It has arrived from sunny Portugal! The Semogue 830 (just to remind you) is a lovely brush to look at and to hold, with very firm bristles when dry - I was surprised. I know boar brushes take time to break in, but it still had a good feel on my face during my first shave. The only thing is - it ate my lather! With soap I normally use, and have no problems with, I could not get a good lather and ended up re-loading the brush between passes. Although there was plenty of soap on the brush, it just seemed to disappear when I tried to get a lather. Is this part of the breaking in process please?
Not necessarily part of the breaking in process, just that a boar whips up then releases lather a bit differently than a badger. Not "bad" different, just different. And if your other brush is a boar, it is different than this boar. Embrace the differences, and learn how to get the most out of what you have.
I can speak to this since I'm one week ahead of you with a new 830. Today I used my brush for the third time and noticed it held more lather than the previous two times. I didn't need to go back to the puck during a 3 pass shave. Give it time and you should see improvement in this regard. I cannot see how this brush will end up being a disappointment for you because I find it to be wonderful lathering tool, with very soft tips and perfect splay. I don't use mine every day because I want it to dry completely between uses and break in nicely - I alternate between my new 620 and the 830 while my Omega brushes look on from the shelf. Congrats on the 830 and enjoy the process.
Totally good advice; let me add that this particular brush is going to open up and bloom a bit (or a lot), so put some lathers under your belt before you worry or form an opinion. Aside from the way Semogue's tend to be tied/lofted, unclipped/natural boar hairs will split at the tips, rivaling many low end badgers in softness. They punch well through their weight class, and in this case, IMO, are a fantastic pick. Long story short: give it fifteen to twenty lathers before making any sort of opinion.
To add more, look at the pic below. FWIW, see the bloom on the 830 vs. The Omega10066. I think that in this pic, you can see bloom and tops of both brushes. Both are totally broken in enough to have split tops, and are both great brushes. Your brush will get there, but it needs a little time.
Good to know guys. Thank-you. My other brush is a synthetic Omega hi-line; it only has to look at the soap to get instant lather. The 830 is my first brush made of hair, so it literally was a different animal altogether. Right now, it smells like a wet dog or a wet pig, I suppose. I will definitely let it dry completely between shaves; that's a really good idea. I might take a picture tomorrow and then one in a few weeks to compare it's bloom. I'm quite re-assured.
I learned from Larry at Whipped Dog about OxyClean. One never knows what the funk level is going to be on a hair brush, and an OxyClean soak has killed some pretty doggy brushes for me. At @dangermouse this brush is going to be the cat's meow, I promise. It WILL need a little coaxing along at first, but it will not only be a lather machine, but super soft as well. This is a $20 brush that gets as much use as brushes 10X their price for me. (Not sure there could be a better value buy on Earth) Congrats!
I have five brushes: Escali badger - now shedding like crazy Unknown badger - from a PIF by @Drygulch. Really soft, effective brush. Satin Tip 'The Purest' synthetic - very soft, nice brush; perhaps my favorite at the moment. Trader Joe's synthetic - from their shaving kit; not a great brush. Omega 10049 boar - LARGE brush from a PIF by @Marverel; stiff lather monster.
I have 3 brushes and only use 2, the Razorock Plissoft 26 and 24 mm brushes. The third is a boar brush that I find too coarse, but it still sees use as a laptop duster. I don't see a need to have more than one or two. I would say keep the two favorites so that you can alternate and let one dry for a day. Synthetics are so advanced now, I don't think I will switch to animal hair.
