Semogue 2011 LE1 Badger Owners

[jepeck]

I'm thinking about making this brush my next purchase, and want to solicit advice from those who currently own it or have previously owned it. The reviews seem to be all over the place with some owners commenting that it has soft tips and firm backbone while others say its like lathering with a tree trunk and sandpaper.

To give you some perspective, my two favorite brushes are my Classic 1 in Best and Duke 2 (2-band). With the Classic 1 the tips were a little rough at first, but are now scrubby and soft at the same time. Density is great providing good backbone but the strong backbone is due more to strength in numbers and the hairs on an individual level aren't as strong as the 2-band. The 2-band on the other hand had the same awesome tips and strong backbone at first but has now softened so much at the tips that its almost like lathering with a firm pillow. My ideal brush, would therefore have the tips of best (after breaking in) and the shafts of 2-Band if that makes sense.

In your view, would LE1 fit this description?

 

[xillion]

I use my 2011 LE1 Badger almost daily and to me it is a fantastic brush. I also own a Simpson's Case, Classic 1, Somerset T2 in two band, Duke 3, and a Somerset Chubby 1. I do enjoy a brush with great back bone that gives me a nice scrub when face lathering and in this regard the 2011 LE1 does not disappoint.

When I first received my LE1 the tips felt pretty scritchy. Over time the tips have softened a bit but they are not cloud soft. For me that is not a bad thing. The hair of the 2011 LE Badger brushes reminds me a bit of the legendary Rooney Finest hair in terms of knot density and backbone. I also bought a 2011 LE2 badger, but I enjoy using the LE1 more. To me the difference in loft between the two is discernible on my face. The LE2 is still a great brush, I just prefer the LE1.

If you are looking for a dense brush with great backbone then you will enjoy the LE1.

Here is my LE1 in action.

 

[BigBull]

I really like the color of that scuttle Xillion! Brush is awesome too. I don't own an LE 2011, but Semogue makes great brushes...

 

[jepeck]

Thanks for the synopsis. That is a strong endorsement if it's beating out those Simpsons for daily use. This sounds like a brush I would definitely enjoy at an incredible value for a dense two band. I will order one and post my thoughts after a few lathers.

I use my 2011 LE1 Badger almost daily and to me it is a fantastic brush. I also own a Simpson's Case, Classic 1, Somerset T2 in two band, Duke 3, and a Somerset Chubby 1. I do enjoy a brush with great back bone that gives me a nice scrub when face lathering and in this regard the 2011 LE1 does not disappoint.

When I first received my LE1 the tips felt pretty scritchy. Over time the tips have softened a bit but they are not cloud soft. For me that is not a bad thing. The hair of the 2011 LE Badger brushes reminds me a bit of the legendary Rooney Finest hair in terms of knot density and backbone. I also bought a 2011 LE2 badger, but I enjoy using the LE1 more. To me the difference in loft between the two is discernible on my face. The LE2 is still a great brush, I just prefer the LE1.

If you are looking for a dense brush with great backbone then you will enjoy the LE1.

Here is my LE1 in action.

 

[jpipes3]

I have a two-brush rotation right now - a 2011 LE Badger 1 and a Berkeley in Best. The LE1 definitely has a lot more backbone, which makes the scritch much more prominent. It really doesn't splay much at all. I love it for those reasons. I don't like "pillowy" brushes... I want some exfoliation and scrub. I face lather 100% of the time and it helps make it feel smaller on my face.

Plus, it's just a bada$$ looking brush.

 

[Dipesh]

I love Simpson 2 band, it really is my hair of choice.

I had a semogue 2 band Le 2011 in size 1 and it was like sand paper. There's exfoliation but then there is this brush. It gave me brush burn that I've never had before. I traded it, and the person I traded it with had exactly the same thoughts.

If you can, stick with Semogue boars. These are first class. My experience has put me right off semogue badgers.

 

[Rivguy]

Hmm, my experience with Semogue badgers is entirely the opposite. I have the 2010 LE and the 2011 LE #2 and find them to be among the finest silvertips that I own and I own quite a few. I have several Semogue boars including the matching 2011 LE #2 and it is the finest boar I own. I don't find the Semogue silvertips to be the least bit scratchy but rather very enjoyable to use. Perhaps this is a case of YMMV.

Regards,

Doug

 

[breadstick]

I don't have this brush, but it sounds like you want the Semogue 620. It's such an amazing brush and easily worth twice the price you pay for it. Plus, it's available at many more places at the moment.

 

[shanman]

I like my LE size I, but the SOC 2 band is better in looks and performance IMO.

 

[marcel]

The first few times I used my 2011LE 1 it was a bit rough on my face, but the hairs softened up nicely. It is the most dense 2 band I own and one of the nicest. Its 2 band competitors in my rotation are: simpson Tulip 2, Simpson Douglas and Semogue SOC 2 band. Not the least IMHO.

 

[TonyN]

I have the Semogue 2011 LE Badger 2 and it's a great 2-band brush. I would say it's scrubby, but not scratchy.

 

[jepeck]

Reading these all these different views from users makes me thinks there must be a lot of variability in the brushes themselves and not just the users. I went ahead and ordered the LE1. The LE2 and SOC 2 band it seems get more positive reviews but less fanatical loves than the LE1. The LE1 is the riskier choice, but I would rather shoot for greatness and something unique after having tried about 10 or so solid but safe brushes from Simpsons, EJ, Thater, Vulfix, and Vie-Long. If this brush ends up being scrubby but not scratchy and uber dense then it will be a jackpot (possibly the one) or at the very least a very good reference point.

 

[edgerunner]

Reading these all these different views from users makes me thinks there must be a lot of variability in the brushes themselves and not just the users. I went ahead and ordered the LE1. The LE2 and SOC 2 band it seems get more positive reviews but less fanatical loves than the LE1. The LE1 is the riskier choice, but I would rather shoot for greatness and something unique after having tried about 10 or so solid but safe brushes from Simpsons, EJ, Thater, Vulfix, and Vie-Long. If this brush ends up being scrubby but not scratchy and uber dense then it will be a jackpot (possibly the one) or at the very least a very good reference point.

My LE 2 has the same softness and hair like my SOC 2-band. The knot is denser, not uber dense, but uber firm. It's not scritchy but very scrubby due to the firmness and the density. It's built like a tank and is strong like a bull. The handle is very comfortable with nice size, feels solid and heavy. The brush is unique, and I use it when I'm in a mood for such properties.

 

[marcel]

Reading these all these different views from users makes me thinks there must be a lot of variability in the brushes themselves and not just the users.

I think it has to do with how people perceive a brush like this, combined with their expectations of how a two band brush should feel. It is a firm brush and not everybody is used to brushes like this, I don't think it has anything to do with differences in hairquality. In my experience, Semogue has very strict tolerances when it comes to hair selection.

 

[james7604]

My wife picked one of these up earlier this year as a birthday present for me. The first time I used it was a positively painful experience. Really prickly, almost like being stabbed with needles in the face. Only the fact it was a present stopped it going straight back to the vendor. After a few painful uses, I took a close look at the knot and noticed some really thick black stiff hairs. Almost as if they were inserted the wrong way around in the knot. It was these that were causing the painful stabbing feeling. I separated all these hairs with my fingers and cut them halfway down their length. It was a slow process, there was upwards of fifty or so. The improvement was immeasurable. I cold actually use the brush after doing this. It was still a bit of a scritchy brush but without the stabbing effect caused by these rogue bristles. The rest of the hairs have softened up a bit over the months and now it is in my rotation for when I want to use a scrubby brush with plenty of backbone, but without the fix it was unusable. I felt the brush in its original state wasn't up to the standards I've come to expect from Semogue, perhaps producing 400 LE brushes meant the quality control wasn't up to their usual high standards.

 

[marcel]

That is something I didn't expect from Semogue! Given the price of the LE's this shouldn't have happened.

 

[jpipes3]

Man, there are some sissies up in here!

 

[edwinguz]

I have the LE 1 and found it really scratchy at first. It'll soften up over time. It's like breaking in one of their boar brushes. It's night and day from what it was. I still only use it when I feel like getting some real exfoliation.

 

[breadstick]

I got my 620 to break in in about 3 weeks. I followed a lot of advice by people a lot smarter than me on here and only used it every other day to make sure it had a full day to dry. This sped it up quite a bit and that brush is simply amazing now.

 

[jepeck]

I received my LE1 brush yesterday afternoon and after an overnight defunk proceeded with the maiden face lather this morning. My initial impression is that the back bone and density are very good. It’s in the Duke Chubby, Classic, Duke range for density, and the backbone is excellent with a spongy not springy type feel give if you really bear down. (just how I like it) At the same time, it would be very hard to splay this brush.

The tips are about as scritchy as a new Simpsons Best brush with a light pressure circular motion.(Good thing for me) When I applied more pressure to really scrub the neck and chin area this scritch turned into a slightly unpleasant scratch.

This brush has a lot of potential, and depending on how much the tips break in over the next month the LE1 could be close to my ideal shaving brush. Fans of the pillow like softness found in Thater, Vulfix and even Simpson Super (I have tried all three) would probably not like this brush. If you’re a fan of scrubby three band brushes and want to try a unique hair with more backbone this would be an excellent option. (Subject to the tips breaking in over time)

I will post again in a few weeks, once the brush has settled in a bit more. This is already threatening to push one of my very soft tipped Simpson two band's to BST though.