Thread: Boar Boys

'Haven't made the plunge really. 'First boar was a ratty used ever ready that had a few hairs left. To my surprise, it did wonderfully. 'Old, soaked in warm water & lanolin, expecting all hairs to shatter into dust.

'Contemplating a serious boar brush - leaning toward Semogue or a TGN UK knot.

What's the deal w/ living w/ boar. Do they have to dry for more than a day? Do you need two - to give one time to dry?

Your kind help is greatly appreciated. 'Never expected the old wad of wiry hair to perform so well.

I don't think there is any trick to living with boar. No different than any other critter. You may need to soak it some and it will break in but other than that just use it.

No need to give more than a day to dry?

I sure have liked this ancient boar compared to a cheap 'pure' badger. No doubt the better badgers are wonderful, but I'm loving the action of the boar, and the price. 'Just trying to learn what life is like w/ them.

I understand they need a number of cycles of lather, drying, first to kill the smell, then to bread in to softness. I just didn't know if I had to buy two so each has enough dry time.

I appreciate your kind help.

I find my brushes always dry in a few hours.

After a shave I always flick the brush to get rid of the extra water and then I beat the brush on my palm and it gets rid of almost all the water.

From there it's dry in an hour or so and nothing to worry.

I have been using my Semogue 830 Boar almost exclusively for two months now. I use it every single day. Sometimes, I could still feel some dampness in the bristles, but I don't see how that matters. I have been using it daily with no issues.

I will say that the first week or two is a break in period. I had a hard time building lather the first week I had it. It just seemed to suck up water and lather with nothing left for my face. Now, it is perfect and I will never get rid of it.

I've had my boar brush for almost a year now and use it much more often than my badger. It has softened up a lot, but still has a little more body to it than the badger, which I prefer, especially with soaps.

I've never had an issue with it not drying quickly. I flick it really good to get all of the water out when I'm done then hang it to finish drying upside down. I made a holder from a wire clothes hanger which fits perfectly above my mug of soap.

I appreciate it a bunch.

There's only one trick to living with boar -- it's how to sell off all of your old badger brushes when you start to see the mountains of "sour cream" lather your boar brush makes in comparison to the thin soup most badgers produce!

Seriously, boar doesn't need any more time to dry than badger, but it does look less "elegant" while it is drying (actually, most boar brushes look like a wet cat when hanging out to dry). They really, truly are fantastic to use. Semogue and Omega are the good brands, but I've been very happy buying older boar brushes on eBay that are still in nearly new or NOS condition. They come up for sale all of the time.

Good luck!

i used a van der hagan boar brush for years before i really got into wet shaving and i gotta say.. it was a really good brush.. for some idiotic reason i threw it out when i got my first badger brush.. i regret that now.. for 9 dollars.. they are good brushes.

'Wish they had US distribution. 'Not sure which Omegas are strongest, but avail. in the US.