Cheers, I'll get to work right away!
OUMO Brush Experience - Badger & Synthetic
- Thread starter Timeclo
- Start date
Cheers, I'll get to work right away!
So, my 2 knots arrived, a 24mm "Cashmere" and 22mm Mother Lode.
I did a knot-only test face lather with both, first the "Cashmere": A ton of backbone, upside-down fibers, refuses to splay down the middle and above all else, gave me slight brush burn!
Did I order the wrong knot, get a bum batch, or have I been spoiled? It's listed as "Cream white synthetic" on the AliEx page. Absolutely NOT going into any handle of mine. Very bummed about now having to find another 24mm knot.
The Mother Lode, on the other hand, is a winner. Splays real easy with some of the softest tips I've felt on a brush. Touch floppy, and possibly prone to matting with circular motions, but nothing a lower loft and/or stroke change can't solve. Everything I've been looking for in a synthetic.
Guess I went 50-50 on this order. Buyer beware!
I did a knot-only test face lather with both, first the "Cashmere": A ton of backbone, upside-down fibers, refuses to splay down the middle and above all else, gave me slight brush burn!
Did I order the wrong knot, get a bum batch, or have I been spoiled? It's listed as "Cream white synthetic" on the AliEx page. Absolutely NOT going into any handle of mine. Very bummed about now having to find another 24mm knot.
The Mother Lode, on the other hand, is a winner. Splays real easy with some of the softest tips I've felt on a brush. Touch floppy, and possibly prone to matting with circular motions, but nothing a lower loft and/or stroke change can't solve. Everything I've been looking for in a synthetic.
Guess I went 50-50 on this order. Buyer beware!
- Thread starter
- #103
Don't be fooled by the looks. The "Boss knot" that I ordered in the beginning of this thread is not THE boss knot. It's a lot stiffer and scritchier than the traditional boss knot. I'm guessing it's the same with this Cream white synthetic; it's not a cashmere knot but just a look-alike.
Glad you tried the motherlode knot. It's the softest knot out there and definitely does everything I need.
I really wish I found this thread before I ordered but hey, at least there's confirmation that at least 2 of their knots are duds, or cautionary purchases.
What really puzzles me are the positive reviews on the listings, which makes me question if I just have a bad copy. Definitely contacting them to see what's up.
I too bought the "cashmere" (cream white knot) and the "boss" (black synth thick hair) knots in 26mm. They arrived last week. Thought them to be "the boss" and "the cashmere" knots.
Boy was I wrong.
Both fairly stiff and hard to splay. Wouldn't recommend them if anyone is looking for anything other than "lots of backbone".
No upside down fibers in mine tough and the hairs are soft.
That's the loft of your knots? Mine's pretty, low, around 50 mm. I guess that's the reason for the high backbone.
I'll be buying the real cashmere from Maggards (yaqi made). Their loft is 68mm.
I already have the Mother lode and may be thinking of buying the thin hair Tuxedo. Anyone have that? They say it's as soft as the Mother lode. I guess it may even be the same knot but coloured differently.
I have the oumo manchurian shd brush. It is my favourite shaving brush. Superb quality and very soft and plush.
Got my first Oumo badger and will be shaving with it tomorrow (or maybe Monday). Very interested to try this out.
Ps. Just measured- the boss loft is 52, the cream white 55. These are way too low for 26mm knots! Keep in mind one needs to set it in the handle so its even lower!
- Thread starter
- #109
This was my experience as well with the Black synthetic hair. They're much more stiff and nowhere near the cashmere and boss knots.
The Thin hair Tuxedo is basically a motherlode knot but with a different look. Lovely knot with ultra-plushy feel.
- Thread starter
- #110
It's been a while since I tried some badgers from Oumo so I picked up a couple during the 11.11. I have a Silk HMW and Hook knots on their way so I'll be testing them out some time in DEC.
As for all the previous Oumo products that I've been using, they're fine. Badger-wise, WT and Handmaster are quality products. WT feels more scrubby but within reason, and Handmaster is just overall a solid knot. I don't use manchuria as often as it's set pretty deep but it's still good.
Synthetics are great as well. The 4th synthetic performs well and lathers up easy. Same with motherlode knots and they feel like pure silk on the face.
As for all the previous Oumo products that I've been using, they're fine. Badger-wise, WT and Handmaster are quality products. WT feels more scrubby but within reason, and Handmaster is just overall a solid knot. I don't use manchuria as often as it's set pretty deep but it's still good.
Synthetics are great as well. The 4th synthetic performs well and lathers up easy. Same with motherlode knots and they feel like pure silk on the face.
Owen Bawn
Garden party cupcake scented
I have only one Oumo knot, and it is the budget Handmaster knot. About a year ago I was searching for an old Ever Ready 200. My plan was to send it to Rudy Vey for a Shavemac 2 band knot- I've never tried a Shavemac, and I've never heard a bad word about Mr Vey. In searching I came across this 200 already reknotted on ebay for short money. It's not a Shavemac knot, but it satisfied the desire for an Ever Ready 200 at least for the time being. I have shied away from Oumo knots because I'd prefer to pay more to brushmakers whose employees are paid decently for their craftsmanship- generally European outfits. But I bought this brush primarily for the handle, and must confess I have been more than pleasantly surprised by the performance. As I said, I've had it about a year, and I've probably used it 10-12 times. It makes a lovely lather and it releases it well. Plenty of backbone with the same level of 'face feel' in the tips that one expects from, say, a Simpsons Best. A dandy looking brush. In typical obsessive-compulsive fashion I still have one eye peeled for another Ever Ready 200 that I would fill with a Shavemac knot. It isn't easy in here, lemme tell ya.
The photo is from the gentleman who sold the brush to me on ebay.
The photo is from the gentleman who sold the brush to me on ebay.
- Thread starter
- #112
Nice. I don't mind supporting local artisans but I also enjoy high quality badger knots from Oumo. Handmaster knots are some of my favorite badgers.
- Thread starter
- #113
Finally received my Oumo brushes from 11.11. Took a while but they arrived in one piece.
26mm Silk HMW badger knot w/ Ink Painting handle
26mm Hook badger knot w/ Christmas Themed handle.
I'm pretty excited to try both of these knots. I requested the knots and handles to be separate so they're not glued yet. Judging from the looks of it, the loft seems like 50mm without any spacers. I'll probably put the Silk HMW as it is and maybe put one spacer for the Hook knot. Even without wetting the knots, the tips are real soft on the hands. I'll do a proper review in the future for these knots, compared to Handmaster, Manchurian, and WT. (I just realized I got every type of badger from Oumo... haha. I need some help). Hopefully the reviews will be helpful to someone out there.
26mm Silk HMW badger knot w/ Ink Painting handle
26mm Hook badger knot w/ Christmas Themed handle.
I'm pretty excited to try both of these knots. I requested the knots and handles to be separate so they're not glued yet. Judging from the looks of it, the loft seems like 50mm without any spacers. I'll probably put the Silk HMW as it is and maybe put one spacer for the Hook knot. Even without wetting the knots, the tips are real soft on the hands. I'll do a proper review in the future for these knots, compared to Handmaster, Manchurian, and WT. (I just realized I got every type of badger from Oumo... haha. I need some help). Hopefully the reviews will be helpful to someone out there.
- Thread starter
- #114
Here are some pictures upon cleaning the knots.
Starting off with the 26mm HMW Silk badger knot
Fully Wet
Water shaken out
Side-view picture with water fairly shaken out; it's got a MASSIVE bloom as you can see.
Top-down view. Looks like a porcupine, haha (It's way softer though).
My thoughts on the HMW-Silk knot so far: It's very soft and dense. It blooms wider than any knot I tried. It also has very thin bristles so similar to Silvertips. In my own words, it's a SHD silvertip with lightly gelled tips. Since the bristles are thin, lightly gelled tips are enough to make it soft on the hands. It's soft even when dry so that says something. It has very little backbone so my guess is that it'll work best at a shorter loft (perhaps around 46-48mm)
Now onto the 26mm Hook (Gelousy) knot
Submerged in water
Fully Wet. Those Gel tips are to die for...
Side-view
Most of the water shaken out
Side-view. Beautiful looking knot
My thoughts on the Hook knot so far: The tips are gelled to the Max. Very soft to touch when wet, a bit crunchy tips when dry. On the hands, the tips are like velcro; they stick to your skin a bit. Absolutely no scritch at all and very little scrub. I think this will be a perfect knot for me as I don't need much scrub and I love the massaging soft feel of badgers. As for the loft, I think just a regular measurement should be fine for this one (perhaps around 50mm). I'm thinking of putting it at 51mm just so that it has a bit less backbone. The backbone on this seems normal (FYI, I like my SHD badgers set around 52-53mm).
Starting off with the 26mm HMW Silk badger knot
Fully Wet
Water shaken out
Side-view picture with water fairly shaken out; it's got a MASSIVE bloom as you can see.
Top-down view. Looks like a porcupine, haha (It's way softer though).
My thoughts on the HMW-Silk knot so far: It's very soft and dense. It blooms wider than any knot I tried. It also has very thin bristles so similar to Silvertips. In my own words, it's a SHD silvertip with lightly gelled tips. Since the bristles are thin, lightly gelled tips are enough to make it soft on the hands. It's soft even when dry so that says something. It has very little backbone so my guess is that it'll work best at a shorter loft (perhaps around 46-48mm)
Now onto the 26mm Hook (Gelousy) knot
Submerged in water
Fully Wet. Those Gel tips are to die for...
Side-view
Most of the water shaken out
Side-view. Beautiful looking knot
My thoughts on the Hook knot so far: The tips are gelled to the Max. Very soft to touch when wet, a bit crunchy tips when dry. On the hands, the tips are like velcro; they stick to your skin a bit. Absolutely no scritch at all and very little scrub. I think this will be a perfect knot for me as I don't need much scrub and I love the massaging soft feel of badgers. As for the loft, I think just a regular measurement should be fine for this one (perhaps around 50mm). I'm thinking of putting it at 51mm just so that it has a bit less backbone. The backbone on this seems normal (FYI, I like my SHD badgers set around 52-53mm).
- Thread starter
- #115
Finally set the HMW Silk knot into the brush at 50mm loft.
It's got a big bloom as expected. Upon lathering, it seems like a big latherhog and absorbs a ton of water. Best if you load heavy with this knot because it can take some soap. On the hand, it feels really dense and soft. It has thin bristles so it splays easily but because of its density, it holds the splay shape at 30-40% without going all the way to the base of the knot. I'll be face lathering with this later on but so far, I'm liking it. It'll be a pain to clean up because of its density but that's just something I'll have to deal with.
Here's a lather shot with Stirling Barbershop
It's got a big bloom as expected. Upon lathering, it seems like a big latherhog and absorbs a ton of water. Best if you load heavy with this knot because it can take some soap. On the hand, it feels really dense and soft. It has thin bristles so it splays easily but because of its density, it holds the splay shape at 30-40% without going all the way to the base of the knot. I'll be face lathering with this later on but so far, I'm liking it. It'll be a pain to clean up because of its density but that's just something I'll have to deal with.
Here's a lather shot with Stirling Barbershop
- Thread starter
- #116
SOTD - 17 JAN 2021
2nd use with the Oumo 26mm Fan HMW Silk brush. My overall description of this knot is a SHD silvertip that is soft and still got some scrub and VERY Dense. Even though the shape of the knot is Fan, it's so densely packed that it's starting to resemble a bulb knot. It splay fairly easily but at the same time, there is quite a bit of resistance to the face. There's a lot of bristles against the face that I'm not enjoying it as much as other less dense knots.
I think it still has to break in a bit to give it a fair judgement. However so far, it's been an average knot for me.
2nd use with the Oumo 26mm Fan HMW Silk brush. My overall description of this knot is a SHD silvertip that is soft and still got some scrub and VERY Dense. Even though the shape of the knot is Fan, it's so densely packed that it's starting to resemble a bulb knot. It splay fairly easily but at the same time, there is quite a bit of resistance to the face. There's a lot of bristles against the face that I'm not enjoying it as much as other less dense knots.
I think it still has to break in a bit to give it a fair judgement. However so far, it's been an average knot for me.
- Thread starter
- #117
Update on the HMW Silk.
I was towel stropping the brush and the knot fell out. I used a very little epoxy so I was a little concerned. However, I'm kind of glad that it fell out because I wasn't feeling it. The knot is very dense and somewhat scrubby so that makes for a bit of resistance to my face. I prefer a bit less dense and softer tips. In exchange, I'm planning on setting my WCS Black synthetic instead and I think I'll enjoy that better.
In conclusion, I did not like the HMW Silk as much as other Oumo badger knots. I'll be swapping it for a synthetic. I still have the Hook knot to try and I'm a bit more optimistic about that.
I was towel stropping the brush and the knot fell out. I used a very little epoxy so I was a little concerned. However, I'm kind of glad that it fell out because I wasn't feeling it. The knot is very dense and somewhat scrubby so that makes for a bit of resistance to my face. I prefer a bit less dense and softer tips. In exchange, I'm planning on setting my WCS Black synthetic instead and I think I'll enjoy that better.
In conclusion, I did not like the HMW Silk as much as other Oumo badger knots. I'll be swapping it for a synthetic. I still have the Hook knot to try and I'm a bit more optimistic about that.
I picked up an Oumo 26mm HMW and put it in a homemade handle. I'm pretty impressed with it. Mine is a bulb style knot, not a lather hog with a nice face feel. I like it.
Sorry for the photo size, computer issues. I do feel this brush is going to be a favorite.
- Thread starter
- #120
Nice! That looks beautiful. I've had a different experience with the Fan HMW knot but glad you enjoy it.
