One of my end of December acquisitions was a SOC boar brush from Amazon. I had a gift card from Christmas and I found a decent deal ($26 + shipping). I decided to give it a whirl yesterday for the first time. Needless to say, I am quite impressed. The bristles are softer than any other boar brush that I have tried (even on the first use) but it still has plenty of backbone. The thing is a bit of a lather hog right now, but I am told that it will settle down some as it breaks in. In two uses it has put a noticeable dent in the puck of PAA soap that I am using. The brush loads quickly and has no problems making a great lather in my bowl. I used it again today with great results. I think this brush may have spoiled me for other boar brushes. I wish I had picked this one up sooner.
The SOC Boar is my favorite brush. Took about 20 shaves to really break it in. I'm thinking about buying a second one so I can allow one to totally dry while using the other. I almost never use any of my badgers anymore.
30 straight shaves will break this boar brush in correctly. Got to use it plenty to feel how it will eventually feel.
SOC's only get better with time. Also, if it starts to bloom too much for your liking, try placing it in a toilet paper roll overnight to help bring the hairs back into place.
I really like Semogue brushes and have/had a bunch of them. I had an SOC for a couple years and really liked it. Mine seemed to get too floppy for my tastes after a while and I sold it. I think it would definitely benefit from having a slightly shorter loft.
@PanChango get yourself a Omega 81020 25/55mm knot or Omega 81052 25/55mm knot instead of the SOC Boar 24/55mm knot or maybe a Omega 10005 24/50mm Beech Wood Handle
The Omega 10005 was my first brush when I started out. I have had a bucket of boar knots and even really like the Semogue 2000 which is larger, just for some reason the SOC never really did it for me. Currently I rotate between a few of the Semogue Barbear Classico brushes in Cerda, Mistura, and Tesxugo. Out of all of my brushes the Mistura (Badger/Boar) is my favorite. I keep wishing that Semogue would release some more mixed knot brushes.
These are lovely brushes, but the knots always splay too much, for me. I much prefer the Zenith boar brush knots as they seem to be more compact. As always, YMMV.
Just got my Semogue 2000 boar brush from Portugal. It is a wonderful brush. As we all know it has a fantastic backbone. I cant wait for it to break in. I used it today for the first time and my only advice to new boar hair brush users is DON'T use it with a mild soap. Use a soap that really lathers up and has a full rich scent. Otherwise your first (I assume first several) shave(s) will smell like you are lathering your face with a small, bristly wet dog. I grew up with dogs as pets and wet dog is a pungent smell. (not scent, SMELL!) Anyway to break it in more quickly than using it every day? thanks David
Rinse out the brush after shaving, & then lather up the brush with your favorite soap. Let it sit overnight loaded in lather. Rinse thoroughly the next day. Repeat the process for several consecutive days.
Good advice. Gotta say, my boar brushes have never stunk. Maybe my nose is not as sensitive as others'.
The only brush that had a "scent" was my horse hair brush. 30 minutes in a cup with hot water and a bit of shampoo - then letting it dry out took care of the wet horse smell. My two boars never really had much of a smell when new.
This is exactly what I do...several times over. If you think Semogue boars are ripe, steer clear of Omegas! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
