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OMEGA EVO 2.0??

I like shorter lofts for badger, to me, that is a lot of diameter for that short of knot in synth. I'm a proponent of the 1:2 ratio that Simpson tends to follow. Things tend to be different though in synth. To me it seems like you need 1:2.5 otherwise you end up with a stiff brush.

The other problem with synths in general is they give you a 55 mm loft because the damnable glue bump robs you of 8mm. Not sure why they don't just use a longer fiber and recess the knot further in the handle.
We’ll have to agree to disagree then. I prefer shorter lofts on all brushes even Boar. The shorter the better. The stiffer the better. I don’t like soft and floppy brushes.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Are you sure yours isn’t the 2.0? Does it look like this one that is a 2.0?

View attachment 1493084
I talked to Jason at The Razor Company. That's where I ordered it. It is the Evo Original.... When they run out of stock (Omega) of this handle... they'll remake them with the 2.0 fibers. The Razor Company still has some old stock in a few colors left of the Evo originals... and he said, they'll be getting new Evo 2.0s soon. They get deliveries from Omega frequently.

So, on The Razor Company site, if it doesn't say 2.0 behind it, it's the Evo Original.

Edit 1.: If you want to hear first hand the differences between the Original and the 2.0, give Jason a call. He's used both and he told me, he can't tell the difference between the two on his face, in actual use. But he said what we all say: YMMV.
 
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Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
I can't say. That is one I never tried. I think the main reason was I could never locate one with the handle I wanted. Reading more of the post, I think crooked fibers are probably a step in the right direction.

I think what is also needed is a mixed synth, just like we have badger and boar combos. We need one with different diameter fibers, stiffness of fibers and perhaps straight and wavy.

If someone can come up with a fiber(s) that make a 24mm knot with a 50 to 52 mm loft that splays enough, doesn't spring, etc they would have the perfect fiber (IMO). As it is they are mostly 26+mm knots and 55+mm loft because they don't have the proper qualities to make a decent smaller brush.


A couple of years ago I was on a quest to find the best synthetic I could find. I wanted one and only one synthetic, but it had to be a good brush. I learned a lot and eventually bought for myself the excellent EVO brush thanks to good luck and good advice in that thread.



1-31-22.Evo.Muramasa.CK-6.640.JPG




I don't know anything about the EVO 2.0 in spite of plenty of effort trying to learn about it. Without a lot more knowledge I'm not even considering buying the 2.0. It might be better than the original but I have the original and know how good it is. I know nothing about the 2.0 except some of the handles are pretty.


The odd thing that makes no sense is the original EVO has one of the best synthetic knots. Usually when things aren’t broke they shouldn’t be trying to fix it. There was no reason for them to mess around with a 2.0 for several years


I agree entirely with the above post.

The original EVO is a fine brush.

I'm not a synthetic fan. Not at all. The few I've tried have been losers. Usually springy or something.

My EVO is much like a decent three band silvertip. It's a good brush. (I don't mean it's a good brush for a synthetic.)

It does have a glue bump but in use I don't notice it. I'm a 100% of the time face latherer.

Here's my more extended mini review.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
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Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
I talked to Jason at The Razor Company. That's where I ordered it. It is the Evo Original.... When they run out of stock (Omega) of this handle... they'll remake them with the 2.0 fibers. The Razor Company still has some old stock in a few colors left of the Evo originals... and he said, they'll be getting new Evo 2.0s soon. They get deliveries from Omega frequently.

So, on The Razor Company site, if it doesn't say 2.0 behind it, it's the Evo Original.

Edit 1.: If you want to hear first hand the differences between the Original and the 2.0, give Jason a call. He's used both and he told me, he can't tell the difference between the two on his face, in actual use. But he said what we all say: YMMV.


I like how you do your homework, my friend.

Thanks for sharing the results. Yours is the best information I've seen about the 2.0. It also gives me exactly zero reason to consider buying the 2.0 as I like my Evo Original just fine.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
I talked to Jason at The Razor Company. That's where I ordered it. It is the Evo Original.... When they run out of stock (Omega) of this handle... they'll remake them with the 2.0 fibers. The Razor Company still has some old stock in a few colors left of the Evo originals... and he said, they'll be getting new Evo 2.0s soon. They get deliveries from Omega frequently.

So, on The Razor Company site, if it doesn't say 2.0 behind it, it's the Evo Original.

Edit 1.: If you want to hear first hand the differences between the Original and the 2.0, give Jason a call. He's used both and he told me, he can't tell the difference between the two on his face, in actual use. But he said what we all say: YMMV.
I actually have a used EVO original coming I just bought but it’s the weird barrel shaped white handle I’m not fond of. Would have preferred the tulip shaped grey stone finish but the price was right so I can’t complain. I’m going to check out the blue handled original at the razor company (they’ve been getting quite a bit of my money lately 😂😂😂) and if it’s not the new 2.0 price I may be giving him more of my money. Love that blue color and I have a great excuse for purchasing as it’s my birthstone and my birthday is coming up in September 😂😂😂😂

Edit: well it looks like The Razor Company raised the prices not only for the supposedly new 2.0 fiber version of the EVO, but the original fiber versions in the newer colored handles are also $89.99 now instead of the older $59.99 or $69.99 price. Oh well… maybe I’ll check some European vendors for lower prices.
 
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From the descriptions I've been reading trying to find an original or 2.0 version with the blue handle, I noticed the loft is listed as 55mm for the original and 51mm for the 2.0. The pictures they look the same so it would be interesting for someone that has both to compare and measure.

Haven't had much luck finding any for a decent price (and being in stock) even with the European vendors. Not sure when these newer colors came out and if they are going to be restocked.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
From the descriptions I've been reading trying to find an original or 2.0 version with the blue handle, I noticed the loft is listed as 55mm for the original and 51mm for the 2.0. The pictures they look the same so it would be interesting for someone that has both to compare and measure.

Haven't had much luck finding any for a decent price (and being in stock) even with the European vendors. Not sure when these newer colors came out and if they are going to be restocked.
Jason at The Razor Company told me.... all these "new" handles have been released at one time or another..... Omega releases them all from time to time. He checked to make sure... and all the Evo 2.0s that have been released were released previously in those colors and styles with the Evo Originals.

So I guess, if you are set on an Evo 2.0, you'll have to keep an eye out for when they release the handle you really want... or settle for what's currently available. At some point, we might even see the Evo Originals discounted to make room for the new stock 2.0 brushes, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

For me, I decided to buy the Evo with the handle I wanted, as I mentioned before. I don't feel like I'm missing something by not owning an Evo 2.0. but that's me.
 
Jason at The Razor Company told me.... all these "new" handles have been released at one time or another..... Omega releases them all from time to time. He checked to make sure... and all the Evo 2.0s that have been released were released previously in those colors and styles with the Evo Originals.

So I guess, if you are set on an Evo 2.0, you'll have to keep an eye out for when they release the handle you really want... or settle for what's currently available. At some point, we might even see the Evo Originals discounted to make room for the new stock 2.0 brushes, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

For me, I decided to buy the Evo with the handle I wanted, as I mentioned before. I don't feel like I'm missing something by not owning an Evo 2.0. but that's me.
That's weird, as the original EVOs only came in white fake marble and stone grey in two different handle shapes, one was tulip shaped and the other barrel shaped or what Omega calls oval. Then there was a later hourglass shape of both the white and stone grey colors. I never saw these colored handles until yesterday when I came upon the thread started in April 2022.

As for the originals they all appear to be sold out and I would assume that means they are discontinued from here out forward since now there is a 2.0 version. I doubt Omega would want to muddy the waters with 2 different versions of the same brush that aren't very different and the headache for vendors for having additional inventory. Since they're all sold out they must be selling well, especially since they chose a $20 price increase.
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
We’ll have to agree to disagree then. I prefer shorter lofts on all brushes even Boar. The shorter the better. The stiffer the better. I don’t like soft and floppy brushes.
I don't know how to articulate what I'm after. I'm not wanting a Kent, but I'm not wanting something that won't separate a bit except if you mash it into the point of your chin.

Comparing synths to badgers, I have a Shavemac D01 flat top that is 24x48. Very firm brush. But I find Trafalgars and Chubby synths to be firm and unyielding by comparison.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
That's weird, as the original EVOs only came in white fake marble and stone grey in two different handle shapes, one was tulip shaped and the other barrel shaped or what Omega calls oval. Then there was a later hourglass shape of both the white and stone grey colors. I never saw these colored handles until yesterday when I came upon the thread started in April 2022.

As for the originals they all appear to be sold out and I would assume that means they are discontinued from here out forward since now there is a 2.0 version. I doubt Omega would want to muddy the waters with 2 different versions of the same brush that aren't very different and the headache for vendors for having additional inventory. Since they're all sold out they must be selling well, especially since they chose a $20 price increase.
I'm going by what Jason at The Razor Company told me. He said they had the two Evo 2.0 brushes they now have in stock previously in the Evo Original, that would be the purple and the Green.. and the long handle one as well. I see, after just checking, they are now all sold out so scratch that "in stock" part of the previous sentence. They still have the blue one I purchased.. along with red and green Evo Originals. He expects those to be released again in the 2.0 knots.

He also said... the Omega site isn't up to date. You can't order from their site, I noticed. Omega has their own way of doing business. The distributors just see the new products show up for purchase on their sales forms.
 
I'm going by what Jason at The Razor Company told me. He said they had the two Evo 2.0 brushes they now have in stock previously in the Evo Original, that would be the purple and the Green.. and the long handle one as well. I see, after just checking, they are now all sold out so scratch that "in stock" part of the previous sentence. They still have the blue one I purchased.. along with red and green Evo Originals. He expects those to be released again in the 2.0 knots.

He also said... the Omega site isn't up to date. You can't order from their site, I noticed. Omega has their own way of doing business. The distributors just see the new products show up for purchase on their sales forms.
Definitely weird how Omega does business. Their site doesn't even have the specs like loft height for any of their brushes, but the vendors that sell their products have more information than the Omega site itself. Very odd.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
We’ll have to agree to disagree then. I prefer shorter lofts on all brushes even Boar. The shorter the better. The stiffer the better. I don’t like soft and floppy brushes.


I mostly agree, but soft and floppy aren't the same thing and don't always correlate. Sometimes they do of course.

I have various brushes which are plenty soft and not at all floppy.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
I mostly agree, but soft and floppy aren't the same thing and don't always correlate. Sometimes they do of course.

I have various brushes which are plenty soft and not at all floppy.

Happy shaves,

Jim
Agreed. I own a Riva Silvertip that is as soft as any brush ever made but has some backbone, especially for a silvertip. So soft and floppy are definitely different. Great point you’re making
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
OK... I used the FB group buy Alpha Shaving Company's G5 "D" brush today. It was a pleasure... more of an incremental improvement over the G4 which I have in the ESC Ultimate and love. Different from the Evo Original in that it has a bit more subtle backbone than the Evo. The Evo is hmmmmm luxurious, I think.. so soft but not floppy for me, though we've seen some people view it that way.

I was surprised it is as good as it is, truth be told. I was going to get a Manchurian badger from this group buy but something changed along the way and that wasn't available and the other badger offerings were more money than I wanted to spend. I already have some very fine badger Manchurians... my personal favorites among them are my SV Manchurian brushes. So I "settled" for another synth. The price was right and like I said... it has a very nice feel. It will be in my rotation or my wife will steal it... She loves the color of the handle and its softness.

If there is any interest, the FB group is UK Wet Shaving Society... Steve Tinter has a link there but is going to close it down on August 8th. You have to join to take advantage of it.... If you want more info, feel free to PM me.
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
I mostly agree, but soft and floppy aren't the same thing and don't always correlate. Sometimes they do of course.

I have various brushes which are plenty soft and not at all floppy.

Happy shaves,

Jim
I recently acquired a Kent Pure Badger. It's not as floppy as the Silver Tip, but it is a superb brush. Gentle, and mild I would call it. I like it better than my Simpson PJ1. It's the BLK 2 size and it is bigger than the Simpson by a ways.

It's new and I have not used it much but early on it seems like a smaller version of my V.P. Leonhardy. Let me say it thusly, I think Kent's lower end brushes surpass what I previoulsy had in Simpson Best.
 
Definitely weird how Omega does business. Their site doesn't even have the specs like loft height for any of their brushes, but the vendors that sell their products have more information than the Omega site itself. Very odd.
Even odder is that there is no mention of a new version Evo knot on the Omega website. Maybe the vendors are calling the new colored handles "V2.0" when it is actually the same knot. Most manufacturers talk about the quality of their products or improvements.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Even odder is that there is no mention of a new version Evo knot on the Omega website. Maybe the vendors are calling the new colored handles "V2.0" when it is actually the same knot. Most manufacturers talk about the quality of their products or improvements.


It is curious.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Even odder is that there is no mention of a new version Evo knot on the Omega website. Maybe the vendors are calling the new colored handles "V2.0" when it is actually the same knot. Most manufacturers talk about the quality of their products or improvements.
According to James at The Razor Company, when they place orders with Omega, they see both Evo 2.0s and Evo brushes without the 2.0 behind them on the order form. He said, when the old stock runs out, Omega will eventually release the same handles with the 2.0 knots in them.

When I was on the phone with him, he pulled out two new brushes..an Original and a 2.0. He had to look closely at the two to see the 2.0 has the more wavy fibers down at the base of the knot. The tops look identical.
 
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