A Quicker Way To Break In A Boar Brush by mantic59

[Mark1966]

What - did somebody mention boars?

Mine doesn't need any more 'breaking in' I don't think - #govintage #butterscotchrules

 

[Ferret619]

What - did somebody mention boars?

Mine doesn't need any more 'breaking in' I don't think - #govintage #butterscotchrules

Butterscotch does rule! That brush looks good too, buy yum butterscotch.

 

[SpeedyPC]

I'm not interesting in the Butterscotch boar brush, I'm very interesting @Mark1966 original Darwin Razor and I want it very very bad..... I must have it ..........NOW!!

 

[Ferret619]

I'm not interesting in the Butterscotch boar brush, I'm very interesting @Mark1966 original Darwin Razor and I want it very very bad..... I must have it ..........NOW!!

I know they are quite the expensive item but that handle does nothing for me personally, give me an eclipse red ring any day.


Plz don't delete my account mark , I like it here..

 

[Mark1966]

I'm not interesting in the Butterscotch boar brush, I'm very interesting @Mark1966 original Darwin Razor and I want it very very bad..... I must have it ..........NOW!!

Sure, yours for ...

$1,000,000

I know they are quite the expensive item but that handle does nothing for me personally, give me an eclipse red ring any day.

Well I have one of those I like too I didn't particularly like the Darwin for a while - but it has grown on me ...

 

[RustyBlade]

What - did somebody mention boars?
Mine doesn't need any more 'breaking in' I don't think - #govintage #butterscotchrules

Broken in alright! Getting close to a re-knot. Thinking cashmere synthetic with a low loft
Darwin looks grand, might be time to pull mine back out since my technique has improved.

@SpeedyPC also not a fan of butterscotch brushes (even though I have one) but each to their own opinions.

 

[Mark1966]

Broken in alright! Getting close to a re-knot. ....

To re-knot or not, that is the question,

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous bristles,

Or to take arms against a sea of badgers,

And by opposing end them?

[sorry, Bill]

 

[TomG]

To re-knot or not, that is the question,

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous bristles,

Or to take arms against a sea of badgers,

And by opposing end them?

[sorry, Bill]

Shakespeare on P&C @Mark1966 ? Although I did enjoy the adaptation .

 

[Mark1966]

Shakespeare on P&C @Mark1966 ? Although I did enjoy the adaptation .

My wife was an English teacher originally - sometimes I cannot help myself

 

[Ferret619]

My wife was an English teacher originally - sometimes I cannot help myself

I'm sure her English class got well and truly sick of hearing about the virtues of the aristocrat #15.
On the bright side the Shakespeare adaptation adds some class round 'ere huh

 

[shavenardo]

Is mantic59 still around? The last I heard of him was before B&B and YT celeb status when he was just a goon in the wet shaving thread on something awful forums.
I still like my vie long horse hair brush that I had to pick up from pjotr's letterbox

 

[Sxot]

The best way to break in a boar brush is to throw it in the bin and buy a decent badger!

 

[RazorPlay]

The best way to break in a boar brush is to throw it in the bin and buy a decent badger!

Where's the dislike button?

You can have my Platypus - just let me keep my Omega 48! It's what I usually end up using - until I feel guilty for for not using my other brushes some of the time.

Let me count the ways that boars are superior:
1 - Higher loft for the same backbone = more lather for the same effort as the bristles do more of the work. In boars, my 70mm lofted Omega 48 requires much less pressure or effort than my 60mm Omega Proraso boar brush because the longer bristles do the work without the pressure. Conversely, there is no way to get good backbone from a badger without excessive density (see point 3) or too short a loft, both requiring more work. Boars give quick results!
2 - Less density means more of the lather ends up on your face rather than in the knot (squeezing out a massive glob of lather from the brush after I have finished shaving is no use to me at all - where was it when I wanted it?)
3 - Tailored backbone for your requirements depending on the soaking you employ.
4 - Cheaper - allows you to buy more!
5 - Just as soft because of the split tips - no other brush gives you a strong bristle backbone and high loft combined with soft tips from the splitting. It's the best of all worlds!

As for synthetics, I like them too but find they feel "artificial" and are invariably too soft, with the same lack of backbone for the loft equation as the badgers. The ones with thicker fibre flick lather instead and the face feel suffers as well.

Size is also important. For me, in Omega boars, it's a case of the bigger the better. Whereas I find my 26mm Platypus too big for me and find myself getting annoyed by the amount of lather it holds onto, my 27/28mm Omega 48 boar is perfection in a brush. The plastic handle could always be improved with a custom but I have moved away from that idea as I find the shape is great and the feel is quite "utilitarian" which appeals to my minimalist tendencies. And did I mention the price?

My smaller Omega boars I don't really like anymore - they take too long to lather up, require more pressure and don't hold enough lather for a 3 pass shave. I find my 48 is really quite a big improvement over my 49, to take just one example. Nothing has come close to beating it yet. And Smogs just splay too much out of the box - not for me. So now I understand all those barbers who swear by the 48s - it's not just about the price! Use low pressure and it really is an excellent brush...

Of course, YMMV but mine doesn't!

 

[RazorPlay]

How to use an Omega 48 from 3:17 onwards... with a tube of Proraso. Along with a masterclass on how to use a shavette very quickly while causing no damage at all. Practice, practice, practice!!!

 

[Ross]

Where's the dislike button?

You can have my Platypus - just let me keep my Omega 48! It's what I usually end up using - until I feel guilty for for not using my other brushes some of the time.

Let me count the ways that boars are superior:
1 - Higher loft for the same backbone = more lather for the same effort as the bristles do more of the work. In boars, my 70mm lofted Omega 48 requires much less pressure or effort than my 60mm Omega Proraso boar brush because the longer bristles do the work without the pressure. Conversely, there is no way to get good backbone from a badger without excessive density (see point 3) or too short a loft, both requiring more work. Boars give quick results!
2 - Less density means more of the lather ends up on your face rather than in the knot (squeezing out a massive glob of lather from the brush after I have finished shaving is no use to me at all - where was it when I wanted it?)
3 - Tailored backbone for your requirements depending on the soaking you employ.
4 - Cheaper - allows you to buy more!
5 - Just as soft because of the split tips - no other brush gives you a strong bristle backbone and high loft combined with soft tips from the splitting. It's the best of all worlds!

As for synthetics, I like them too but find they feel "artificial" and are invariably too soft, with the same lack of backbone for the loft equation as the badgers. The ones with thicker fibre flick lather instead and the face feel suffers as well.

Size is also important. For me, in Omega boars, it's a case of the bigger the better. Whereas I find my 26mm Platypus too big for me and find myself getting annoyed by the amount of lather it holds onto, my 27/28mm Omega 48 boar is perfection in a brush. The plastic handle could always be improved with a custom but I have moved away from that idea as I find the shape is great and the feel is quite "utilitarian" which appeals to my minimalist tendencies. And did I mention the price?

My smaller Omega boars I don't really like anymore - they take too long to lather up, require more pressure and don't hold enough lather for a 3 pass shave. I find my 48 is really quite a big improvement over my 49, to take just one example. Nothing has come close to beating it yet. And Smogs just splay too much out of the box - not for me. So now I understand all those barbers who swear by the 48s - it's not just about the price! Use low pressure and it really is an excellent brush...

Of course, YMMV but mine doesn't!

I am waiting patienctly for my omega 48 what you just wrote is why i ordered it, time will tell but i am favoring my boar "no name" brush at the moment ,and that brush is coming to Lombok on Friday has part of my shave gear for there

 

[dangerman]

I'm close to cracking damn you. Only tried synthetic so far. Must...hold...
; but on the other hand so inexpensive...what have I got to loose...

 

[Mark1966]

I'm close to cracking damn you. Only tried synthetic so far. Must...hold...
; but on the other hand so inexpensive...what have I got to loose...

That is the sort of thinking that will take you far around here!

 

[Pbgoose]

I'm close to cracking damn you. Only tried synthetic so far. Must...hold...
; but on the other hand so inexpensive...what have I got to loose...

I've ended up buying half a dozen boar brushes and love them all. I've got a shavemac badger which is very nice but it doesn't quite have the backbone I like. I'll probably go looking for badger with a bit more backbone but for the time being it's all boar (oh and some horse hair and badger).

 

[Drubbing]

Where's the dislike button?

You can have my Platypus - just let me keep my Omega 48! It's what I usually end up using - until I feel guilty for for not using my other brushes some of the time.

Let me count the ways that boars are superior:
1 - Higher loft for the same backbone = more lather for the same effort as the bristles do more of the work. In boars, my 70mm lofted Omega 48 requires much less pressure or effort than my 60mm Omega Proraso boar brush because the longer bristles do the work without the pressure. Conversely, there is no way to get good backbone from a badger without excessive density (see point 3) or too short a loft, both requiring more work. Boars give quick results!
2 - Less density means more of the lather ends up on your face rather than in the knot (squeezing out a massive glob of lather from the brush after I have finished shaving is no use to me at all - where was it when I wanted it?)

As for synthetics, I like them too but find they feel "artificial" and are invariably too soft, with the same lack of backbone for the loft equation as the badgers. The ones with thicker fibre flick lather instead and the face feel suffers as well.

Some of the mechanics asserted by your points are questionable.Bigger brushes make more lather because they're bigger, not because they're boars.

As a full convert to Synthetics, I find that the fibre itself has a lot to do with how much and how quickly you get a lather. With synthetics, the answer is faster and better than other fibres. That's regardless of loft and density, as I have a few and they all work just the same. The big ones just make more lather as they hold more.

I found boars of all sizes take far longer to make lather. Face feel is the biggest subjective preference, and I'm not really fussed about that when I get great lather, faster. The whole idea of backbone on shave forums came about based on how firm yet soft a brush was at scrubbing and working that lather up. No need for that with a synthetic.

 

[RustyBlade]

Some of the mechanics asserted by your points are questionable.Bigger brushes make more lather because they're bigger, not because they're boars.

As a full convert to Synthetics, I find that the fibre itself has a lot to do with how much and how quickly you get a lather. With synthetics, the answer is faster and better than other fibres. That's regardless of loft and density, as I have a few and they all work just the same. The big ones just make more lather as they hold more.

I found boars of all sizes take far longer to make lather. Face feel is the biggest subjective preference, and I'm not really fussed about that when I get great lather, faster. The whole idea of backbone on shave forums came about based on how firm yet soft a brush was at scrubbing and working that lather up. No need for that with a synthetic.

Totally agree, though only used boars and synthetics. Hence the new purchase