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What were your worst brush purchases and why

I find most boar brushes, especially those under 24mm, fairly lacking in comparison to 2-band badger knots and certainly tuxedo and other more recent synthetic knots. For me, they don't hold a lot of suds and they disperse it far too quickly.
 
I don't mind if a brush didn't turn out to be a favorite. I still use some of those sometimes for fun. Those that fall into this category for me are brushes that are or became quickly unusable.

1) Cheap Omega synthetic. I don't remember the model. That was my first brush that I bought from a local supermarket something like 10 years ago. It was shedding 5-6 bristles all the time, so I tossed it away after 6 months and quit the brush and cream routine for the next 9 years. :D

2) A Shavemac D01 2-band (bulb 26mm, 50mm loft). I found one on sale early on and bought it thinking that it would be a great one for face lathering. It turned out to be extremely stiff and rough on the skin. It didn't improve sufficiently over time so it is permanently out of rotation. It is not bad for someone that looks for these attributes in a brush, though.

And then there is that

3)

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The Thäter Premium Boar was the worst brush I ever purchased. It didn't explode like yours, but it was the absolute scratchiest knot and REFUSED to break in. Had it re-knotted with a Declaration Grooming B5 and now it's a winner.
 
The Thäter Premium Boar was the worst brush I ever purchased. It didn't explode like yours, but it was the absolute scratchiest knot and REFUSED to break in. Had it re-knotted with a Declaration Grooming B5 and now it's a winner.

Problems with this brush have already been reported in B&B, so I have nothing more to add. I am sorry that you had a bad experience too. 90$ is quite steep of a prize for a handle, but at least you turned it into a great one! :thumbsup:

For me, the knot was breaking in OK-ish. It was far from being a favorite, so it wasn't used frequently. Most bristles split very quickly, but there were quite a few that were set upside down and rendered it scratchy. It was usable at the time it snapped. However, I tested a few boar brushes and I came to realize that I prefer the feel of the Omega professional series. Ain't that funny? I needed to buy the most expensive boar to find out that I like some of the cheapest ones. :D

Therefore, sending it back to Thater doesn't make much sense in my case. 27mm diameter is too much for my tastes in badger brushes. I like the handle, so I will probably buy a Proraso brush at some point and harvest the knot.
 
4) The Omega 24mm S-brush. Like lathering with a slingshot. Worse purchase than the EJ, despite the very low price. Because at least the EJ i keep using it. The S-brush i take with me only in trips or use it 1-2 times a year.
:laugh: Talk about YMMV.

I used to wonder how people managed to get lather everywhere. Personally I'd only ever gotten it on my face on the parts I wanted to shave (definitely not in my ears and up my nose).

My favorite synthetic is the Omega S10065 S-Brush, fabulous. I heard great things about their Hi-Brush so I purchased the Omega 46081. I just COULD NOT BELIEVE how bad it was. The tips were like needles and it slung lather EVERYWHERE.
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:laugh: Talk about YMMV.

I used to wonder how people managed to get lather everywhere. Personally I'd only ever gotten it on my face on the parts I wanted to shave (definitely not in my ears and up my nose).

My favorite synthetic is the Omega S10065 S-Brush, fabulous. I heard great things about their Hi-Brush so I purchased the Omega 46081. I just COULD NOT BELIEVE how bad it was. The tips were like needles and it slung lather EVERYWHERE.
View attachment 981126:001_wub: View attachment 981127:a31:

Technique trumps everything.
 
I bought a no-name "silvertip" badger from a Chinese firm on Ebay. I'm not sure what type of hair it is, but matts together when wet, making it impossible to lather. It's now used to apply powder. At least it was under $10. All of my early synthetics--not until the Plissoft came around did I start liking synthetics.
 
:laugh: Talk about YMMV.

I used to wonder how people managed to get lather everywhere. Personally I'd only ever gotten it on my face on the parts I wanted to shave (definitely not in my ears and up my nose).

My favorite synthetic is the Omega S10065 S-Brush, fabulous. I heard great things about their Hi-Brush so I purchased the Omega 46081. I just COULD NOT BELIEVE how bad it was. The tips were like needles and it slung lather EVERYWHERE.
View attachment 981126:001_wub: View attachment 981127:a31:

It's not so much the lather flying, you learn to control that. It's that it's so springy that it won't splay other than on the chin. You need to splay on the chin and keeping it splayed move it up towards the cheeks. If you distract for a moment and let it leave your face, the loft springs back to position and you have to go to chin again.
 
It's not so much the lather flying, you learn to control that. It's that it's so springy that it won't splay other than on the chin. You need to splay on the chin and keeping it splayed move it up towards the cheeks. If you distract for a moment and let it leave your face, the loft springs back to position and you have to go to chin again.
I've never had that happen with my S-Brushes... BUT, I love them so much that I sent one out for a nice acrylic handle. When it came back the knot had been set a few millimeters too low and was JUST as you describe. I only used it the once.
 
I've never had that happen with my S-Brushes... BUT, I love them so much that I sent one out for a nice acrylic handle. When it came back the knot had been set a few millimeters too low and was JUST as you describe. I only used it the once.

Strange things. Maybe Omega had wide tolerances? I have the wooden handle version.
 
Omega 11126. Just a turd of a brush. Stunk for months (and still does), floppy, pokey, not-dense, can't hold 2 passes of lather. Good lookin' handle tho.
 
Omega 11126. Just a turd of a brush. Stunk for months (and still does), floppy, pokey, not-dense, can't hold 2 passes of lather. Good lookin' handle tho.

Imagine that! I don't have the exact model, but the 24x55mm banded knots, are my favourite Omegas. And the ones i got have very little smell. They are not dense, but once broken in, i get 4 passes easily. YMMV for sure.

One man's turd, another man's treasure. :001_302:

2 on the left: Omegas 24x55.
2 on the right: Semogue 1250 and 1800 (needs more breaking in).

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My first synthetic: a Parker synthetic. It couldn't make or hold lather. I ended up throwing it away. The only other brush I don't like is the Plisson Cade synthetic. I just find it too floppy for my taste. I still use it but for me it's a second rate brush.
 
Imagine that! I don't have the exact model, but the 24x55mm banded knots, are my favourite Omegas. And the ones i got have very little smell. They are not dense, but once broken in, i get 4 passes easily. YMMV for sure.

One man's turd, another man's treasure. :001_302:

2 on the left: Omegas 24x55.
2 on the right: Semogue 1250 and 1800 (needs more breaking in).

View attachment 981264

How very convenient...I happen to own both the 1250 and 1800, both were recently used and allowed to fully dry at least 48 hours on my windowsill. The one with the larger bloom is the 1800. They look nothing like each other compared to the 2 you have pictured. We should start using YPMV (Product) instead of YMMV, I suspect lots of variation between like-modeled products based on these 2 pieces of data alone!

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Touch wood but so far none of my brushes are bad buys.

Perhaps the Vie Long gets the least usage as I does seem to tangle more than others but it has a really classic metal/wood handle I could resuse. It's a bowl lathering demon so it has its place in my den but I'll never face lather with it lol.

The omega 10104 and 10049 are great bowl lathers, a little too big to face lather with but, they work great at making hugs amounts of lather, Nuff said.

The Bruce is the surprise, great handle, feels wonderful to face lather with and can bowl lather almost as well. None of them costs more than $10 so no complains here lol.
 
Edwin Jagger 21mm pure badger, faux ebony handle. I ordered it by mistake so I wasn’t happy from the beginning even though it was my own fault. Nonetheless it was way too prickly, overpriced ($44) since it was uncomfortable to use, and too small for my liking. To its credit the handle looks nice, but it cost me another $30 to reknot it with a silvertip and it’s STILL to stinking small! Lesson learned: quit while you’re behind...
 
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