Semogue Excelsior Boar Limited Edition 2009

Fido

Fido

Messages
6,286
Location
New Forest, England.
Here's the background:
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Here's some of my photos of my brush:
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This is what it looks like after a few work outs sitting for comparison between my Kent BK8 Silvertip and my Duke 3 best:

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At 32 euros delivered this is neither cheap nor expensive. The photos clearly illustrate the difference in appearance between badger and boar brushes. I've now used the brush with soaps and creams and it performs effectively with both. I have noticed a couple of hairs coming out but that's it. I have not spotted any split ends but perhaps my eyesight's not up to it. Like other boars I have seen it looks scruffy after a few uses. That's the end of the negatives. I love this brush. It has an excellent backbone making it a very good soap brush. Although having very soft tips it is a very good face latherer either with circular or painting motions. It is quite a large and dense brush, which enhances it's luxurious feel. The handle is excellent and doesn't look as though it will have the problems some have identified with the Semogue 1305 and 2000.
Knowing that there were a few left I bought another one - I simply thought that this was a high quality brush at a great price which I will hold in reserve either for me one day or to pass on to someone who decides to convert. If you had only one brush in this price range this would be a strong candidate in any short list.

Now I must concentrate on Pompey's match with Arsenal and leave others to add their observations.

One thing's for sure. If you want one of these brushes it will be necessary to order soon. I have a feeling mine won't be the last of the enthusiastic comments.
 
I go along with most of what Fido has said about this excellent brush. The overall height is about 117mm, the loft 56mm and the knot diameter 26mm, which is to say a little smaller all round than my Omega 49 (which has a higher loft than claimed by the manufacturers, incidentally - no good thing imho). The pictures show the Omega on the right in both cases (pic 2 is in the following post).

32 Euros is about £28.50, making this an expensive boar brush, but roughly in line with some modest badger brushes by Kent, Edwin Jagger, The Gentleman's Shop and others. My experience, and this has been confirmed by the Semogue, is that badger brushes are better at retaining lather in the knot. With my best badger I routinely have enough for three passes and touching up, and more besides, but I've had to recharge the Semogue after the second pass to give the lather sufficient body; that said, it's better in this respect than the Omega, which to be fair is an economy brush. If I had to have just one brush, and at this price point, I would therefore be inclined to go for a best badger.

Fortunately, I'm not in that position, so the rest is all good news, as the Semogue brush has plenty of plus points to compensate. The handle is really excellent, a slight variation on the previous designs which sits in the hand very comfortably. It is made of cherry wood with a very thick coat of satin lacquer which looks like an acid catalyst type to me: very durable. There are some minor sanding marks visible, but that's only to be expected in a batch production item of this sort. The decal is quite attractive to my way of thinking, and accurately applied.

The knot is very dense and can't be compressed at the base, and the bristles are rather finer than the Omega's. The second picture shows quite clearly the denser texture of the Semogue, and I'm sure this explains the superior performance of the latter; there are also a few split ends visible in both brushes if you look hard. I'm sure these are highly desirable in a boar brush: the more ends the better. Unlike Fido, I don't consider these bristles to be especially soft, in fact I'd describe them as invigoratingly scrubby and eminently suitable for face lathering with soap. I can't comment on the performance with creams yet, but it's bound to work just fine I'd have thought, at any rate with all the soaps I've tried the lather production is as good as it gets: quick and profuse.

The verdict. This was an extravagant purchase in a way. I suppose it was largely a matter of liking the idea of the limited edition and joining the club so to speak, but it was also an opportunity to get an uncommonly good example of a boar brush. It will be used on a regular basis. There are other good options at the price, but that's hardly the point, is it?
 

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Thanks for the reviews gentlemen!When Matt (Truckman) and myself designed this brush we didnt expect it to be as gorgeous as it turned.Mr Gomes did a great job with it and I hope that you can enjoy it as much as you can!
 
Over hyped

Ok guys,

I don't want to bash Semogue or their brushes. They are well made (largely) items with a fun, retro appearance.

What I don't like though, is all the hype getting in the way of any form of objective opinion on these brushes.

Personally, I find the LE overpriced for what it is. It's a nice boar brush, no doubt, but worth £30? I'm not sure. You are paying for the exclusivity, not the materials and workmanship, IMHO.

It's a nice boar brush, and yes, it is dense with very soft tips (for a Semogue). However, you can get the same softness from the Omega 49 or 10005, at a fraction of the cost.

I loved the brush when I got it and it was certainly beautiful to look at. However, I found its knot too big and it did hog the lather somewhat.

Please no flames - but I think it's time that all this Semogue hype died down a bit. Some perspective please!

John
 
John

So you have sold this one too!! :shock:

What are you left with? Are you using brushless creams now ... ;)

PS I did use some Shavex brushless cream this morning for the first time and was actually very impressed. Not super close or fun but very respectable and zero irritation
 
chicken neck said:
John

So you have sold this one too!! :shock:

What are you left with? Are you using brushless creams now ... ;)

PS I did use some Shavex brushless cream this morning for the first time and was actually very impressed. Not super close or fun but very respectable and zero irritation
Click to expand...

Heaven forbid! :shock: I'm using an Omega 10005, and breaking in Semogue 1470 and 1250. They seem a bit softer than the 620 and 1520, but not as soft as the Omega yet. I don't like prickly tips.
 
Re: Over hyped

jhclare said:
Ok guys,

I don't want to bash Semogue or their brushes. They are well made (largely) items with a fun, retro appearance.

What I don't like though, is all the hype getting in the way of any form of objective opinion on these brushes.

Personally, I find the LE overpriced for what it is. It's a nice boar brush, no doubt, but worth £30? I'm not sure. You are paying for the exclusivity, not the materials and workmanship, IMHO.

It's a nice boar brush, and yes, it is dense with very soft tips (for a Semogue). However, you can get the same softness from the Omega 49 or 10005, at a fraction of the cost.

I loved the brush when I got it and it was certainly beautiful to look at. However, I found its knot too big and it did hog the lather somewhat.

Please no flames - but I think it's time that all this Semogue hype died down a bit. Some perspective please!

John
Click to expand...

Comment follows in next post.
 
This is my home, but like others I also roam. So Fido pops in to Shave My Face, Straight Razor Place, The Shave Den and Dam Fine Shave. And as I'm banned from B&B a very close friend keeps an eye on there for me. Numbers on these forums are approaching 50,000. And there is a lot of commercial activity. People have to make a living and they are wise to be where their customers are, listening, influencing and hopefully meeting people's needs and wants. We are all adults, we just need to be aware of who moves in our circles and what they are up to. We need to be streetwise.
Semogue offer some great value brushes and have given a lot of people a lot of fun. I hope they have the common sense to know when to tone down the pushing of new products and one off productions. But I wouldn't criticise anyone connected with them. Marketing opportunities are open to all.

I'm learning a lot about this business right now and will have a few things to say about brush prices when I start writing about the various makers and brands in my brush blog. We live in a fast changing world.
 
Fido said:
And as I'm banned from B&B a very close friend keeps an eye on there for me.

I'm learning a lot about this business right now and will have a few things to say about brush prices when I start writing about the various makers and brands in my brush blog. We live in a fast changing world.
Click to expand...

I'm very nosey, why are you banned?

Also, and more importantly, what is your current favorite brush?
 
I have used this brush in over 20 shaves & feel it is still improving with each shave. By improving i meaning holding more water / lather. I am putting this down to it been very dense, for a boar brush, thus taking alot longer than usual to break in. Plus my ability to master it.

All in all this is a great brush & does excellently with creams & soaps. It has very soft tips but retains a good amount of body in the bristle. I find i have to milk the lather out of the brush for a third pass, this a fairly normal with any dense brush.

There really is no point in me comparing this brush to any other boar brush as I have not come across one that is close to it in density.

One very satified owner.
 
Another good example of the value of sticking with one thing for a while to really get to know it. When I have finished my collecting and evaluating I will stick to just two or three brushes for long periods. But which ones? That will be interesting for me at least!
 
Completely agree there Fido, all too often I see for sale thread where the user has only tried a few times and not liked it. Each brush I own has taken some time to break and show it’s true character, it does require patience but the end result is well worth it.
 
I forgot too mention that I do not use it daily as I find it is still quite damp in the middle after 24 hours. Not sure if it would be an issue. I does give me a chance to take something else out for a spin..
 
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