Hi guys, I have a new Omega63171 brush and I love this brush in terms of its softness. (I wish it were a little larger, though.) I've been using the boars hair brush that came with my VDH starter kit, and it's been a pretty good brush for the money. But I found it a little stiff on my face, so the softness of the Omega brush has been a nice change for me. The problem, however, is that because it's so much softer, I find it hard to work up a good lather with it. By this I mean it takes me a lot longer to work up a good later and load the brush. I suppose this is to be expected since it has less "backbone" than the boars hair brush. Am I right? Is it normal for it to take longer to work up a good lather and load the brush? Do you guys have any advice on how I can make it easier to use this brush in terms of lathering the soap and loading it? Thanks.
Choke up on the bristles. Don't just hold the handle, also grab a bit of the brush. I don't own any badgers, just boars. Badgers are much softer so to get the same load of soap as with your VDH ( I still have and use mine ) you need to support the bristles a bit.
Thanks for the advice, RyX. I didn't even think about that (obviously), but that makes complete sense! The answer was right in front of me the whole time.
to answer your question in your other thread, the Omega 10066 has good backbone. works well with the two soaps i have. i can't compare it to the VDH, or a badger since i don't have them. my Omega badger was pretty soft on my face with good backbone right out of the box. badger boar brushes will break in (split ends) with use and become softer to the touch. how many shaves do you have on the VDH brush? are the ends split? mine fully broke in within a few weeks.
Okay, that's good to know. As I mentioned above, that's one of the things I like better about my boars hair brush over my badger hair brush. It makes it easier for me to work up a good lather and load the brush. This is just an approximation, but I'd say I have about 2–3 dozen shaves on my VDH brush. I've noticed an increase in its overall softness, but its softness is nothing compared to the softness of my Omega badger hair brush. I took a close look at the tips of the hairs, but I couldn't see any obvious signs of splitting at the ends—even with a magnifying glass. Also, do you know if it's normal for a boars hair brush to retain water longer than a badger hair brush? I've noticed my badger hair brush dries out much faster than my boars hair brush.
if they aren't split then it's not broken in yet. i don't know how well VDH brushes break in. bristle quality varies. yes, from what i've read they retain water more than badger. shake it out, and "paint" it onto a towel. then let it dry in a dry area. not in a drawer, or in a bathroom that has a shower. i hang mine bristles facing down, but some say that doesn't matter.
Is it possible that you mixed something up here? To my knowledge (and experience) badger hair doesn't split like boar bristles do. A badger brush doesn't change much from the day you buy it, except for the "bloom" of the knot. Badger brushes become a little softer at the tips though when you soak them in water.
Thanks for the suggestion. Do you have any recommendations for a good synthetic brush for around $25 (± a few bucks)?
I have a Plisson. I like it, but I'm looking for another one as well. I'm thinking about a Whipped Dog or getting a knot and setting it in a whipped dog handle. RazoRock also has a couple that are less than $20. This thread might help. http://shavenook.com/showthread.php?tid=35323
