Two New Brushes Just Arrived

[Nick Danger]

The mailman brought me two new toys today:

An SOC boar and an Omega 31064 Banded Boar.

Actually, the Omega is slightly used but it's new to me.

I made a test lather with the Omega. For the SOC, I'm following the break in procedure suggested in this thread:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/139297-How-To-Break-In-A-Brush-amp-Get-The-Funk-Out

So all that I've done so far with the SOC is palm-lather some Dawn dish soap, and now it's having a soak in Dawn for a couple of hours (not the handle, of course.)

First impressions: The Omega 31064 doesn't have a whole lot of backbone. It's pretty noodly. I'll let it dry out completely, and then I'll try soaking only the tips to see if that gives it a bit more backbone.

The SOC looks fantastic. I think it's going to have more backbone than the Omega, but we'll see later on when I give it a first real lather with a soap or cream.

I still have one more new toy on the way: A Semogue Owners Club Special Edition 2012 with the mixed boar / badger knot. From what I've read, that one might have more backbone than the SOC boar. It probably won't arrive until next week, but I have enough to play with until then.

Nick

 

[rockviper]

Something's wrong.... the pics of your new brushes aren't showing up for me

 

[Nick Danger]

Something's wrong.... the pics of your new brushes aren't showing up for me

I was so eager to play with them that I didn't even think about taking pictures!

I'll have to rectify that error later.

I'm definitely interested to hear opinions about the backbone of the SOC boar vs. the 31064. I guess I'll find out for myself soon enough.

Nick

 

[beginish]

The 31064 is an excellent brush.

 

[celestino]

Nick, the SOC is a great brush!

 

[Nick Danger]

OK, I've test-lathered both brushes now. Both are sitting overnight with a thick lather to help with the break in process. I knew that sample of Mike's orange, pepper and cedarwood soap would come in handy for something.

First impressions are that I'm going to love the SOC. The handle fits my hand well, and the loft is just perfect for my lathering bowl: no handle-clanking at all. The SOC also appears to have more backbone than the 31064, at least so far. We'll see how they both are after they break in.

I'll be using the SOC for tomorrow's shave. That is one beautiful brush.

Nick

 

[Oscroft]

Congrats on the new brushes, and I'm very pleased to hear how impressed you are with the SOC - I think it's a superb brush.

As for Omega, I don't know the 31064, but generally the Omega knots don't seem to be as densely packed as Semogue knots - and the SOC is the densest of them all.