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What were your worst brush purchases and why

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E shave long handle badger still shedding all the time
 
The omega 10104 and 10049 are great bowl lathers, a little too big to face lather with but
I face lathered with a 10104 virtually daily for over 5 years. I tentatively tried a 24 x 55 to see if In could get by with a smaller boar. I was pleasantly rewarded and now know that I'm fine with a smaller brush, but I still like big brushes for face lathering. 'If we all liked the same things, everyone would be after my wife'.
 
Omega 10049 Pro boar.
Way too long and floppy. I like to say that it is "clownishly large", like clown shoes.
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Every once in a while (months apart) I try it, just to see if I would change my mind.
But no.

Oh come now John a 49 isn't that bad lol. A 26/62 can't be all that bad, it's the >27/65 mm knots that I don't get. The 48, 98,102, 80, 83, 20106, 108 etc those are large enough to polish your shoes with lol.

I face lathered with a 10104 virtually daily for over 5 years. I tentatively tried a 24 x 55 to see if In could get by with a smaller boar. I was pleasantly rewarded and now know that I'm fine with a smaller brush, but I still like big brushes for face lathering. 'If we all liked the same things, everyone would be after my wife'.

So true, I prefer the 104 over the 49as I prefer a denser, shorter loft. However, I get more than enough lather from a 24mm knot so that's the max for me as far as boars are concerned.

Happy shaves,

Mawashi
 
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.


The Proaso brush is exceptional; the handle, unfortunately, detracts. That chromed plastic just hurts the eyes. Good idea to harvest the knot. :)
 
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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I think YPMV might become the next successful motto in here... What can i say! The 1800 is supposed to be the one that "doesn't bloom as much as the others" and in your case, it's the exact opposite. Mysteries of the artisan...
 
I think YPMV might become the next successful motto in here... What can i say! The 1800 is supposed to be the one that "doesn't bloom as much as the others" and in your case, it's the exact opposite. Mysteries of the artisan...

I recently owned a Semogue 620 and to me, the knot was almost identical to the 1800, while not being as soft. They are both spec'd to have 75% tops, while the 1800 is mixed with Premium tops. They both bloomed the same as well. I ultimately ditched the 620 bc of the short slippery acrylic handle.

Unless I received 2 incorrectly built brushes, it's likely you had an outlier, but who knows. I've seen artisans mix up soap lids by accident, probably just as easy with brushes that use the same handle, especially during the busy season. I have yet to try a Semogue that didn't make great lather tho so I'd probably be happy with a mislabeled one anyway. For all I know, I don't really own what I think I own!
 
I recently owned a Semogue 620 and to me, the knot was almost identical to the 1800, while not being as soft. They are both spec'd to have 75% tops, while the 1800 is mixed with Premium tops. They both bloomed the same as well. I ultimately ditched the 620 bc of the short slippery acrylic handle.

Unless I received 2 incorrectly built brushes, it's likely you had an outlier, but who knows. I've seen artisans mix up soap lids by accident, probably just as easy with brushes that use the same handle, especially during the busy season. I have yet to try a Semogue that didn't make great lather tho so I'd probably be happy with a mislabeled one anyway. For all I know, I don't really own what I think I own!

The Semogue wooden handles are something unique in ergonomy, i agree... Maybe it's just the fact that my 1800 is not fully broken in yet. I have used the 1250 for longer. I have very loose rotations and the 1800 was part of my last boar purchases. It's not well broken in yet. I 'd say not even medium broken in. It sure feels stiffer than the other Semogues i had. Who knows... Time will tell.
 
I recently purchased a Simpsons Chubby 2 and it was loosing hair like a Chemo patient at Chernobyl. It would loose 10-12 hairs each time it was used.
 
I need to look up "scritch."

I've only owned 3 brushes so it is difficult to say what my "worst" purchase was. They are all inexpensive brushes so I can't be too critical of them.
 
I know a lot of guys love them, but my Zenith Manchurian felt like a bunch of pins. I like scrubby brushes, but this was scritch times ten.
 
I recently purchased a Simpsons Chubby 2 and it was loosing hair like a Chemo patient at Chernobyl. It would loose 10-12 hairs each time it was used.

That's one of the reasons I don't see a reason to buy expensive brushes as there's always a chance of getting a lemon. Buyers remorse with a cheap brush is simply throwing it as hard as you can in the bin. A $80 lemon is a more difficult prospect.

Kents are notoriously floppy.

I know a lot of guys love them, but my Zenith Manchurian felt like a bunch of pins. I like scrubby brushes, but this was scritch times ten.

YPMV and YMMV always lol.
 
The Semogue wooden handles are something unique in ergonomy, i agree... Maybe it's just the fact that my 1800 is not fully broken in yet. I have used the 1250 for longer. I have very loose rotations and the 1800 was part of my last boar purchases. It's not well broken in yet. I 'd say not even medium broken in. It sure feels stiffer than the other Semogues i had. Who knows... Time will tell.

My 1250 was much more compact before I used it a few times and from what I can recall, the 1800 bloomed open pretty quickly. Like any of them tho, if you let it dry and box it up, it looks like a brand new brush until you wet and use it once.
 
That's one of the reasons I don't see a reason to buy expensive brushes as there's always a chance of getting a lemon. Buyers remorse with a cheap brush is simply throwing it as hard as you can in the bin. A $80 lemon is a more difficult prospect.

YPMV and YMMV always lol.

That's true!

My 1250 was much more compact before I used it a few times and from what I can recall, the 1800 bloomed open pretty quickly. Like any of them tho, if you let it dry and box it up, it looks like a brand new brush until you wet and use it once.

Interesting. We will see. My 1250 is my most used Semogue... Which doesn't mean it's "very used", but much more than the 1800.
 
I got a lemon Omega 48, shedding wise. But I didn't have the heart to throw away such a nice brush. Price tag is not all that matters. After 2 years of using it I managed to stop the shedding and now it does perfectly well.

Omega Pro 48 Saved
 
Worst knot was my recently purchased Maggard’s SHD 22mm (super high density) that I had set in my new Wolf Whiskers handle. Absolutely no backbone and way too soft. Having it replaced now by Rudy Vey.
 
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