Quite a bit of difference between the fan and bulb appearance wise. Normally I prefer fans style knots but never seen them for sale on the site I ordered mine from but that might have been a good thing. What size knot did you order? Just finished my morning shave. This knot is going to make a good solid brush. I have or had quite a few top of the line knots and brushes over the years.
OUMO Brush Experience - Badger & Synthetic
- Thread starter Timeclo
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- #122
I ordered the 26mm Fan knot and it's too dense and a little scrubby for my liking. I prefer less dense knot and I think that'll ease up on the scrub as well.
anyone try their imitation pure badger, or the thick black hair synths?
Is there any synthetic knot worthy to consider from Oumo? Looking for a 28 mm one actually.
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- #125
I like their New synthetic hairs and the Motherlode/Thin Tuxedo knots. The motherlode knots are extremely soft, floppy, with no backbone, so that can be a turn-off for some.
@Timeclo Awesome thread, thank you for providing so much of your feedback from all these brushes. You said that you recommended the handmaster knot in a thread where I asked for some advice on brushes, so I took a look at it and the other Oumo brushes. It looks like for the moment, the handmaster is not available in a 24mm or 26mm. While I potentially wait for a restock, could I get your consulted advice on which brush(es) you think would work best for me? I typically shave every 2-4 days due to skin sensitivity issues.
My stubble is very thick and coarse, and because it doesn't absorb water even after a shower, I almost always face-lather to get more hydration and to work the lather into my stubble. Both of the brushes I have are what feel like scrubby brushes to me and have given me brush burn when I spend too much time building my lather. I'd like something that's more pillowy but still has enough backbone to load from the puck instead of from a bowl. If my face needs more recovery time, I can reach for one of the brushes I already have for a good week or more of growth since they're scrubby enough for that.
My stubble is very thick and coarse, and because it doesn't absorb water even after a shower, I almost always face-lather to get more hydration and to work the lather into my stubble. Both of the brushes I have are what feel like scrubby brushes to me and have given me brush burn when I spend too much time building my lather. I'd like something that's more pillowy but still has enough backbone to load from the puck instead of from a bowl. If my face needs more recovery time, I can reach for one of the brushes I already have for a good week or more of growth since they're scrubby enough for that.
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- #127
No problem. My favorite is the 24mm handmaster knot but I'm not sure what you'd like. Some people say 24mm is too small for them but I don't think so. If you want more density, try a 26mm and a 24mm for vice versa.
Face lathering for a long time could result in brush burn. I bowl lather to start off and then transfer it to the face when it's somewhat hydrated. I still face lather after but only for a minute or two compared to 4-5 minutes of only face lathering. The Tuxedo has a lot of backbone but it's relatively a soft knot. And silvertips are known to be soft but they can give that natural scrubby feel.
If your skin is feeling sensitive, I'd recommend you try bowl lathering. It takes some of the scrub out of the face and you can still hydrate the lather to get a slick layer on the face.
Also, the Manchuria knot is pretty similar to the Handmaster but slightly denser. The Manchuria 24mm might be a good medium between the 24/26 HM. There's also the Hook knot which is ultra-gelled for maximum softness. I hear it can feel slimey and it doesn't pick up soaps as well as others but I have yet to try it.
If I can borrow a little more of your time, I have a few more questions. How would you rank your Oumo badgers by how many days of growth you think they're best suited for? As far as the Manchuria goes, do you think the chubby is the right amount of dense or too dense? On a side note, it looks like Oumo has a new knot called the Ace. Have you tried it or heard anything about its performance/quality relative to the other knots?
I tried bowl lathering in the past but my stubble would barely soften if at all. When I switched to face lathering, there was a noticeable difference in the amount of resistance I felt against the blade. I do see your point about how longer face-lathering time contributes to brush burn. I'll give it another shot and try using the bowl to get the lather into a semi-thick paste before bringing it to my face and adding a lot of water.
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- #129
I'm a daily shaver so the Oumo badgers worked well so far. I use it for 2-3 days as well and it does fine. To be honest, any brush works for any days of growth in my opinion, except those that are too scritchy/scrubby for daily use. For Manchuria, I had a 26mm one and that one was little too dense for my liking. For the Ace knot, I heard that it wasn't as good from a friend and that it wasn't as comfortable as the Manchuria.
And yes, try it out. I enjoy creating the semi-thick lather and then further hydrating on the face. I don't like just painting on the lather because it feels like an outer layer instead of incorporating all the lather with each hair. I still face lather sometimes but I'll be mindful of how long I do it and put a lot more water first to avoid doing it for a long duration.
I'm just about ready to pull the trigger. Sorry if I'm asking for you to repeat yourself. I know you said the handmaster is like a less dense version of the manchuria. Are there any other differences between the two relative to splay, backbone, softness, scrubbiness, and lather flowthrough? What qualities of the handmaster make you favor it over the manchuria, and would you have kept your non-chubby manchuria had you not tried the handmaster?
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- #131
The two were pretty similar but the Handmaster had better flowthrough and splay. I would've kept the manchuria if I did not try handmaster. Also, my taste are changing because I used to want more backbone/density but now I want less, hence 24mm Handmaster is perfect for me.
Much appreciated. I'm debating between a 24mm and 26mm manchuria right now and I'm thinking I'll pick up a handmaster later this year. I wonder if I should get a bulb or a fan. I think some people earlier in this thread mentioned that a bulb 26mm manchuria works really well and provides a good backbone for loading purposes. Is there any way to know how deep the knots are set in the handles sold by Oumo?
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- #133
I'm all for Fan shape. Easier splay with enough backbone. If you like more backbone, bulb might be better. As for the knots, my manchuria came in around 49mm loft. If you ask them, I believe they can customize the loft for you.
After looking at the shipping cost, I started thinking about getting a second brush to bring my cart up to $100 for the free shipping. The problem is that I'm interested in the 26mm motherlode knot and it's biting at me that the knot is only $5 but the handle needs to be $30. Is there a cheaper way to get the motherlode knot plus handle than directly from Oumo?
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- #135
They sell a white resin with superfine tuxedo knot for better value. That thin haired tuxedo knot is the same as motherlode knot with just different colors.
Wow that's not the tuxedo with the sort of scritchy fibers and heavy backbone similar to what I have from west coast shaving? That's amazing if it's 10 bucks for the same knot as the motherlode. It'll bring down my cart from $102 to $86. Thanks for sharing!
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- #137
Yup, that's not the same. It's really floppy with soft fibers, a complete opposite. I have the knot that I've set into one of my handles.
Fantastic! I'll place the order for the 26mm manchuria fan and the 26mm white resin tonight. I hope they arrive sooner than the announced 40 days they're displaying.
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Somehow I am tempted to buy a 30mm motherload knot from them and put it at a 48-50mm high. I have a feeling that it would become a nice brush with more backbone and soft fibers.
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- #140
I've been tempted as well but I've been a little too crazy with acquisitions. Let me know if that happens!
I think it'd be amazing with those thin, soft tips with good density.
