I only have one boar in my brush stash, and it's a Semogue 830. I don't need any other boar brushes, because it is a fantastic brush. If I picked up another, it would probably be a Semogue 620. It uses pretty much the same knot as the 1438 brush I PIF'd to my cousin. Two-band Finest Badger brushes are my go to brushes for pretty much everything. You would have to look pretty hard to find a better deal on a quality two-band than what The Golden Nib offers.
One boar, semogue, and one kent synthetic. I have used the synthetic much more. I have another synthetic on the way, by omega. I need to re knot a few vintage handles. I don't know what I'll do with those. One of which really should get a badger knot.
I have 2 badger brushes which I don't use anymore. From the 4 boars I use only the Omega Pro 48. Synthetic brushes are gaining on me, I use the Stirling Kong with the Plisson knot and the WhippedDog knot in 24mm. The WhippedDog knot resembles a boar knot and I like it very much, maybe I'll get also the 30mm knot, I wonder if its not too floppy?
The decision is made. A Semogue 830 is on it's way from Portugal; posted this morning. I loved the shape of the 620, but felt it was too small. The 820 doesn't appear to be a large brush, in some of the comparison photo's I've seen, but it looks lovely. Shiny! Thanks for your input; I've spent a fair amount of time looking at brushes.
I only have two brushes, a Vie Long Epsilon Model GC13900/3 horsehair and an Omega 50014 boar travel brush. With two brushes that are this good, I don't need any more. The Vie Long is the perfect brush in my opinion. It has cloud-soft tips, plenty of backbone, lathers hard soaps, soft soaps and creams equally well. It works very well both lathering in a mug and face lathering. Best of all, it only costs $40. No break-in time is required, it is 100 percent right off thr bat. Here is more info, in case you are interested: http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/vie-long-epsilon-horse-hair-shaving-brush.47604/ The Omega boar is an excellent little travel brush. It is inexpensive and lathers pretty much anything. It breaks in quickly, and is a good all around performer. This was the brush that made me realize that boar is every bit as good as badger, and a much better bargain. Edit: Man, that Semogue looks nice. The Iberians are our buddies!
Agreed. I used mine this morning for only the 2nd time (newly acquired about 5 days ago) and love it. Of course I also love my 620.
When this brush is broken in (give it some time/shaves), you will be beyond happy with its performance. It will be very soft, have a really nice splay, a firm feel, and my favorite part (kinda honestly), is that the more it is used, the more its post shave look is like a wintertime weasel shot with a twelve gauge. After it dries, and a quick brushing on a towel, it retakes its proud standing. It is a fantastic brush, and one of only two boars that has made the cut. As @PLANofMAN said, and for me too, it has become pretty much the only boar I ever want to use. Congrats!
I would gladly and in a heartbeat recommend this brush to anyone, especially someone who wants to be that "One Brush Guy".
Wow, you guys already love my new brush. It's sounding better and better, except for 'it looks like a wintertime weasel shot with a twelve gauge'! What a vivid description. Come on postie.
I love my Semogue 1438 but the paint has started cracking so I'll be sanding the rest off and finishing it differently. I may just break down and get a new one in an acrylic handle.
You are going to like the 830. That is my one boar and I don't think I'll ever need another after that. It fits nicely in the hand, looks good and lathers very well. Congrats
