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I read your review and comparison of the Thater and the Italian Flag. Interesting. Just off the top of your head, how does the Italian Flag compare to the Omega 48?
What is your favorite boar brush?
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I read your review and comparison of the Thater and the Italian Flag. Interesting. Just off the top of your head, how does the Italian Flag compare to the Omega 48?
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
The Flag has an obviously much nicer handle, but both handles work well enough. Neither brush has an enormous amount of backbone, but the Flag has a lot more backbone than you'd think it would, and it actually has pretty decent backbone whereas the backbone of the 48 is a joke.
By putting your fingers on the knot of the 48 - see this post, linked, and several posts in the same conversation - you can increase its backbone and make it work better of course. Plus, I like the 48. Somehow it is a fun to use brush, but don't expect backbone.
Scrub correlates with backbone.
My Flag has not been used as much as my 48, but neither are really broken in. The Italian Flag is softer than the 48. I believe the Flag is supposed to be a premium brush with a premium knot, and the knot does seem to be of a different boar, both visually and in how it feels.
The Flag costs a lot more and is a better brush. To me, both have knots that are too tall, but that's just my opinion. I like the Proraso (made by Omega) better than either, and I like my Zeniths and my Mondial even more. My favorite Omegas are the Jade sold exclusively at Connaught, and the little $7 Mighty Midget.
This really is off the top of my head, but I think it's right. I've used both brushes in the last few days.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Semogue 620.
Yaqi boar
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Could you speak to the properties and qualities of the Yaqi boar? Density? Backbone? Scrub? Scritch? Anything helpful really and/or giving insight into what you like about the brush.
I have a couple of Yaqi two-band brushes and like them. I've considered the Yaqi boar and not previously found anything about it.
It is a good looking brush handle, and unusual.
Thanks, and happy shaves,
Jim
No Yaqi boar. Only Yaqi synthetic.
I shouldn't be reading this thread .....
Now I feel compelled to go buy the Yaqi boar :-(
Excellent photo
Excellent comparison, and a thumbs up for going all Italian barber on these long-lofted brushes to increase the backbone. Also makes for more precise application of the lather.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I can't criticize the performance of my fake badger dyed boars, but I don't like them. They seem wrong to me, but that opinion is entirely subjective. In no way do they perform better for being dyed compared to my un-banded boar brushes. No, I don't have a big collection of fake badgers, but I have some, and don't like them.
Do you have a Yaqi boar? If so, what don't you like about it? In what ways does it unfavorably compare and what brushes does it unfavorably compare with, and how?
I do not have a Yaqi boar, and I'm not able to say anything about them. My Yaqi two bands are very good brushes I believe, and wonderfully underpriced, so I'm interested in learning more about the boars from gentlemen who own and have used them. Any experienced based comments about boar brushes are useful to me, so I hope you will add more detailed information.
My Semogue SOC boar is an old favorite. It took some breaking in, and it once went through a mysterious "phase" where it acted and looked weird, but it grew out of that (or maybe washing it with Ship-Shape did the trick). Anyway, I like the SOC, and want to know more about the Yaqi boar.
Oops. I noticed this post.
Seems to me you're off the reservation in your negative comment about Yaqi boars unless you have some experience with the brush or third party information you should be sharing with us. Bad mouthing brushes you don't own and haven't used seems out of line to me; I'll assume you used to own a Yaqi boar and gave it away.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Yes I have one. And one synthetic.
Very short loft, does not hold any lather at all for 3 passes, not dense knot, scritchy, I have used many times and did not like it. Aggressive backbone, zero splay. For some reason I still have it but I dont use it any more. Maybe I'll send to you for free to see it yourself what I 'm saying. No way it could be compared to Semogue or Omega. The synthetics on the other hand are fantastic. So do the 2band badger you have. If you want boar brush go to a company that has experience in making boar brushes and you know which are they.
No way I would have said something bad for something that I didnt had. No need to be angry, you dont know me and I dont know you.
Very short loft, does not hold any lather at all for 3 passes, not dense knot, scritchy, I have used many times and did not like it. Aggressive backbone, zero splay. For some reason I still have it but I dont use it any more. Maybe I'll send to you for free to see it yourself what I 'm saying. No way it could be compared to Semogue or Omega. The synthetics on the other hand are fantastic. So do the 2band badger you have. If you want boar brush go to a company that has experience in making boar brushes and you know which are they.
No way I would have said something bad for something that I didnt had. No need to be angry, you dont know me and I dont know you.
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Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Thanks. Much appreciated information on the Yaqi boar. Makes me glad I've not ordered one.
I wasn't mad at you, but confused by this post of yours today...
....plus hoping for information on the boar. I'll be looking out also for other Yaqi boar reviews.
So, you have the two band, right? Guess I'm confused on that point, too, but not a big deal. I'm often confused, and confusing.
Happy shaves,
Jim
No prob Jim! Happy to help! Stick with Yaqi badgers. Cheap and well performing!!
No, I dont have any badger. But tried many times the Yaqi 2band and seemed a very soft one and good performer. Maybe I'll buy one in the future! Too many brushes, little space Jim!
No, I dont have any badger. But tried many times the Yaqi 2band and seemed a very soft one and good performer. Maybe I'll buy one in the future! Too many brushes, little space Jim!
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I don't have any of the Yaqi synthetics; I'm not much of a guy for synthetics. However, Zig @ZigZiglar and various other gentlemen who have a number of synthetics seem to agree with you that the Yaqi synthetics are worthy.
Happy shaves,
Jim
@Chan Eil Whiskers
What is so special about the Mighty midget brush ? Can you please provide some info in softness and backbone please? Any comparison with the proraso brush ? The price is interesting and your comments make it a bit more to me.
What is so special about the Mighty midget brush ? Can you please provide some info in softness and backbone please? Any comparison with the proraso brush ? The price is interesting and your comments make it a bit more to me.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
The handle is vastly different, and the overall size, but this is a brush similar to the Proraso Pro in lots of ways.
The Omega 40033 Mighty Midget wide waist boar brush is one of my favorite Omega brushes, but it is not perfect.
The brush is often confused with another Omega brush, the Mixed Midget, which is a mixture of boar and badger, and is also a brush worth having.
Both of these brushes require, in my experience with them, a good bit of breaking in. Both are heavy hitters for their size, and the Mighty Midget 40033 is only $7.
The 40033 is a surprisingly good brush. Many people criticize it for its handle. The handle is a cheap Omega handle, but I like it reasonably well.
Let's see if we can find some reviews. Notice the search term. Link.
The Mighty Midget is impressive overall, but the first thing anyone notices after its small size is the amazing backbone of the brush. Even for a 24x47 brush it has a lot of backbone. You do pay for it, and for it being an Omega, in the break in required. I put mine through a preseason extended break in process, and recommend this unless you do better than me with brushes not soft just out of the box and new.
It is a very small brush, but better than I would have expected for such a small brush. Partly that's because the knot is 24mm (by my measurement of it), which is a larger knot than you might think you're getting with the brush's overall size (small).
I'm not saying I'd rather have this brush instead of any of my Zenith brushes, or my Mondial, or my SOC, or my Stirling. I'd much rather have the Omega Jade Connaught brush, too, but this is my second favorite Omega. It doesn't look like much, but it works well.
Hope that helps.
Happy shaves,
Jim
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Always a pleasure to read your impressions on brushes. It was helpful!
Now that we have seen those beautiful pictures, can we, I said, can we even compare those 3 LEGENDS of boar with any Yaqi boar brush? Just look at this SOC. Really fantastic.
AM I wrong??
NO.
Thank you.
AM I wrong??
NO.
Thank you.
