I totally agree that the very best of boar bristles are to be easily found in super cheap handles. But, I have paid $30USD for a boar knot without handle and did feel rewarded by a knot better than most (the "shoat" knot at TnS). But, it's easy to make a boar "premium," that is, something a little more special and unique by mining the cheap Omega and Zenith knots and putting them in a nice custom, artisan turned handle. It's not for everyone, but perhaps it's for the ones who ask questions like, "what is premium boar."
Premium boar brush?
- Thread starter Trunus71
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Nice wooden handle, I admit, but as a matter of principle I tend to avoid boar brushes that are dressed up to look like badger. Boar is an honest material for shaving brushes and doesn’t need to hide behind a ‘badger effect’…
Besides, the OP asked about premium boar, which in my understanding also refers to the bristles, not just the handle.
B.
Zenith boar knots are incredible. In particular I have the b36 and b34. Personally the b36 with a slightly shorter loft is my absolute favourite. The bristles aren’t pokey and rough like other cheapies I’ve tried in the past. Lathers absolutely brilliantly and very quick also. Highly recommend!
If you told me I had a $50 budget to spend on a brush today, I would only look at Zenith. In any case though, you have to remember that boar takes time to break in. There are tricks you can use to expedited the process, but you still need some time and use.
Thank you Gents, this thread made me curious about Zenith brushes.
As mentioned, I use primarily Semogues, have two Danidoms, two Omegas that get little use, but don’t own a Zenith, which I intend to remedy.
They are harder to find than the ubiquitous Omega brushes, but I have now ordered a 506A and B, as the 506 kind of handle suits me.
B.
The two suppliers I am aware of:
The Gentle Shave in Cleveland, OH (has the copper handled brushes; not available elsewhere as far as I can tell)
Your Shaving in Spain
I ordered from both in December with no problems.
So I've got three brushes on the way. All boar. I've been making most of my own brushes and using badger knots for the most part. However, lately I've been experiencing a shift in my personal viewpoints towards the "harvesting" of badgers etc. It's disgusting. Caged, abused and unethical in any way shape or form. You can google it if you want. This is my view only. Now I'm ordering boar brushes and that may seem to be hypocritical because boars are hunted and kept as well...but not only are they slaughtered for the hair but for the meat as well. Now, boars worldwide are becoming a huge problem to agriculture, livestock and health. Take a look at Texas which is almost under siege from these critters. In Europe people are being confronted by boars continuously. In my home province of Saskatchewan, wild pigs are increasing at a rapid pace to the point where very shortly, there will be more pigs than people here. So I have no feelings of sympathy for these animals which are now listed as pests (vermin) and can be hunted etc at any time.
Sorry for the rant, but I think it's time for me to do a bit more than I have been. I will also be re-knotting some of my brushes if possible or simply getting rid them.
Oh yeah....please have a very Happy New Year and all the best to everyone here.
Sorry for the rant, but I think it's time for me to do a bit more than I have been. I will also be re-knotting some of my brushes if possible or simply getting rid them.
Oh yeah....please have a very Happy New Year and all the best to everyone here.
In Europe badgers are usually considered vermin, in the way you describe wild pigs in America and Canada. The badgers spread tuberculosis to cattle. I don’t know if badgers are hunted any more - maybe in some countries - but a dachshund (badger hound in German) is a breed of dog bred specifically for hunting badgers. Anyway, I’m not sure I get the argument that it is more right to harm animals if they are inconvenient to us.
I believe horse hair knots are made without harming any horses, so they may be the most (only?) ethical choice.
+1 for the Gentle Shave, great to deal with. I’ve got one of the copper handled brushes and the patina it’s developed over the past 18 months is really something. You can check it out in my SOTD pic. Cheers
Yes, you are correct about the premium boar question. I missed that, and when I reread it later, it was too late to edit my post. As for banded boars, I can see your point. Doesn't bother me though. As for a "premium boar," that's a bit of an oxymoron for me. I use them because they're cheap and work well. Also, I'm on a small-knot-with-wooden-handle kick, so that's why I suggested the brush that I did. Not too many of them out there.
Not trying to make a case for it's ok to kill one animal and not another. Here in Canada badgers in certain areas are protected in that they are considered an endangered species. We do not seem to have the concerns with cattle as do some of the EU countries. We do have some problems with bison in N.Alberta but that was due to infected animals being unknowingly introduced to the herds there. At any rate wild pigs are doing an incredible amount of damage to crops, livestock etc here in N America, the same as they are creating in Europe. They are an extremely destructive animal...way worse than badgers. Plus they spread more diseases than the badgers do...just saying.
My Antica Barbieria Colla Boar brush has a nicer knot than any of my Omegas (including a Jade), Semogue (including a SOC), Zeniths (both bleached and unbleached knots) or standard Mondial (who make the ABC brush) and would get my vote. It also comes with a very nice aluminium handle.
One Zenith brush arrived a little over a week and the other one a few days ago and I have been using them every day since.
To me they are clearly superior to my two Omega ‘Professional’ brushes, about in the same league as my two Danidoms, three Semogue SOCs and single Torga C5.
In comparison to the Semogues SOCs they have more backbone (more like the shorter loft Torga C5) and needed minimal breaking in - not that this was ever an issue for me with Semogues.
Very nice brushes, I am glad I bought them.
B.
I have one badger. It -- I am not getting close enough to tell gender! -- lives in a part of the property I don't visit regularly. North American Badger; definitely endangered. He she or it seems to get along with the weasel who lives near the house. We no longer have chickens so I'm fine with a weasel who pops up occasionally to brighten my day. Keeps the wood rats under control.
I have three boar brushes. One is a Wilkinson Sword, one Omega 10005 and one Semogue Owner's Club. At the moment and for the last two years at least I've been using the Omega. I keep meaning to pull out the Semogue but it's not broken in yet and when it is it'll feel just like the Omega, so no rush.
Breaking in: don't overthink it. Just use the brush. Sure it'll take about a gallon of water and three pucks of soap the first few times, but that's just part of the game. Enjoy it!
O.H.
I have three boar brushes. One is a Wilkinson Sword, one Omega 10005 and one Semogue Owner's Club. At the moment and for the last two years at least I've been using the Omega. I keep meaning to pull out the Semogue but it's not broken in yet and when it is it'll feel just like the Omega, so no rush.
Breaking in: don't overthink it. Just use the brush. Sure it'll take about a gallon of water and three pucks of soap the first few times, but that's just part of the game. Enjoy it!
O.H.
I can see why you mostly use boar. I bet it's a challenge to chase down that badger and rub enough soap on him - what a great daily workout!
There's a few misconceptions I feel I ought to clear up. The first is that badgers are endangered by the shave brush trade. 100% of badger hair used in shave brushes comes from badgers in Northern China. These are classified as "least concern," on the endangered species list, and indeed that badger population has been on the upswing since the 1980's.
Second, boar hair comes from the common domesticated pig. Wild boar hair is too stiff and thick for use in shaving brushes. Every boar brush you use was growing from a walking slab of bacon at one time.
Regarding softness and break in time, and this also relates to "premium," is that knots are made from cut hairs, uncut hairs (tops), or a mix of the two.
Omega only uses cut hairs. It's why their knots are so pretty. Semogue uses a mix of cut and uncut hairs in various percentages to give their brushes different characteristics. Call them "grades" if you will. Uncut hairs still have the natural 'flagged' ends. These are already split ends, made by the piggy itself. The higher the percentage of 'tops,' the softer the brush will be initially. Also, the less backbone it will have.
A brush full of cut hair will have thicker bristles, and more backbone. It will also take longer to break in. The difference in price only reflects the longer time and greater skill required to make knots with 'tops' hair, not any huge difference in the hair itself. Semogue has published lists of the percentage tops in each of their brushes which can be found with a minimal Google search, if one wishes to dive deeper into that rabbit hole.
Second, boar hair comes from the common domesticated pig. Wild boar hair is too stiff and thick for use in shaving brushes. Every boar brush you use was growing from a walking slab of bacon at one time.
Regarding softness and break in time, and this also relates to "premium," is that knots are made from cut hairs, uncut hairs (tops), or a mix of the two.
Omega only uses cut hairs. It's why their knots are so pretty. Semogue uses a mix of cut and uncut hairs in various percentages to give their brushes different characteristics. Call them "grades" if you will. Uncut hairs still have the natural 'flagged' ends. These are already split ends, made by the piggy itself. The higher the percentage of 'tops,' the softer the brush will be initially. Also, the less backbone it will have.
A brush full of cut hair will have thicker bristles, and more backbone. It will also take longer to break in. The difference in price only reflects the longer time and greater skill required to make knots with 'tops' hair, not any huge difference in the hair itself. Semogue has published lists of the percentage tops in each of their brushes which can be found with a minimal Google search, if one wishes to dive deeper into that rabbit hole.
For me I would be completely happy with any of the popular Semogue brushes such as the 1305 , 2000 , SOC. Omega are also nice though the knots behave a little differently so it’s a personal preference choosing one or the other regarding the two brands.
Thanks for the info. I posted pics of my 49 on a couple of threads recently and was thinking that I like the size of it more than that of the SOC, but it sure is taking longer to break in. Now I know why.
