Show us your boars!

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One palm lather and one face lather later... The tips are splitting already :) Performance was very good apart from when it "ate" all my lather in-between passes, went to apply lather for the 2nd pass and the brush was empty :D

...my SMOGs (620 & 1305) do work differently and in my experience can be finicky even when broken-in. Many SMOGs have smaller knots than the quoted knot size. You will notice that some vendors do not quote the knot size whilst others quote the size of the 'knot at the base'. SMOG knots are inserted into a cone shaped holder; this induces more splay but also means the knot size is several mm smaller than the quoted size. So the quoted knot size of say a 620 at 21mm is actually more like 19mm. With the 620 also having a short loft the brush is never going too hold as much lather as a conventionally knoted brush. I have also found that a SMOG boars backbone is more sensitive to the amount of time they are soaked and their tendency to dissapear lather, that and their need for regular cleaning if you live in a hard water area. Even with regular up-keep I have found on some days my SMOGS simply dissapear the lather after the first pass. Whilst of course it is a minor inconvenience to reload them after each pass, I can see how this can be irritating for some...
 
I think Omega base their ranges on knot size/handle material only.
...I have never seen quoted grades for Omega's boars but it certainly appears from use that some of their knots use finer bristles than others. I also notice that on my Omega Proraso's some of the bristle ends have been trimmed or cut which affords the brush more scritch, scrub or dare I say scratch! I am convinced this is deliberate for a particular face feel rather than the random trimming of say a few stray bristles. My other Omega's including a recently acquired 49 do not have their bristles trimmed in this way. The blunt ends of trimmed/cut bristles on the Omega Proraso can be clearly seen in one of my SOTD pictures...

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...my SMOGs (620 & 1305) do work differently and in my experience can be finicky even when broken-in. Many SMOGs have smaller knots than the quoted knot size. You will notice that some vendors do not quote the knot size whilst others quote the size of the 'knot at the base'. SMOG knots are inserted into a cone shaped holder; this induces more splay but also means the knot size is several mm smaller than the quoted size. So the quoted knot size of say a 620 at 21mm is actually more like 19mm. With the 620 also having a short loft the brush is never going too hold as much lather as a conventionally knoted brush. I have also found that a SMOG boars backbone is more sensitive to the amount of time they are soaked and their tendency to dissapear lather, that and their need for regular cleaning if you live in a hard water area. Even with regular up-keep I have found on some days my SMOGS simply dissapear the lather after the first pass. Whilst of course it is a minor inconvenience to reload them after each pass, I can see how this can be irritating for some...

Interesting, thanks. I'm not sure if its normal for this brush yet as I've only used it once so far... If it is a quirk then it probably won't be staying around here for long :D

...Still, cant knock it for £12.
 
Used the 820 again this morning, won't be broken in for a while I know... Loaded the brush for 30 seconds on a bloomed soap, that brush was full, overflowing with lovely lather... Enough for 3 passes easily. Went to apply lather for the 2nd pass and it was gone :(

Is this common with boars or will it improve with break in? The brush had been soaking for 15 minutes prior to the shave, perhaps I should try soaking it for longer.
 
:( Such a shame as the handle is so ergonomic, probably my favourite of any brush I've held... But the bristles, they feel more suited to painting egg wash on pastry at the moment.

Patience is a virtue James! I have never tried an 820 but Semogue brushes are well known for taking their time to break in and in the early stages hold on to lather..once broken in they are great brushes..believe me!
Here's a question: Do you shave daily??
 
Patience is a virtue James! I have never tried an 820 but Semogue brushes are well known for taking their time to break in and in the early stages hold on to lather..once broken in they are great brushes..believe me!
Here's a question: Do you shave daily??

I know lol, problem is its not holding onto lather, its eating it :D

Yes I shave daily.
 
I know lol, problem is its not holding onto lather, its eating it :D

Yes I shave daily.

Well (I am no expert) but if you have more than one brush (I'm guessing you do if you frequent shaving forums;)) make sure you wash and dry your boar on a daily basis as the wetting and drying process helps the knot break in. Alternatively you can soak it in cold water while you shave using your other brush..or lather it up with a cheaper soap or cream to facilitate the break in..even if you are not using it for a shave..it takes time but doing this regularly helps!
 
I'll hammer it every day for a couple of weeks and see. The tips are soft enough for me already (they split after one use) its just the disappearing lather thats bothering me... Hopefully it will sort itself out, cheers for the advice :)

Most welcome if it helped in some way! Just keep at it and eventually it will come good. :cool:
 
I'll hammer it every day for a couple of weeks and see. The tips are soft enough for me already (they split after one use) its just the disappearing lather thats bothering me... Hopefully it will sort itself out, cheers for the advice :)
If you barely dip the very tip of the brush in water (once or twice) so you hardly see a ripple , then face lather, the lather will miraculously reappear :)
 
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