Thread: Boar vs Badger brushes

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Dan, I have the poraso menthol cream in a tube. It is strong stuff. What I do is lather up with a neutral (no aroma) soap puck then put a dab of the poraso in a bowl and mix the two. Cuts the strength of the menthol is a nice lather. If you have the cream it is easy, if it is a puck also a bit more to it, but can be done. Mixing it I mean.

Thanks Jimmy,

This is quite useful. I will get a some type of neutral soap and try mixing them.
In the end this proraso soap is nice. The face feels great afterwards, true that this is my first time using soap and brush but never to return to shaving foam or gel !!!

Originally Posted by MDM

Thanks Jimmy,

This is quite useful. I will get a some type of neutral soap and try mixing them.
In the end this proraso soap is nice. The face feels great afterwards, true that this is my first time using soap and brush but never to return to shaving foam or gel !!!

Yes, once you try the soap/brush that is the end of the alternatives. As for the neutral soap. I find MWF (Mitchell's Wool Fat) to be sans aroma. That may just be me though, since some guys say it has an aroma to them. If it does I'd assume it is slight. My tobacco pipe smoking in excess has affected my sense of smell so I'm not a good barometer of soaps or creams. Obie would be the best guy to ask that I know of.

Originally Posted by MDM

Hi gents,

Thanks you for all your opinions.
Today I got the boar brush from Proraso. Something cheap to start with.
I tried it and yes I feel it to be a little stiff but when I applied a good amount of soap it was ok. Feels like a massage to the face

On the other hand the new Proraso soap (with mentol) is a challenge, I still feel my face burning from the mentol inside I think, but that is a new topic for another section of the forum.

Have a nice evening.

Once the boar breaks in and the ends split it will get considerably softer while retaining the backbone, which is one of my favorite things about boars. The delayed gratification aspect of them lol. There are plenty of unscented soaps that you could mix the Proraso with, if you were so inclined. I've always found MWF to pretty much just smell like soap, but everyone's sniffer is a little different. Or you could find a scent that complements it. The diversity available is kind of staggering.
Good luck with your brush!

I have had 4 boar and two silvertip brushes. After a two day soak in hair conditioner and a month of use, I will take the boar. The badger feels better to start with, but the ends never break in, so will feel "pokier" to me than a well used boar. My boars are all cheap Semogue or Omegas to boot. I gave away both badger brushes.

Originally Posted by Brent375HH

I have had 4 boar and two silvertip brushes. After a two day soak in hair conditioner and a month of use, I will take the boar. The badger feels better to start with, but the ends never break in, so will feel "pokier" to me than a well used boar. My boars are all cheap Semogue or Omegas to boot. I gave away both badger brushes.

Boar brush "bristles" will flag and break in while Badger "hair" doesn't flag/break in. There a many grades of badger hair knots. If a badger hair brush feels "pokey" a different grade may have the silky soft tips and good backbone/stiffness. For me, I get that silky soft tip feel from 2 band silvertip badger knots.

Bob

My goto brush is an Omega synthetic that I really like. Like others have said, I also like my Badger for creams and my Boar for soaps. The synthetic seems to like both creams and soaps equally as well

Funny thing about boar brushes, I started shaving a looong time ago using boar brushes and creams. Never had a badger till 5 years ago. Personally, I don't care which I use for either soaps or creams and the same goes for the synthetics.

Bob

I like boar brushes. My current favorite is an Omega 48, and I've had a few simpsons. I don't like small brushes, I have big hands and I like big fat obnoxious knots. I lather differently than most suggest however. I never shake or squeeze the brush, I load as wet as I can and use the shaving mug for droppings I can lather for my last pass. I load foam, not hard soap residue. I basically whip enough air into the foam to the point the lather is thick enough to sit a quarter on and slick enough a pair of cleats would slip and fall.

Mitchell's Wool Fat is good stuff, to me it kinda smells like a condom though.

I have over a dozen brushes, half badger and half boar, oh and one horse hair which I quite like, most of my badgers are custom handles and short loft (height of the knot showing above the handle) all nice brushes, but I tend to use a boar for 90% of my shaves I just like the backbone they offer, but others like super soft and less backbone so each to there own.

An Omega Pro is a good cheap boar to start with its a big brush, but I like mine.

I inserted a synthetic knot into a long-handled colonel conk. It lathers like a whisk. Great for the scuttle.