Thread: German badger vs Italian (Omega) boar

i have the two...i alternate between them often,,,,,,,BUT,,im starting to use the Professional Boar Bristle way more.........my hand just reaches for it btw i love my badger....what's happening ??
am i the only one out there,,,,will the badger - omega war go on forever?

Well, i perfectly understand what you mean, i also have a Mühle Silvertip and a Semogue boar 830.... Frequently i realize i prefer use my boar brush , just to get a better grit on my face.

lately i've been a fan of the chinese badger

all kidding aside.. everyone has their own idea of what good is.. i just choose to have both available to me... i currently rotate between a simpson wee scot with best badger and an omega 11047 that is a mix of both badger and boar.

I have been using my omega boar for two years, daily. I have 100.00 badgers that are just sitting in a display cabinet in my bedroom lol.

I have a tough beard, I like the boar a lot for scrubbing in lather although the tips are very soft now...

You are not alone!

For me bristle brushes are superior to badger brushes as long as you use soaps and not creams.

I personally use on daily basis two Omega bristle brushes, the Omega 48, and the Omega 102. They are both excellent!

great brush,,,super massaging and huge,,,just love it

I have the Omega faux ivory boar bristle brush. It was cheap like 10 bucks.

Is it considered a crap brush? Some things I noticed from using it, dunno if it's normal I only have one brush can't A/B compare etc.

- hair ends splitting a little after use(seems to make it bushier dunno if thats good)
- builds good lather (Proraso Green tub soap) but when I apply it seems to all go away, it only looks good when I'm building it in my mug.
- hairs are quite spiky, not the most comfortable. Got softer with use.
- smelt like shit when I first bought it. went away after 2 shaves.

I'm aware of where boar bristles stand in the hierarchy of brushes, just wondering if there's variation within different brands of boar bristle brushes.

- hair ends splitting a little after use(seems to make it bushier dunno if thats good)

The splitting made mine lather even better

Originally Posted by drgreen

I have the Omega faux ivory boar bristle brush. It was cheap like 10 bucks.

Originally Posted by drgreen

Is it considered a crap brush? Some things I noticed from using it, dunno if it's normal I only have one brush can't A/B compare etc.

- hair ends splitting a little after use(seems to make it bushier dunno if thats good)
- builds good lather (Proraso Green tub soap) but when I apply it seems to all go away, it only looks good when I'm building it in my mug.
- hairs are quite spiky, not the most comfortable. Got softer with use.
- smelt like shit when I first bought it. went away after 2 shaves.

I'm aware of where boar bristles stand in the hierarchy of brushes, just wondering if there's variation within different brands of boar bristle brushes.

Boar bristles stand first in my hierarchy followed by the badger and then the horse.
I have not tried yet synthetic brushes, which are the only ones that may take the first place from boars.

The smell is bad, you are right. Every time I buy a new boar brush I sink it in a mug with water and lather for 2-3 days to get rid of the smell.

The hairs may not be comfortable in the beginning, but a boar brush is changing properties with the use. After 2-3 months of daily use it is really comfortable imo.

Boar brushes build better lather than badger when used with soaps, the contrary when using creams (imo always).

Hair end splitting makes the brush better and softer to the face.

Originally Posted by drgreen

I have the Omega faux ivory boar bristle brush. It was cheap like 10 bucks.

Is it considered a crap brush? Some things I noticed from using it, dunno if it's normal I only have one brush can't A/B compare etc.

- hair ends splitting a little after use(seems to make it bushier dunno if thats good)
- builds good lather (Proraso Green tub soap) but when I apply it seems to all go away, it only looks good when I'm building it in my mug.
- hairs are quite spiky, not the most comfortable. Got softer with use.
- smelt like shit when I first bought it. went away after 2 shaves.

I'm aware of where boar bristles stand in the hierarchy of brushes, just wondering if there's variation within different brands of boar bristle brushes.

Boar brushes are considered to be the cheaper alternative to badger so you don't have the range you would in a badger. So you probably won't see a multitude of grades and fancy handles and huge size ranges. yes there are quality differences but in the end would you want to pay say $60 for a boar when you can get a good badger for that price?

There are some who no doubt would pay big bucks for a boar because they like them so much but in general they are in the minority. So price is really the determining factor.