Any difference in the feel and performance of the bristles?
Is the the Zenith softer?
Thanks.
Is the the Zenith softer?
Thanks.
+1Most boar brushes become pretty soft at the tips as the tips split during break-in. The firmness (or backbone), is another aspect of how a boar brush feels in use. The backbone depends on the loft of the knot, the density of the bristles and the thickness of each bristle.
So, you can see that a boar brush can be soft and have a lot of backbone at the same time, or it could be soft and more floppy like a mop.
It's hard to generalize about all brushes from a particular maker. Let's take a specific pair of similar brushes. Omega 49 Pro vs. Zenith B03-A26. Both have excellent knots with fairly similar size. The Omega's bristles are thicker than the Zenith's. The Omega feels firmer and scrubbier. The Zenith feels less firm, but extremely comfortable to use. The Omega knot shape is almost like a cylinder. The Zenith knot is shaped more like a cone. As the brushes break in, the knots will splay out somewhat and the tips will split.
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Great looking handle!New favorite brush…Zenith (right out of the box) is better than my broken-in Omega!
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Thanks! Feels even better than it looks!Great looking handle!
You should get one of these. I've had 9 or 10 boar brushes, and this one feels so much nicer than the rest...almost like it's a different animal...or a baby boar!That thing looks great! I actually don't have a boar brush yet
Side track, went looking at baby boars. Kenny, did you see this? That looks like it ticks all the boxes for badger that you are looking for and makes a nice "companion" for your baby boar.
ZENITH Manchurian shaving brush handle turned in multicolor resin 507MCB NIC MANCHU - YourShaving
The Manchurian badger hair comes from the high mountain areas in the Northeast of ChinaThe shaving brush is bulb shaped and has knot has diameter of 26 mmThe hair is slightly thicker than the silvertip rate but softerHandle in multicolor resinHandle Height: 70mmTotal height: 121mmMade in Italywww.yourshaving.com
Congrats on your new Zenith! I love all 5 of my Zenith boars, they have great soft tips & also have the right scrub, density, & backbone, IMHO.
I generally prefer unbleached boars - Omega Premium Jade, Zenith wood-handled & plastic-handled, as well as the Proraso Pro by Omega. But a good bleached boar is also to my liking.
If I had to rate my top 5 boars, it would be:
#1 - Omega Premium Jade (unbleached)
#2 - Zenith wood-handled (unbleached)
#3 - Zenith plastic-handled (unbleached)
#4 - Zenith aluminum handled 506ALL (bleached)
#5 - Proraso Professional by Omega (unbleached)
I find most of the Omegas I've tried are bleached & too floppy for my liking. That's why there are currently only 2 Omega's I'm enjoying. I have several other Zenith bleached boars that are quite nice, as well. They are shorter lofted brushes instead of tall lofts, as that's my preference. The SOC is a very nice brush, IMHO. The SOC almost is not dense enough, & is almost too high of a loft, but the bristles are so soft that I can easily forgive those other two partial shortcomings. At 24mm, it's as small of a knot as I care to use.
Thanks! I will look into it. I was also looking at the Simpsons Emperor:Side track, went looking at baby boars. Kenny, did you see this? That looks like it ticks all the boxes for badger that you are looking for and makes a nice "companion" for your baby boar.
ZENITH Manchurian shaving brush handle turned in multicolor resin 507MCB NIC MANCHU - YourShaving
The Manchurian badger hair comes from the high mountain areas in the Northeast of ChinaThe shaving brush is bulb shaped and has knot has diameter of 26 mmThe hair is slightly thicker than the silvertip rate but softerHandle in multicolor resinHandle Height: 70mmTotal height: 121mmMade in Italywww.yourshaving.com
It's because of your kindness I discovered the joys of boar. Your reviews & explanations were invaluable as I explored the wonderful world of boar. Thank you for your numerous conversations & your patience as you answered my questions & shared your experiences.Nice list of brushes. I have all of them, too. You've nailed it in my view.
There are other good boars of course, such as the Mighty Midget (a good little Omega), and most of the short lofted (57 mm or less) Zenith bleached knots (although the unbleached are better).
Unbleached takes longer to break in but it's worth it.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Excellent point! It's not one vs. the other.Why does it have to be Omega versus Zenith? In my bathroom you'll find Omega and Zenith.
He has not yet got a serious case of BAD! I expect it will happen soon...Why does it have to be Omega versus Zenith? In my bathroom you'll find Omega and Zenith.