What a wait this has been. What a rare mood that I'm in. Why it's, almost like being.. in love!
With a twist of a word, this accurately describes my day.
Coming back from work, I snag this exciting mail call.
This is what I got: OUMO Fan Manchuria SHD 26mm 2-band Chubby and Boss 24mm synthetic amber brush. What a load of word.
OUMO brush is an interesting company. I only seen them pop up within couple months and there are only couple members that know about it (at least from what I see). They provide synthetic knots and SHD Badger knots. They also make handmade handles (Some but not all) and complete them with good quality SHD knots. It was not easy to splurge out money to this relatively unknown store but I took my chances.
Let's start with the Boss knot 24mm synthetic amber brush. It's the Boss knot but I don't think it is THE Boss knot. It's relatively stiff and resistant, reminding me of a first gen synthetic / Omega Synthetic. It's very similar to Craving Shaving's supervisor knot, if not the same. I think it'll be a good travel brush or a decent synthetic to change up my shaves. The handle is nice to grip and easy on the hands.
Now to move onto the Big Boy, the 2-band Chubby.
This brush is the main highlight. It's priced at more than the budget badgers like Yaqi/Stirling/Maggard's but below other artisan badger brushes.
Let me say the name again: Fan Manchuria 26mm SHD 2-band Chubby
I'm never going to remember the whole thing, haha.
Initial Impression
This brush looks nice. It feels nice on the hands. It's very dense. It's pretty much as it is described on the website. One thing that I am picky about is the color scheme of the 2-band. If it's a 2-band, it should clearly have one side black and other white/yellow. This brush has a hint of 3-band towards the bottom of the knot. It was almost a killer for me but once it was cleaned and wet, it displayed more of the 2-band scheme. Also, the handle color was a bit more white on the site but this one had a bit more greyish swirl. It shows that they hand turn each handle and not one is same as others. Also, there is a slight bump on the bottom of the brush. Small details but no real drawbacks.
Initial Lather + Clean
This brush really brings out its features when it is wet and ready to lather up. It holds a TON of water. Really. I had to gently squeeze out the water about 8 times and it still had more water left. I really am not used to the SHD badger but I'll get used to it. Also, this one has GEL / HOOK tips and this is my first brush to feature that. It feels like it's hooking to my hands, kind of like a soft velcro across my skin. Also, the picture does not show it well but it looks like a broken in boar in the way how the tips curve in multi-directions.
The handle is a bit small for me but I did get the CHUBBY. It's definitely a face latherer's brush as it fits perfectly for a face lather. It'll be small for those who bowl lather and you'll probably need to use the full extent of your fingers. Still, it is comfortable and beautiful to look at. Also, it reminds me a bit of Wolf Whiskers as a random note.
As for shedding, this brush did not shed a single hair which is confusing. I either have 20+ hairs shed in the first lather or 4-5 hairs shed but I NEVER had a non-shedding brush in its initial phase. I'm just hoping that it does not shed later down the lane but so far, I'm happy with the result.
The brush is wet, cleaned, and stropped a couple times at this point. Gosh, does it look nice. The bloom on this brush is lovely as it is SHD, packed into this tiny chubby handle. I would not mind a bigger handle but also that would kill the look of this chubby. I had some doubts at first but every look at this brush makes me a little happier.
Conclusion
I am satisfied with the OUMO brushes. Sure, I could have picked a softer synthetic or a handle that I like a bit better but overall, the quality of the brushes are up there. The Boss knot brush will be a decent synthetic for travel and in rotation. The SHD CHUBBY will be a permanent in my rotation and NOT in my travels as I do not want to lose it. Unless something else changes, these brushes will be in my collection for the years to come.
I apologize for the long post but I just wanted to share my thoughts on the OUMO brush and the initial impressions. TLDR: They're great so far.
With a twist of a word, this accurately describes my day.
Coming back from work, I snag this exciting mail call.
This is what I got: OUMO Fan Manchuria SHD 26mm 2-band Chubby and Boss 24mm synthetic amber brush. What a load of word.
OUMO brush is an interesting company. I only seen them pop up within couple months and there are only couple members that know about it (at least from what I see). They provide synthetic knots and SHD Badger knots. They also make handmade handles (Some but not all) and complete them with good quality SHD knots. It was not easy to splurge out money to this relatively unknown store but I took my chances.
Let's start with the Boss knot 24mm synthetic amber brush. It's the Boss knot but I don't think it is THE Boss knot. It's relatively stiff and resistant, reminding me of a first gen synthetic / Omega Synthetic. It's very similar to Craving Shaving's supervisor knot, if not the same. I think it'll be a good travel brush or a decent synthetic to change up my shaves. The handle is nice to grip and easy on the hands.
Now to move onto the Big Boy, the 2-band Chubby.
This brush is the main highlight. It's priced at more than the budget badgers like Yaqi/Stirling/Maggard's but below other artisan badger brushes.
Let me say the name again: Fan Manchuria 26mm SHD 2-band Chubby
I'm never going to remember the whole thing, haha.
Initial Impression
This brush looks nice. It feels nice on the hands. It's very dense. It's pretty much as it is described on the website. One thing that I am picky about is the color scheme of the 2-band. If it's a 2-band, it should clearly have one side black and other white/yellow. This brush has a hint of 3-band towards the bottom of the knot. It was almost a killer for me but once it was cleaned and wet, it displayed more of the 2-band scheme. Also, the handle color was a bit more white on the site but this one had a bit more greyish swirl. It shows that they hand turn each handle and not one is same as others. Also, there is a slight bump on the bottom of the brush. Small details but no real drawbacks.
Initial Lather + Clean
This brush really brings out its features when it is wet and ready to lather up. It holds a TON of water. Really. I had to gently squeeze out the water about 8 times and it still had more water left. I really am not used to the SHD badger but I'll get used to it. Also, this one has GEL / HOOK tips and this is my first brush to feature that. It feels like it's hooking to my hands, kind of like a soft velcro across my skin. Also, the picture does not show it well but it looks like a broken in boar in the way how the tips curve in multi-directions.
The handle is a bit small for me but I did get the CHUBBY. It's definitely a face latherer's brush as it fits perfectly for a face lather. It'll be small for those who bowl lather and you'll probably need to use the full extent of your fingers. Still, it is comfortable and beautiful to look at. Also, it reminds me a bit of Wolf Whiskers as a random note.
As for shedding, this brush did not shed a single hair which is confusing. I either have 20+ hairs shed in the first lather or 4-5 hairs shed but I NEVER had a non-shedding brush in its initial phase. I'm just hoping that it does not shed later down the lane but so far, I'm happy with the result.
The brush is wet, cleaned, and stropped a couple times at this point. Gosh, does it look nice. The bloom on this brush is lovely as it is SHD, packed into this tiny chubby handle. I would not mind a bigger handle but also that would kill the look of this chubby. I had some doubts at first but every look at this brush makes me a little happier.
Conclusion
I am satisfied with the OUMO brushes. Sure, I could have picked a softer synthetic or a handle that I like a bit better but overall, the quality of the brushes are up there. The Boss knot brush will be a decent synthetic for travel and in rotation. The SHD CHUBBY will be a permanent in my rotation and NOT in my travels as I do not want to lose it. Unless something else changes, these brushes will be in my collection for the years to come.
I apologize for the long post but I just wanted to share my thoughts on the OUMO brush and the initial impressions. TLDR: They're great so far.
