I entered the boar brush community with great hesitation. Apart from a vocal minority, the overwhelming consensus from online wet-shaving aficionados was that a decent badger brush was the only brush worth using (and keeping). I listened because I was inexperienced and impressionable. The price differential between quality badgers and boars didn’t help either: the more expensive of two comparable items must be better, right? That’s a sensible inference, right?
Wrong.
My curiosity got the better of me after 3 years of wet-shaving and I purchased two Omega boars. The first was the basic PRO 49 model and the second was the short lofted 10051 CHUB. To my surprise, the “cheap” Omegas pushed my Rooneys, Simpsons, and custom badger brushes out of rotation almost right away. Lathering soaps became so easy I thought I was cheating. Creating mounds and mounds of thick, creamy, yogurt-like lather only took half the time. Troublesome soaps like MWF were no longer unpredictable. As a face-latherer, my cheeks found the boar tips more comfortable (even when compared to TGN's 2-band finest). And for a while I felt a mixture of guilt and disappointment: guilt for enjoying a supposedly inferior product when I had better ones at my disposal and disappointment for having spent a small fortune on my previous badger brushes.
The guilt has since passed and so has the disappointment. I’ve addressed the “cheap” issue by purchasing two Semogues: the 1800 and the 1435. These brushes scream old-world quality, craftsmanship, and charm. In fact, they demand admiration even when standing next to my Simpson and Rooney brushes. As much as I enjoyed my Omegas, I love my Semogues even more (they have better grades of boar bristle). And even though I don’t use them often, the badgers still get some play every now and then. Their presence in my cabinet, behind my current rotation of boars, is a lesson learned and a daily reminder of youthful indescretion if you'd like.
Say what you will about boar brushes, but you cannot fairly regard Semogues as cheap once you’ve wielded one in your hand and definately not after you've used it. The correct term for these brushes is inexpensive – not cheap. There is no soap they won’t lather (even prior to being broken in). And once they’re broken in, they’re as soft (if not softer than and almost as luxurious) as my silvertip badger.
As a bonus, it hurts a little less seeing a stray boar hair run down the drain (you obsessive brush lovers know exactly what I mean).
In short, if you’re new to wet shaving, do yourself a favor and try a boar - preferably a Semogue. You will not regret it.
Have you converted to boars? What's your story?
Wrong.
My curiosity got the better of me after 3 years of wet-shaving and I purchased two Omega boars. The first was the basic PRO 49 model and the second was the short lofted 10051 CHUB. To my surprise, the “cheap” Omegas pushed my Rooneys, Simpsons, and custom badger brushes out of rotation almost right away. Lathering soaps became so easy I thought I was cheating. Creating mounds and mounds of thick, creamy, yogurt-like lather only took half the time. Troublesome soaps like MWF were no longer unpredictable. As a face-latherer, my cheeks found the boar tips more comfortable (even when compared to TGN's 2-band finest). And for a while I felt a mixture of guilt and disappointment: guilt for enjoying a supposedly inferior product when I had better ones at my disposal and disappointment for having spent a small fortune on my previous badger brushes.
The guilt has since passed and so has the disappointment. I’ve addressed the “cheap” issue by purchasing two Semogues: the 1800 and the 1435. These brushes scream old-world quality, craftsmanship, and charm. In fact, they demand admiration even when standing next to my Simpson and Rooney brushes. As much as I enjoyed my Omegas, I love my Semogues even more (they have better grades of boar bristle). And even though I don’t use them often, the badgers still get some play every now and then. Their presence in my cabinet, behind my current rotation of boars, is a lesson learned and a daily reminder of youthful indescretion if you'd like.
Say what you will about boar brushes, but you cannot fairly regard Semogues as cheap once you’ve wielded one in your hand and definately not after you've used it. The correct term for these brushes is inexpensive – not cheap. There is no soap they won’t lather (even prior to being broken in). And once they’re broken in, they’re as soft (if not softer than and almost as luxurious) as my silvertip badger.
As a bonus, it hurts a little less seeing a stray boar hair run down the drain (you obsessive brush lovers know exactly what I mean).
In short, if you’re new to wet shaving, do yourself a favor and try a boar - preferably a Semogue. You will not regret it.
Have you converted to boars? What's your story?
