I'm in the process of breaking in my 1305 and I also have a new 1438. I use my 1305 daily but my 1438 gets soaked and lathered each day to get it broken in. The 1305 is coming along nicely but it's just a little over a week in and I expect a couple more weeks will be needed for the knot to really open up and splay nicely. It's performance has definitely improved since I first got it but it's got a way to go yet.
So, my question: does simply soaking and drying the brush constitute the whole of the break-in process or does use and lathering play a part? If I just soak and dry my 1438 will it still break in or do I need to keep lathering it to get it to fully break in?
So, my question: does simply soaking and drying the brush constitute the whole of the break-in process or does use and lathering play a part? If I just soak and dry my 1438 will it still break in or do I need to keep lathering it to get it to fully break in?