My All-Time Favorite Brush: Omega Pro 49

Mine keeps getting better! Great brush even if they were double the price.

 

Oh, come on guys! I just looked it up on Amazon and dropped one in my shopping cart. I almost checked it out, but my wife came by and said "what are you buying?". Oh, nothing.... (yet).

 

Just do it. You know you want to...

 

Wow, my local barbershop has now begun selling Omega brushes. I'm trying to get them to get some more shave gear in there as well. But, he said the Omega Pro 49 is easily his best seller. I love the fact that wet shaving is really starting to gain momentum again.

 

For reference, here's some info from our friends at http://shoeboxshaveshop.com

_____________Knot__Loft__Price
Omega #10049 27 mm 65 mm 12.97 ( currently on sale for 9.00)
Omega #10098 27 mm 65 mm 12.19
Omega #10048 28 mm 70 mm 15.99
Omega #31064 25 mm 59 mm 24.99 ( <— my fave! Prefer it to all others I've tried, even silvertip.)
Omega #10066 24 mm 54 mm 9.99
Omega #10105 25 mm 56 mm 8.69

I loved both flavors of 'The Pro' but agree with @swarden43 that they are a little large. Because they are so available (and offered via Amazon Prime), I recommend them to beginners. Of the Pros, I prefer the long handle of the #10098. It feels quite different when whipping up your soap.

<sigh>

I've not tried the #10105, but the size is very close to my favorite and the price is quite attractive. Uh-oh...

 

Agreed, I prefer a stiffer brush for loading hard soaps. Now that my #20248 is well broken in it's almost too soft.

I liked the stiffness of my big Omega when I first started breaking it in. After reading about "brush maintenance" I gave mine a 20% cider vinegar rinse/soak. It lost most all of the stiffness and to me is too soft. I may pick up another one day just to enjoy the scritch & scratch of boar bristle in an unbroken in newness.

The Pro 98 is a nice old style handle profile. Grips easy when slippery with an over abundance of lather. It looks like a tool a Pro Barber would use. I like it so much I have two other brushes with similar handles.

 

Overall, I feel badger brushes are just a little too soft for my face. I know others absolutely love the feel of an extra soft badger knot on their skin. I like a brush with some stiffness and scritch to it - really helps to exfoliate and lift my hairs off my face.

 

Having started my post canned lather shaves breaking in new boar brushes I agree. I didn't know any different about brushes and tend to shave on a low budget. Through a couple trades I acquired two different Vulfix badgers. So soft and floppy I had a difficult time loading harder soaps. They are even so flexible creams need be painted on unless I choke up on the knot to get that boar utility. My latest badger I received as a knot. When I installed it in the handle I took advice about {diameter of knot X 2} = loft. For more backbone set it shorter. The Whipped Dog High Mountain badger knot is dense enough that I can load a hard soap. It's changed my mind about not liking badger brushes.

 

I have one and it's a fine brush but I prefer a shorter loft so it stays in the rack more than it gets used.

However, if I ever go back to head shaving, I will probably wear it out considering the amount of lather it can hold.

 

The 49 is one of my favorites too. I got rid of my Semogue Owner's Club because it couldn't compare.

 

Semogue VS Omega seems a Chevy/Ford thing. I've not owned a Semogue, but I hear they arrive new already softer than Omegas.

 

No joke! The Omega 49 is a soap eating beast. I'm a heavy loader and tend to load for a good 60 seconds - I can produce enough lather for a full body, three pass shave, lol.

Great analogy! I've used a Semogue before and it was great, but didn't quite beat out the 49. I should check out some more Semogues though...

 

I have and love my red 49. It was my first brush I purchased. I was given a luxury barber 20mm synthetic. Needless to say that was a big change. At first it was scratchy stiff and I had to load it between passes... but being my first hair brush I keep on using it and using it and slowly it transformed into a great feelin brush. I can just barley feel the scruffy but I like that. 5 months of almost daily use and that thing is sweet now. I honestly love it. I will never be without one in my den. I don't think it can be beat for the price. The only drawback I could see is the size. I can see where some would think that it may be to big for ones face. I think I'm going to purchase a 10066 next time I place an order. I also have the stirling fan butterscotch brus. I love it as well those are my rotating brushes.

 

I simply love this brush. I retired my older 49 after two years of faithful service and broke out my newly purchased Omega 49 a little over 2 months ago now. It has broken in beautifully with the perfect amount of backbone and softness of tips with ease. The lather I whipped up with Soap Commander was probably the best I've made yet. For me, it still rivals the most expensive brush out there.

I'm tempted to have it re-handled though, but I have no idea who I would turn to for that.

 

Ask @Jayaruh . I love his handles. I have 2 . The 88 and the 99.

 

+1. #161!

 

She's not looking now...doooooo itttttttt

 

Proraso brushes are sold with chrome handle and are Omega 49 in reality, although i read that there is also Proraso Omega 48, also with chrome handle. I got the 49 chrome handle (proraso branded).

 

To be honest, when i first bought the Omega 49, i thought it was huge. So i ordered 2 Omega S-Brush 10005, because i read positive reviews in italian forum and they are shorter. Also, i didn't like the fact that it took a lot of time to dry, while i read synthetics dry up quickly. However, in the meantime, the Omega 49 has started to soften up and i started getting accustomed to it. And so i keep going on with that and i haven't even opened the 10005 from their boxes. Plus, i found a very easy way to dry the boar. I just brush it against a microfiber cloth and it dries up much quicker. I also like a bit of backbone and i wouldn't want brushes that are soft and open up when you pass them on your face. So i don't really think i will buy badger. Boar and synthetic is fine.

I also found another, secondary, yet very useful property of the Omega49. Being with long hair but stiff, it's perfect for... cleaning the razor! I take a bowl, drop dishwashing liquid and start making foam with the brush. Just like making lather. When there are many bubbles, i add more water, enough to cover the brush and the razor. I let them soak for like 1 hour. Then, i take the brush and start scratching the razor. The razor comes out shining like new. I do this every weekend. I also do a baking soda solution soak, to prevent mold formation, just in case. It's also a good degreaser, both for the brush and the razor. Boar brush = easiest razor cleaning method i could think of.

 

Great knot to play with (Omega 10049).
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