s shave to show how much more it has bloomed during just one week of use.