Go to any of the reputed shave forums (others as well as TSD), click on "New Posts" and you surely come up with back to back threads on boar brushes, boar fever seems be be spreading wild with everyone discovering the boar shaving nirvana from Omega and Semogue .... Is it just me or is the boar fever really spreading wild !! PS: No Pun Intended
I think much of this comes from rediscovering quality boar brushes. About one year ago, almost everyone who was wet-shaving as a hobby used a badger brush. A boar brush was viewed as a cheap way to try wet shaving, but not something that's sufficient long term. Then Giovanni from the now closed Razor and Brush started selling Omega boar brushes. These are much better than the cheap Van Der Hagen and Burma shave brushes people were used to using. So good, that some people prefered the Omega boars to a badger brush. This caused several people to start looking at and trying other boar brushes. Further promotion lead by Zach, now a member here, built up to a small movement of people who liked boar better. I think much of it comes from those who don't have a huge budget. A $30 badger brush is an entry level brush that typically has a very cheap handle. A $30 boar brush is near the top end for boar brushes and typically will out-perform the $30 badger when you consider what most people want in a brush. I don't own a brush over $40, so I can't say if the expensive badgers are better than boar, though I suspect they are marginally better for most. In short, I feel boar will become the brush for the majority of wet shavers. But I doubt it will every compete at the high end. Boar will dominate on the low cost end. The mid-range brushes will likely remain competitive, and the high end will be all badger. Honestly, if money was no object, my next brush would be a Simpson's or Rooney that costs about $100. But, I suspect I don't think I'd enjoy it $90 more than the Vulfix boar I plan to order later today.
I have been deceived about how boar was much better than any other animal hair for making shaving brushes until I tried boar and I discovered how much money I have been wasting on expensive badger brushes.Boar performs wonderfully and its almost more than half of the price than any super badger shaving brush and also does a better job with hard soaps.What else can you ask for? I understand that people know what to do with their money but I know what to do with mine and where to invest it better and a boar brush its a great investment on the wet shaving world.
Hi Erik, I own $60-100+ Badger brushes and Semogue boar brushes that have cost me $13-18 (and that includes shipping from Portugal). My Shavemac is an incredible silver-tip badger but my Semogue 2000 is my new favorite and definitely my everyday brush. In this case, "You get what you pay for" does not necessarily apply. The Semogue is simply 100% all-around quality. On this site, Teiste and Matt (Truckman) are always being teased, in a friendly way, about their love of boar brushes and the Semogue brand in particular. If it weren't for Teiste I probably never would have tried boar. I keep teasing him about how he keeps enabling me. (Well, you do Teiste! :happy097) However, if it weren't for his strong suggestions that I give these brushes a try, I would have missed out on a lot of exceptional shaves. A high end boar brush may cost a fraction of a high end silver-tip badger but, ultimately, they are both high end. :happy088
Well exposed Freddy!and yes,Im still enabling you but in spanish we call that "giving a friendly recommendation"....ok enabling in english Honestly,unless you try a Semogue boar brush you dont know what youre missing.Im wont spend my money again on expensive badger brushes that do the same(or even less) than a 11 euros boar brush.Im looking forward to try an Omega boar one.
I'm sure the Badgers will appreciate this as well! I wonder if the higher end boar brushes have caused the lower end ones to improve their quality a bit? I have been using a VDH for over a week now and it had a few lost hairs the first day or two but no problems since. I can tell that it's a lot softer now too. Maybe I just lucked onto a good one? I just picked up a Burma Shave brush that feels even softer out of the box so I'll be giving that a try as well. (Whew! One week in, let the AD begin! )
Hi, all, Like many, I started with an inexpensive boar brush purchased from Wal-Mart because that was the only source I had to get some cheap to try. I used it for over a year, along with the shave soap that they sell. My main complaint with it is that it's a bit too stiff, even after a year's use. The one badger brush I recently purchased from eBay is, I think, a bit too soft. I'm still getting used to it, though. It does generate the lather a lot faster. I also purchased another vintage brush in the package that was listed as badger but on the package and the brush it says it's "natural bristle" which I take to be code for boar. I've not tried it or gotten it wet, but dry it's softer than my first boar brush but not as soft as the badger. It'll be interesting to see the difference between it and the other two! Regards, Tom
Yeah Tom,that would be interesting.Im sure that the vintage boar is gonna give you a pleasant surprise!
I like my Omega boar better than my two badgers - that's indisputable. I like the way it performs better. Secondly, it's better priced - and a good price I like. Thirdly, the cheap Omega I bought in Dubai, so far as I know, hasn't shed a hair, while my C&E badgers, by no means frail-knotted, have. Who knew this all along? Zach.
Thanks for the kind words, Kaveh. To be fair, this is what my father gave me, and he never knew about badger. And this was all I knew for years until my wife (then girlfriend) got me a bowl of Trumpers and a silvertip GB Kent at some point before we got married. The soap was a dramatic upgrade from the Williams and/or Colgate that I had been using, but I made lousy lather with the Kent; it didn't come with instructions you know, and it didn't work like boar so I thought it inferior (but for the wrong reasons at the time)!
Preference... Boar!! Just one short month ago....I joined this Forum. I also joined the "other two". I have been into wet shaving all of 2 months. I started because of a visit to AOS. My first brush was a Pure Badger from AOS. They sold me a Cream (Sandalwood), and a Balm. That was my introduction. Then I found the Forums. I wanted to "upgrade" my brush to another level ie: Best, Super, Silver Tip Badger. I was all set to purchase a Rooney 3/1 when I paid a visit to SMF and, who do I run into, Zach!.. Well, not literally, but thread-wise. I read about the "Psychology of the Boar", "All About Boar", his video on "How to Lather with a Boar Brush". I wasn't being sold, I was being "educated", and by a man who had passion for his beliefs. I read all the threads, and I was hooked!! My first purchase was a Omega "Capodomonte" from Ems Place. Beautiful reddish brown handle, a classic looking brush. Second purchase was a Semogue 1305 with its European classic traditional look handle. I have used them both exclusively for the last 3 weeks. As Zach said, they got softer and softer with each use, but they were pretty soft from the get-go. Excellent with soaps and with creams. Great massage effect when I use them. Today, I went back to my Badger w/cream which was always a great lathering experience for me. Now I had something to compare it to after using the Boars. The Badger seemed floppy and too soft. It lathered the cream excellently, but it was a lack of "face-feel" that I was missing. And, yes, I actually felt that something was missing. Now I know that I have accomplished my UPGRADE......but with a Boar. One Omega and one Semogue....I am totally satisfied with my choices and feel no compelling want, or need, to go Badger. Regards, Bob
Great write-up, Bob! :happy096 I feel the same about boar. Of course, my shaving ADs are pretty much dead. I have a couple badger brushes, and they meet my requirements. Nope, not expensive ones. They lather, and I like the way they look and feel. If I wanted to try one of the lower priced boar brushes, can anyone recommend one that doesn't look like a man's......ummm.....:ashamed001
