I'm thinking of branching out frm being a straight badger guy. I did start with a boar brush, but quickly fell in love with my Simpson brushes (that darn Mark...making good brushes...lol), and got rid of my boars. I did have a SOC, but I could never master its use. So I don't really want to get another...plus my wife will probably get mad if I brought another in the house after selling my first one. So what would people recommend? Semogue or Omega? And which one? I know it's all YMMV, but I like to hear peoples reasons anyway. Thanks!
Yes, I would recommend Semogue and Omega. Which one? The one that looks the best to you. Both companies make a fantastic brush, so get the one that catches your eye.
I have the Italian barber limited edition Semogue. I can't speak of any other but I love it. I had a really cheap omega boar that I gave to a friend, I didn't care for it much. It was also like $7 and the cheapest brush I could find to round out an order for free shipping, so don't take that review too seriously.
Omega pro is great value if your looking for a bigger knot. never tried Semogue but I have several Omega's, and I like em all
Im thinking of the Omega No. 42 Premium. Any one have experience with this brush? I can find stuff on almost all other omega brushes but this one.
I have the 42. It is a bigger (taller and thicker) handle than I expected. It is solid and has a great feel to it. The taller handle really shines when the soap is near the bottom of the mug. You don't bang your fingers with it. The hair is the same as the 31xxx series but set at a lower loft. It has nice soft tips and enough backbone. It isn't as dense as the Semogue and doesn't bloom much at all. It has good flow through and is a nice brush. If you are not a fan of tall brushes, you might give the 45 a try. It has the same general shape, just a little shorter. The camera is at work, but I can try and snap a photo of it next to my SOC.
The biggest brush I've ever had is the SOC. I was just thinker ng of something different. I have to admit, the gold ivory color of the 45 is absolutely beautiful!
I'd recommend a #6 horse hair brush from bestshave. I've used mine for about two years now and love it... The QC at bestshave isn't the best, but the brush is very inexpensive and getting more than one would not be overly expensive.....I own several and they all work well for me, although some are not packed quite as dense as others..As I said I love mine,but other people have not had as good an experience as I and so dislike the #6....I do think Horse is a good hair to give a try...If you'd feel safer trying a more expensivebrush there is also Vie-Long. They have many different types of knots and a variety of really nice looking handles...
