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So Eben, did you take the chance and buy one? Well worth it IMO for $20-21 shipped.
No. Not yet. Apparently I'm suffering from extreme indecisiveness.
So Eben, did you take the chance and buy one? Well worth it IMO for $20-21 shipped.
If you don't need a new boar brush, why bother? I buy so much crap I don't need but there it is.No. Not yet. Apparently I'm suffering from extreme indecisiveness.
Coincidentally, I used mine today for the first time in probably two weeks. I love the scrubby part but I understand those who don't. I never notice prickliness with brushes, at least not the ones I've had experience with. In any event, it performed well (as do all Omegas in time).I bought my Omega "Jade" 011842 ( knot 27mm loft 52mm ) from Connaught a few weeks ago and after 5 lather soaks with Arko the moderate initial stink was gone so I used it for a face lather. This is one scrubby brush and there was a little prickle in it as well so for me it wasn't the most comfortable of new brushes on my face.
The handle is a nice colour, solid and very ergonomic. As far as the knot goes it seems no different from Omega's standard knots. Other people have said this is probably a brush for the long haul and you need to have patience and keep using it until it breaks in. Trouble is that I have many brushes that are more comfortable in my collection that I can go with. I have put the 011842 aside for the time being until I decide what to do with it.
I’ve gotten into the routine of lathering and sitting my new brushes with MWF.I bought my Omega "Jade" 011842 ( knot 27mm loft 52mm ) from Connaught a few weeks ago and after 5 lather soaks with Arko the moderate initial stink was gone so I used it for a face lather. This is one scrubby brush and there was a little prickle in it as well so for me it wasn't the most comfortable of new brushes on my face.
The handle is a nice colour, solid and very ergonomic. As far as the knot goes it seems no different from Omega's standard knots. Other people have said this is probably a brush for the long haul and you need to have patience and keep using it until it breaks in. Trouble is that I have many brushes that are more comfortable in my collection that I can go with. I have put the 011842 aside for the time being until I decide what to do with it.
I was using an Omega shaving cream in the tube and it said it had ingredients for the brush, to soften it. The cream was ok, perhaps better for the brush than my face.I’ve gotten into the routine of lathering and sitting my new brushes with MWF.
The thought there is to allow the soak in lanolin to soften the bristles
I put mine in cold water for a few days (changing the water regularly). Read about the fridge method and tried it but I don't understand why that would work better. I also do a few dishsoap lathers if the boar is stinky but the Connaught Omega and my Semogue SOC Taj were very low to no odor (the SOC had none). The SOC broke in like it was synthetic, the Connaught has taken a bit longer but less than the Omega made Proraso Pro.
The fridge thing actually came about from a misunderstanding. There was a video with a well-known Italian barber where he said new boar brushes should be soaked in cold water for three days and they would serve you well for many years. In Italian, he meant cold water from the tap. People heard "cold water" as in temperature so the idea of keeping it in the fridge spread from there.I was thinking that putting it in the fridge was mainly to prevent bacteria growth since it would be sitting for a few days (someone can correct me if that's not true). Changing the water regularly would probably accomplish the same thing.
The fridge thing actually came about from a misunderstanding. There was a video with a well-known Italian barber where he said new boar brushes should be soaked in cold water for three days and they would serve you well for many years. In Italian, he meant cold water from the tap. People heard "cold water" as in temperature so the idea of keeping it in the fridge spread from there.
I'm pretty sure just cold tap water is fine. Just change the water every day if you are worried about bacteria buildup. Three days is probably an exaggeration, too, but should not hurt anything.
I think it's important to change the water often. In any event, I thought it worked OK from day one. I also don't recall to much stink from the get go but I'm too tired to check my previous posts. It's a very nice brush, one way or the other.I soaked mine for 2 days before using it. I don't really care about breaking it in. IMO, it's already nice and usable the way it is now. If it gets softer that's fine, but if not that's okay too.
My Semogues, both boar and horse, didn't have any noticeably animal funk whatsoever. But this thing, when wet, is stanky. I'm leaving it soak over the weekend while I'm out of town. Hopefully some of the stank will be gone when I get back.