Looking at some boar brushes and eyeballing the semogue 830 for the under $30 category what brush do you think is best?
After using a few of them. Any Semogue. I've always found them to be top quality and break in very well. If you like a bigger brush, something like a 2000 would be good. If you can stretch the budget a bit, I HIGHLY recommend a Semogue Owners Club now, my God that brush is just perfection IMO.
+ 1 for the Semogue 830, here! The loft is not too long like some might find with an Omega Pro, and it's not too short and stiff either - just right! Great backbone, soft tips (once broken in) great flow-through and beautifully made too. Also, while not as cosmetically stunning as the Semogue 830, the injection molded Vie-Long "Bombito" 11737c is also a fantastic performer! It's small knot will fool you. You'll get the thing wet and wonder if you made a mistake, but when you start to use it you will smile. I also have an Omega Pro (Proraso branded) and an Omega 11126. Performance wise the Pro beats the more expensive 11126, but is no where near as attractive as the 11126. For two similarly priced brushes that I own (Omega 11126 and Semogue 830) the 830 beats it in lathering and face comfort. I mostly use the 11126 for hard soaps alone. The others I've noted are great for soaps and creams both. The V-L Bombito runs about $15 at Bullgoose. Hope that helps. -John
I recently discovered Semogue boar brushes, I would highly recommend any their brushes. They reviews they have been written has always been positive.
Omega, Semogue -- just pick one you like the looks of. Face it, we can recommendations, but you're not going to buy a brush you think is ugly.
If you can find a NOS vtg, you could give one of those a shot I have a Simms boar and it is really great. I like my Omega Pro 48 too. I'm going to get a Semogue one day also though; they seem well loved.
Semogue 620.... If you read the reviews on all the various forums you will find a brush that gets tons of love and is a great value.
I don't have the VDH boar but I've seen many of them. From what I can surmise, based off of other really cheap (not inexpensive mind you) brushes, is the attention to craftsmanship. I have had two Burmashave brushes and one was (and still is, my dad has it) a star player, the other was crap. The way the bristles come out of the handle all straight and erect on a descent brush as opposed to a non-descent brush is striking and has a major performance advantage when lathering. Many people have had great success with a VDH boar but many, many more have been fulfilled by other boars. Some VDHs have been reported to shed like mad too to where the higher quality boars this seems to be an exception not a rule or even an eventuality. Just my take from my limited experience. Please keep asking questions and getting more info. For the record, my next boar purchase will more than likely be a Semogue. I think I'm over badger.
Thanks for the feedback. I have read these brush comments and often wondered what I am missing by not using a better boar or using a badger. So far, mine seems okay, and seems to be getting better with use. I was originally wondering because I wasn't getting a great lather, but it seems to be getting better now... Always curious...
Boars tend to get better with age, but I have heard VDHs fall apart too or just start dropping hairs like crazy. If I had to do it all over again, I think I'd go with a smaller Omega than the 48, even though it is a great performer, or some Semogues (plurality intended ). I would find a few online and grab them or see if you can score a vtg boar off the bay for small $. The VDH may last you, but then again it may not and most people who finally give in and get a different brush are amazed at the difference. It may be a bit harder to name the differences but they are there.
The 830 & SOC from Semogue are easily my favorite boars, but I've yet to have a bad experience with any Semogue. Share some pics when you get it & let us know what you think of it. Enjoy your wise choice!
What the others have said. The quality on these is iffy. Sometimes they don't shed hairs, sometimes they shed 5-8 per use. The one I had dropped about 5 hairs the first 3 or 4 times I used it, the for the next 3 months seemed to drop 1 hair every other shave. I PIF'ed it to a friend after about 6 months. He told me it doesn't lose hair. I loaned him a silvertip to try recently, he hated it. He really loves that stupid $8 brush. The difference between these and the Italian boars they are talking about is a matter of quality. The brushes are more uniformly shaped, the handles are better and they tend to lose fewer hairs.
Figured why not already had an Omega 10005 boar so figured why not try a Semogue instead of adding another Omega. I also wanted to pass my dad a broke in boar so hes getting my Omega and I needed a replacement quickly. Its a dads day gift doing a whole starter kit for him.
Got my 830 and after 5 or 6 shaves including using a few conditioner lathers I must say I am not enjoying the brush at all. Maybe I forgot the break in period with my other boar so still trying it but I am almost at wits end.
