Shave of the day

[Pjotr]

I have a stick of Speick.

You puritan idealists; I dislike Tabac and am proud of it!

I also love Semogues - not just for the handle.

I have not yet tried Tabac soap and it may lather like a muhfucker but if it smells anything like what I found in the cologne then I'm happy without it.

The scent of Tabac does put people off. So, on that basis you're excused by puritan proclamation. Contrary to what my rants about Semoque construction might have portrayed I've got nothing against Semoques. Not that I'd buy one in a hurry. I like my boars cheap and nasty. Whatever floats your boat. However, the often touted opinion that they're a superior boar brush made with better quality, softer bristle is, based on my experience having stripped a few, a manufacturing trick. They're not particularly expensive and if you like how they perform there's nothing against having and enjoying them.

 

[Mark1966]

Need a new brush

It was cold here in Canberra overnight but my shave this morning was later than usual so I thought I'd hang on to dreams of summer.

Soap: Proraso
Brush:Semogue 1305 re-glued
Razor: Merkur 38C (my first and my I can't think of which razor to use razor)
Blade: Voskhod - shave 3
A/S: Proraso splash
Cologne: none

As I was cleaning the brush the knot snapped out again - so I figure I definitely will need a new brush.

I like the thought of a nice vintage one re-knotted but probably don't have the time. I have my MC as my go to badger so I'm after something with more 'backbone' (whatever that is based on variable definitions around the place) for hard soaps.

So what brush should I get and from where? (OK, OK, a horse from G&C I know - too late)

 

[Monsta_AU]

Lather: Proraso Tube
Brush:Smoggie 730HD
Razor: E1 Fatboy
Blade: Rapira S/S (fresh)

Passes: 2, WTG + WTG/ATG

A/S: None
Cologne: none

Well, the Rapira tugged quite a bit which I often find when I go back to Mostochlegmash-produced blades, but gave a good end result. Seems to go better in my DE86.

 

[eggbert]

I dislike Tabac and am proud of it!

I've not tried it yet. Finally found it in one of the local pharmacies up here, but at $18 for the shaving cream, and $20 for the AS, it's at the higher end of what I am willing to pay, and too high for an unknown.

I have a feeling that it is another that won't have a tropics fragrance, so will wait until I go to Singapore and just pick up some cheapies there.

Drubbing/Pjotr any particular Omega brushes I should or shouldn't buy? It looks like Mustafa's in Little India sell them pretty cheap (about 1/5 of the price of the local price for Omega's).

 

[Pjotr]

........Drubbing/Pjotr any particular Omega brushes I should or shouldn't buy? It looks like Mustafa's in Little India sell them pretty cheap (about 1/5 of the price of the local price for Omega's).

I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. If you can actually buy them in a store and have a look and feel of the things it's even better. I've had a 48 (one of the big ones) and a few smaller ones (can't remember model numbers) which I ended up giving to my sons and others. They're all just as good as each other. I really liked the 48. Just a bit too big for my liking. Really soft with a great backbone. It's still going strong.

 

[Drubbing]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. If you can actually buy them in a store and have a look and feel of the things it's even better. I've had a 48 (one of the big ones) and a few smaller ones (can't remember model numbers) which I ended up giving to my sons and others. They're all just as good as each other. I really liked the 48. Just a bit too big for my liking. Really soft with a great backbone. It's still going strong.

Yep.

THe 48 is probably too big for most. I got a 102 that's a tad smaller and it's still a big, but useable brush. See any of my Omega threads for more detail.

Anything in the medium range around 23/55 will be good, but even std prices are cheap, so try 3 if they're going really cheap..

 

[eggbert]

I've seen one locally at a health food store of all places, and they were asking somewhere around $35-40.

Looks like I accidentally exaggerated the price difference a little, just re-read the thread and a couple of years back they were around the $8-12 mark for these

One of those looks massive, I think I will be looking at the smaller varieties.

 

[Drubbing]

Yeah, one is the 48, the fancier black one in the clear tube is about the same size, possibly a tad bigger, the 48 only looks smaller because the box has a small pic on it - look close and you'll see the boxes are the same size. They're not worth $40 when you can pick them up for a fraction of that.

$12 plus postage is abut the mark. Connaught have good range and cheap postage. A couple of US sites have lots too, but postage either sucks of they want a min order.

 

[pablo_h]

the 10019 looks all right, nice handle. Anyone got one?

My first brush was a Men U, from mens biz. Pretty sure it's the bottom of the range boar from omega. Never softened up (may as well use a scrubbing brush), can't hold lather, maybe that's the advantage of semogues knots, splays out to holds lather better and be softer? Dunno, that's why I took the leap to try horsey, as I don't know any better boars than semogue.

4th shave with the GBE in the HD Rocket. Used the semogue SOC and MWF.
Maybe the lather from MWF isn't as good as tabac, or maybe the blade is past it's prime, but it was just an OK shave. No nicks or cuts or anything (I'm a seasoned professional after all), just that I tried harder, got worse results than the other day with tabac and the 1305.

Finished off with Jazz cologne, because it was there, and I'm a 1990s kind of guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8zI4qTCCPo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPzv_EwxMl0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txQQzZ49zZA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gM09iw75-g


/roars away in his first car* doing pizza delivery runs...
back to the shop at 2am for drinks or any other mind altering substances, and listening to music until dawn.


*mazda rx3 13B rotary.

 

[Drubbing]

the 10019 looks all right, nice handle. Anyone got one?

I've got a similar one - 10777. Very good, handle a bit small tho so get a bit lathery, but the 19 handle's a bit bigger. Will take a little while to soften up. You can grab one for me if you like...

 

[Mark1966]

Thinking I might get myself an 81052

Was toying with a 11126 but decided against it - maybe.

I know, I know - get both....

PS: If I'm buying from Connaught does anybody need SE blades?

 

[pablo_h]

Thinking I might get myself an 81052

Was toying with a 11126 but decided against it - maybe.

I know, I know - get both....

PS: If I'm buying from Connaught does anybody need SE blades?

Wow, they are huge. You of all people know how small the 1305 knot was, did you find that brush way too small or something?

edit: the SOC is supposed to be a 24mm knot and 57mm loft. Emphasis on supposed to be, ie it's probably smaller. And really I wouldn't want anything bigger than that myself.
I dislike fake badger dye as well, which is why I like the semogue SOC, plus ordered the undyed vie long horsey in the group buy, and would probably be looking at the omega 10019 I mentioned before.

The worst thing for me about the smog 1305 was the dye.

 

[Pjotr]

Thinking I might get myself an 81052

Was toying with a 11126 but decided against it - maybe.

I know, I know - get both....

PS: If I'm buying from Connaught does anybody need SE blades?

I can always do with a top up but with Connaughts postal rates it's cheaper to buy directly from them. Or did you have another plan?

 

[Mark1966]

Wow, they are huge. You of all people know how small the 1305 knot was, did you find that brush way too small or something?

See I know nothing about brushes.

Semogue 1305 (allegedly)
Knot 22 mm
Handle 55 mm
Loft 55 mm

Omega 10019
Ht: 103 mm
Loft: 50 mm
Base: 53 mm
Knot: 22 mm

11126
25 mm knot
55 mm long handle
50 mm long bristles

81052
Handle: 51 mm long
Knot (at base): 25 mm
Loft: 55 mm

Are they really all that different?

If the Semogue was really a weak pathetic boar I thought I'd try something with more OOMPH

Hard to tell sizes in the pics....

 

[Drubbing]

Wow, they are huge. You of all people know how small the 1305 knot was, did you find that brush way too small or something?

edit: the SOC is supposed to be a 24mm knot and 57mm loft. Emphasis on supposed to be, ie it's probably smaller. And really I wouldn't want anything bigger than that myself.
I dislike fake badger dye as well, which is why I like the semogue SOC, plus ordered the undyed vie long horsey in the group buy, and would probably be looking at the omega 10019 I mentioned before.

The worst thing for me about the smog 1305 was the dye.

Omegas don't bleed dye. Those two aren't big at all, and I don't trust Connaughts measures, most are different to every other site. Both are probably 55mm loft, so only the handles are different.

The 10019 certainly will be grunty at 50mm. These aren't semoges - no pinched cup flare going on. They're set straighter in the handle and they do not flop. The specs Vs the Smog may be similar, but the Omegas are quite different.

I just gave the 1305 a rare run today, and it's a soft mop with a rigid knot. The glued base is he only thing stopping it from flopping. Works fine, but the Omegas are nicer to use, exfoliate and scrub the stubble well, use less product and stay firmer. But they're soft too.

 

[pablo_h]

Sorry, I think the smog SOC is the boriest of boars, but that opinion isn't going to fly around here anymore.
That said, everyone can agree the smog BS on their knot size, so I wouldn't be looking at anything from another manufacturer bigger than 23mm personally. I'd be looking at 22mm knots like I mentioned, but I have not tried any good omega boars, that's why I jumped at the chance to try a vie long horse.


edit: ^^ Above comment meant for Mark, not a response to drubbing.

Drubbing, the 1305 and similar smogs do what they are supposed to do, be a soft boar cheaper than useless cheap badgers. I think that was smogs aim. I've got cheap badgers that cost more and can't do what the 1305 does, and have gone floppy. I think the 1305 is not the epitome of a boar, but just a cheap boar for people that prefer the feel of a small badger but don't want to spend the money for one.
But I still think the SOC is a cracker of a boar brush for just being an undyed tough scrubby brush. But that's going to be an unpopular opinion around here, which is why I looked up some omegas and mentioned the 10019.

 

[Drubbing]

Sorry, I think the smog SOC is the boriest of boars, but that opinion isn't going to fly around here anymore.
That said, everyone can agree the smog BS on their knot size, so I wouldn't be looking at anything from another manufacturer bigger than 23mm personally. I'd be looking at 22mm knots like I mentioned, but I have not tried any good omega boars, that's why I jumped at the chance to try a vie long horse.

Well if you find somewhere to pick up a 10019 without silly postage, I'd love to get hold of one too, It's got a better handle than my 77.

 

[pablo_h]

Well I've asked shoebox who list them as in stock, and asked connaught if they could order them in

 

[Drubbing]

Well I've asked shoebox who list them as in stock, and asked connaught if they could order them in

Shoebox want $25 min order to ship anything OS. Postage was at least another 10 IIRC. So for 1 brush I didn't bother. I'd jump in and split postage if that makes it worthwhile.

Conns would be a better bet for one offs though.

 

[Pjotr]

........But I still think the SOC is a cracker of a boar brush for just being an undyed tough scrubby brush. But that's going to be an unpopular opinion around here......

I'm sure half of my reknotted no-name brushes would be unpopularly viewed but I still love them. I think drubbing was always a straightforward boar man but got sucked in to the Semoque vortex and discovered that what he had basically wasn't straightforward boar. At the very least you have to admit that Semoque on the whole don't manufacture straightforward boar brushes. Also you can't discount the variabilty between individual brushes of the same model. Some knots will no doubt be more tightly packed than others etc etc.

By the way although I've always shunned died boar for aestetic reasons, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it affected the performance. I'm sure we've all overheard females talking about the state of their hair after years of having endless different varieties of dye treatment. I once suggested that maybe not paying somebody a fortune to douse it in chemical crap might be a start to better hair quality. The icy glare was truly frightening!

Anyhow, just looking at the specs I'd agree that the 10019 looks pretty good so does the 11126.