Thread: Boar question

Originally Posted by MasterMind

My question is, even tho the knot sizes are the same, is a boar a smaller brush because the hairs stick straight up and arent as dense as the badger brush? The SR3122 is like a light bulb.

I don't have that brush. But I will say that majority of my boars aren't light bulb shape. They're typically bleached or sketched and perhaps have one or maybe two that's clipped ( clipped and formed into bulb shape instead of natural form )

A beginner's guide to boar brushes / the science of the boar

Boar brushes do tend to be less dense than similarly sized badger brushes in my experience, but I don't think that I'd necessarily say they are "smaller" because of that. Boar brushes quite often have a very high loft which contributes to the way the brush performs in loading, lathering, and applying lather. The fact that quality boar brushes provide good backbone, lathering, and "flow through" make them a very capable brush.

Now, if you are looking for a smaller brush, you could well like that boar brush because it will likely not flare out as much, and the loft is not that high (around 49mm). However, if you aren't familiar with boar brushes, there is a bit of a learning curve as well as a break in process that you'll need to be patient with until it gets good... However, boar brushes are great values and perform quite well when broken in, and Omegas are well known to be good brushes. If you want to stay with a badger, you may consider a Rooney 1/1. They are great little brushes, but the handle is too small for some guys.

Hope this helps.

Indeed. While they require break-in period once they split, they are great with soaps and creams.

I fancy small to mid-size brushes. The largest I have is Boreal Pro 977.

With use of 22mm knot badger I found that it's rather moppy and lather is dispersed everywhere which isn't good because in spite of few soap/creams I have it's wasteful lather down drain.

With boar, I can control the amount of lather in either soap or cream. However I still use the few badgers I have but not as much. I'll tell you one thing though if you want a little softer and best of both worlds you can opt for a mixed loft.

I have Omega 21047 ( classifed as boar ), Vulfix 2006 and Vulfix 404. The latter two still need break-in. 2006 is extremely soft upon initial use.

I know it probably varies from brush to brush, soap to soap, person to person, etc., but approximately how many shaves does it take to usually brake in a good boar brush (if it makes a difference I would be referring the the Excelsior brushes from VS).

Originally Posted by bknesal

I know it probably varies from brush to brush, soap to soap, person to person, etc., but approximately how many shaves does it take to usually brake in a good boar brush (if it makes a difference I would be referring the the Excelsior brushes from VS).

To be perfectly honest, I don't have the patients to track it, but seems to get better every shave for the first couple of months... I have a brush rotation though with no set order though, so I can't say anything specific. If I were guessing, I'd count on 15-20 shaves

I've gota admit that I'm surprised the you wet-shave afficios are still using boar brushes.

Badger (generic) is the best brush. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I guess it's still a matter of personal preference.....

Originally Posted by Driver

I've gota admit that I'm surprised the you wet-shave afficios are still using boar brushes.

Badger (generic) is the best brush. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I guess it's still a matter of personal preference.....

This is a YMMV situation. IMHO, you have to spend quite a bit of money to get a brush that really beats the performance of a cheap boar... Meh, I have 2 Plisson 16 HMW in Genuine Horn, a Rooney 1/2 Finest, & 2 Semogue Boar brushes... I really enjoy using all of them...

Maybe I'm just spoiled....

I used MANY boar brushes until I got a "cheap" badger brush (I don't remember where I got it online) for about $30. I'm still using it after three years; and it hasn't lost a hair; ( and never smelled like a wet dog!!) .
Badger hold more hot water and makes better lather and loads better than any boar brush I've ever used.

I'll admit that the badger brush doesn't work as well with shaving creams and tends to be more "soap-friendly". Maybe that it....? I use mostly soap and not cream.

Whatever floats your boat!