shopping for small, face lathering brush. (my first brush)

swarden43, i hear you on everyone's preferences being different.
it does seem that folks who face lather prefer a brush with a bit more backbone.
also bore working better with harder soaps.

after looking all these over and reading all your comments. can't thank you enough.
i'm going with an Omega 10066 to start me off. asking for a Semogue 610 from Santa Claus.
i like the size, non-dyed hair, and beautiful handle.

found a video of the Semogue factory shop.


thanks again folks.

 

Good choice - I think you won't be disappointed by either of those brushes.

Just remember: Let your brush soak for a few minutes before lathering - and keep in mind they get better with every use

 

noted. i'll let them soak, and keep it in mind they will break in and get softer with use.

cheers

 

A WD badger a great brush at a better price point. I also enjoy boars with the Semogue 1305 being my favorite.

That being said, a quality synthetic will give you the most bang for your buck. You would spend serious $$ for a badger brush as soft as a Plisson synthetic. They also dry in a heart beat. This makes them excellent for travel or everyday use.

 

got my Omega 10066 a few days ago. kept forgetting to take pics during the day.


larger than i expected, but a good size. the boar hairs seem like they are split already. maybe they do some sort of pre-break in?
feels pretty soft with good backbone. soaked it in hot tap water and it seemed pretty thirsty. had that new boar brush funk but not bad.

i didn't have a stand so i bent one out of some 10ga wire i had laying around. not perfect but i like it.



unfortunately i'm still waiting on the soap i ordered, so i haven't taken it for a spin yet.

 

DUDE that stand is awesome! Ingenious

 

The first time you use it, when you are done, relather the brush and let it dry lathered. It will help with the pig funk and help it break in. I've heard you people conditioning it with normal conditioner but I didn't. My boar didn't break in well until 20 or 30 shaves in.

 

I have two boars, two synthetics and one badger. Use them all for face lathering and once in awhile I like to bowl lather. If it works well on the face, it will work well in the bowl. If it is a small badger you are after, you could look at the Simpson 46 Berkeley. Otherwise Whipped Dog can set you up with size you need.

Dave

 

Dave, thanks but we're on page two.

ran out and bought 2.5 oz 'Van Der Hagen Deluxe Shave Soap for Dry Skin' to hold me over till my 'The Shave Den Shave Soap' arrives.



soaked the brush in hot water while i showered. lightly shook bobbed the excess water out and proceeded to load it up with soap.
once it started to lather on the soap i moved to my face. was able to get a pretty good lather considering i never done this before.
it started getting pasty, so i added a little water to the brush which fixed that. the brush felt scrubby but not scratchy. i have sensitive skin.
second pass lather didn't build up as much but i was still able to shave with it.

have to work on my technique, but couldn't be happier with the brush. BTW that funk smell isn't an issue. can only smell it when i put it to my nose.
i don't lather my upper lip because i have a mustache.

cheers

 

Excellent choice. What I love about boars is that you'll enjoy them more and more each shave as they break in for the first month or two.