What's new

Oumo The Unsullied, natural Two band badger knot

I tried this new knot today and, and wow what a scrub!
I compared it with a Maseto Manchurian brush.

Oumo The Unsullied, natural Two band badger knot 23mm, loft 50mm
Maseto Manchurian Two Band Silvertip badger knot 26mm, loft 53mm

First i would like to say that these 2 brushes are not good to compare. The Maseto is well behaved and a very nice 2 band Manchurian with good backbone and nice scratch. The Maseto is lightly treated but no gel feel at all.

The Oumo "The Unsullied" is a handfull. It is realy scratchy and scritchy, and if you dont splay it to max it is a little bit painfull due to the sharp hairs. But if you splay max it is ok to face lather with it.
It is realy easy to use it on the soap and it makes lather realy fast. Downside it flops around lather all over the place when you use it.
After i used the brush my face was a little bit soar and red, but my blood circulation was great. Maybe it will soften a bit with use.😁

This brush is for someone who has got lots of stiff facial hear that needs to work it upp or if you want to do a face/body peeling to get rid of excess / dead skin.
I will probably pass this brush on to someone who would apreciate it.

20241210_142555.jpg


20241210_142616.jpg
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
You guys might like Oumo's other untreated knot better.


10-28-24.New.Oumo.Kirin.27mm.640.JPG


Pictured here it is brand new.

The Kirin Super Badger breaks in some, but, in my experience with it, is an excellent knot from the get go.

I like the Kirin so much I have ordered a second brush with the Kirin knot.

Also in transit is an Oumo Unsullied. I'm no stranger to very stiff brushes having broken in a Zenith Manchurian which had the backbone of a dinosaur. I also own a couple of Shavemac D01 two bands which are "an acquired taste" and "not for everybody." That said, from what I've read, I'm expecting the Unsullied to be a beast.

I'm thinking I may use it for one shave (or not) when it's new, just out of curiosity. Then, my plan is to take it offline for a month or two or three. During that time, I will use it only for hand lathering and towel drying, giving it a chance to break in by mechanical action and by going through a number of dry to wet to dry cycles. Whether this will make it a lovely and likable knot is a mystery.

Why I ordered the Unsullied is also a mystery, but it's no mystery why a second Kirin is on my way.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
You guys might like Oumo's other untreated knot better.


View attachment 1959416


Pictured here it is brand new.

The Kirin Super Badger breaks in some, but, in my experience with it, is an excellent knot from the get go.

I like the Kirin so much I have ordered a second brush with the Kirin knot.

Also in transit is an Oumo Unsullied. I'm no stranger to very stiff brushes having broken in a Zenith Manchurian which had the backbone of a dinosaur. I also own a couple of Shavemac D01 two bands which are "an acquired taste" and "not for everybody." That said, from what I've read, I'm expecting the Unsullied to be a beast.

I'm thinking I may use it for one shave (or not) when it's new, just out of curiosity. Then, my plan is to take it offline for a month or two or three. During that time, I will use it only for hand lathering and towel drying, giving it a chance to break in by mechanical action and by going through a number of dry to wet to dry cycles. Whether this will make it a lovely and likable knot is a mystery.

Why I ordered the Unsullied is also a mystery, but it's no mystery why a second Kirin is on my way.

Happy shaves,

Jim
Jim what are the characteristics like on the Kirin?
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Jim what are the characteristics like on the Kirin?

That is a very hard question for me. I've thought about it a lot.

I'm not very able to compare it to other knots I've used, and I've used a lot of brushes. I think it is somewhat unique. I will also point out that I've not used a Simpson Super Badger. Perhaps the Kirin Super Badger is similar, but I don't know. I have used the Vulflix Super Badger (actually the more dense version of that knot) which was far less dense than the Kirin, and floppy, but had a somewhat similar feel in some ways.

Mine is a 27 mm Kirin. I have a second Kirin in transit, in 25 mm. I might have purchased the 23 mm Kirin but they were sold out.

My Kirin is in the fan shape. My incoming Kirin is also a fan. I like both bulbs and fans but may prefer fans given the choice.

First off, it's a large knot and a dense knot. it's certainly not too large, but I like large knots. It's also not overly dense. I figured I'd like a smaller second Kirin, but that is not a knock on the 27 mm fan because I like it a whole lot.

Since I acquired the Kirin I've used it most days. I towel dry the ends, rubbing them into the towel, and also gently squeeze the knot with the towel a few times. By the next morning's shave, the knot seems plenty dry enough to use albeit not bone dry.

I noticed that the knot seemed a little bit broken in after a few shaves with it. In other words, it improved quickly. Initially, I thought it was a tad harsh to begin with, or maybe, more accurately, a quarter of a tad harsh. Soon the harshness went away.

Is it soft? Like most brushes I've experienced, including the Shavemac D01 two band, the knot is plenty soft when used to paint. I wouldn't call it soft when mashed into my face for scrubbing at least not soft like my Mozingo knots or my SV knots, but that's not to say the Kirin is "un-soft." When mashed into my face, and splayed, the knot gives me what I call a "delicious scrub."

It doesn't load and lather as well as my great Misturas, but it loads and lathers just fine. It has good flow though albeit not at the level of the SV knots. It is not at all floppy nor does it have excessive backbone.

I don't see any downsides.

The Kirin feels totally natural with zero traces of gel. (I don't like gel.)

I've certainly not compared it with many knots, but it doesn't remind me of any, and it is rather unlike the several I've compared it with. (Mozingos, SVs, Simpson Manchurian, Simpson CH2 and CH3 Best Badgers.)

It seems unique to me. I like it a great deal.

None of that really answers your question I'm afraid.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
As expected the Unsullied is a beast, but it's plenty soft for painting.


12-25-24.M3teorite.Mike's.Unsullied.640.JPG



Here are my notes for today's shaves including my initial comments on the Unsullied knot.

I think hope it will break in over time, in terms of splaying and mashing it into my face. I may do an offline break-in process, or not, but I've not decided yet. It's already fine for painting.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
Last edited:
I tried this new knot today and, and wow what a scrub!
I compared it with a Maseto Manchurian brush.

Oumo The Unsullied, natural Two band badger knot 23mm, loft 50mm
Maseto Manchurian Two Band Silvertip badger knot 26mm, loft 53mm

First i would like to say that these 2 brushes are not good to compare. The Maseto is well behaved and a very nice 2 band Manchurian with good backbone and nice scratch. The Maseto is lightly treated but no gel feel at all.

The Oumo "The Unsullied" is a handfull. It is realy scratchy and scritchy, and if you dont splay it to max it is a little bit painfull due to the sharp hairs. But if you splay max it is ok to face lather with it.
It is realy easy to use it on the soap and it makes lather realy fast. Downside it flops around lather all over the place when you use it.
After i used the brush my face was a little bit soar and red, but my blood circulation was great. Maybe it will soften a bit with use.😁

This brush is for someone who has got lots of stiff facial hear that needs to work it upp or if you want to do a face/body peeling to get rid of excess / dead skin.
I will probably pass this brush on to someone who would apreciate it.

View attachment 1957177

View attachment 1957178
It does soften with use. Remember it is totally untreated. I prefer the Kirin among their unprocessed badger (European) over the unsullied (hog badger) but I reach for my unsullied when I want an "invigorating" shave:

Oumo Unsullied:
  • Hair: Sourced from Hog-Badger.
  • Feel: Quite stiff and scrubby initially. Provides a strong massage-like sensation on the face.
  • Performance: Excellent for face lathering and lifting stubble due to its firmness.
  • Break-in: Requires a longer break-in period to soften.
Oumo Kirin:
  • Hair: Sourced from the more common European Badger (Meles meles).
  • Feel: Softer than the Unsullied initially, with a gentle scrub.
  • Performance: Good balance of softness and backbone.
  • Break-in: Breaks in faster than the Unsullied.
 
Top Bottom