I have two brands of brushes available at my local brick and mortar: Semogue black horse hair and several Vielong (white, brown, and black). Can any of you tell me the pros and cons of these? I want to try a horse hair as I have yet to experience them. The Semogue is a lot cheaper, but is it in the same league? What do I need to know?
Vielong horse hair vs Semogue horse hair
- Thread starter Doc Dan
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They are both good but I like the Semogue more. It is firmer and more “normal” if that makes sense. More like Badger, I guess. The Semogue hair absolutely reeks, so expect a lot of soaking/cleaning.
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- #3
Can you splay it a little and not break the hairs? I have a good boar and it is well broken in, but I don't like it much. I wanted to try horse and see what I thought about it.
Yes, once you soak the bristles a little while. What you have to avoid is mashing the brush hard against the face. That can create a donut hole. Horse hair is more fragile and liable to tangle. Nothing major, but you have to treat it right.
I have a couple horsehair brushes, one vintage Rubberset and one recently purchased Vielong. Definitely mashing will cause donut hole/tangling, but you can comb them out while they're wet to rectify that if it happens. With the Vielong, it doesn't take much extra pressure to cause this. I don't recall the mane to tail hair ratio on that brush specifically but it's definitely more mane hairs--softer and less backbone. Tail hairs tend to be more prickly and stiff but the tips will get softer over time as they split and fray.
The other thing, at least my impression, is they don't pick up as much soap so you may want to need to load longer or reload depending on your needs. I don't mind using them on hard soaps but in my opinion they really shine with a croap or a cream, making a nice rich lather without excessively aerating it.
The other thing, at least my impression, is they don't pick up as much soap so you may want to need to load longer or reload depending on your needs. I don't mind using them on hard soaps but in my opinion they really shine with a croap or a cream, making a nice rich lather without excessively aerating it.
No experience with the Vielong, but I do have the Semogue horse brush. I like it, but I like synthetic brushes a lot more. If you want it for free, and don't mind a used brush (approx 21 shaves with it), contact me via PM.
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- #7
I am a big synthetic fan. I've never had a silvertip badger, but have one waiting on me to get to shop. I've had other badger and boar and my synthetics are way better. I am curious about the horse because, well, I've never tried one. I've read on this forum some people who say they like horse better than either boar or badger. Some say they don't like it as much. Therefore, I've got to find out for myself. I prefer softer brushes that still have backbone. I don't like stiff brushes, however.
You probably want one that has a higher percentage of mane hair vs. tail hair, then (at least 50% mane hair). I'm not sure if it's generally the case but my white Vie-Long horsehair brush seems less prickly than others. The hair is supposed to be collected from white horses.
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- #9
My local B&M carries those. He likes the Semogue better than the Vielong. I need to go over there, but it is a good distance from here. Because of city traffic it would take 45 minutes or more.
I no longer have any horse hair brushes in rotation, but when I did I found that Vie-Long brown horse hair seemed to loose more hair than their white horse hair. This may be related to mix of mane and tail hairs, which are different between the two (35% mane / 65% tail hair for brown hair, 50% each for white horse hair).
In the end I gave up on horse hair because of hair loss and tangling.
I very much like Semogue brushes and if I had to try a horse hair brush again I might order a Semogue to see whether theirs behave any better.
B.
In the end I gave up on horse hair because of hair loss and tangling.
I very much like Semogue brushes and if I had to try a horse hair brush again I might order a Semogue to see whether theirs behave any better.
B.
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