Thread: Anybody Else Prefer Boar Brushes?

I've tried a few brushes...nothing terribly expensive (my most expensive on is the C&E Edwin Jagger best badger), but I've come to find I like the boar brushes the best. Particularly, the Proraso Omega sold by Old Dominion Soap Company (vasuds on Ebay). It's not as big as the Target version of the Omega, and works very well. I get better lather with them, with hard soaps, soft soaps, and creams, and they're much less expensive. To me, they're more comfortable, too. Anybody else?

I've got the target version and like it, I could happily use it every day, but I prefer the rooney badger.

Joe,

I have the larger Omega boar brush, and I still use it, but not often. When I do, I call it "cheap Sunday", since it is generally on a Sunday, and I break out the Williams or Surrey soaps and Pinaud. I generally figure that shave costs me about a dime.

RT

I have a Caswell-Massey "pure" badger and an Omega Silver Tip but I love my *junk* Burma Shave boar, which I picked just out of curiosity.

One complaint I have with it, though, is that it sheds. And I am not a brush boiler. Ah, also it does not bloom nicely like my badgers, it's more inconsistent - some bristles kinda stick together, others splay around - not nice. But it works great.

Do other boars bloom in this weird way too? I might pick one from the C&E store here just to try, I think they have them for 25 or so... or the Omega you guys mention

Cheers
Ivo

I've got a junk Van der Hagen boar that sheds like crazy, I've relegated it to shoe-scrubbing duties. The Proraso/Omega boar that Target sells is quite nice and only $15, they're built very well and not prone to shedding.

I have had my Omega Boar brush for more than 20 years, I alternate it w/ one other brandless boar brush and I think it is great. Soak it very short before I start (less than 1/2 minute) and it is as soft as I want it. Never used a badger brush and don't intend to. An old barber once told me the boar ones are better for making a good lather.

I picked up the Proraso Omega Target version and can't stand it. I was hoping it would be stiffer than my Vulfix Best Badger, but it has a really moppy feel to it. I'm thinking of giving it a haircut to see if that helps.

Getting rid of the smell - thats another thread.

Jordan

Originally Posted by jnich67

I picked up the Proraso Omega Target version and can't stand it. I was hoping it would be stiffer than my Vulfix Best Badger, but it has a really moppy feel to it. I'm thinking of giving it a haircut to see if that helps.

Getting rid of the smell - thats another thread.

I use the Omega brush almost daily... it gets the job done (and is way more comfortable to my wallet than a Badger ). I like it better than the Surrey boar brush I also have (which, btw, is now used mostly as my "travel" brush). I agree the Omega is more of a "mop" than the Surrey, but it's plenty stiff enough to use with soft soaps (eg, Proraso) or creams. But, when I use my home-brew soap (which is REALLY hard) I need the stiffer Surrey.

As to that smell... it did take a week or so for it to leave. And, every once in a while I still get a slight whiff of it... usually when I run out of lather and am trying to coax a little more out of the brush by adding some water.

I won't say that I prefer them, but I use boar brushes alongside my badger brushes. It's another way of adding variety into the daily shave. No doubt they're cost effective, as RT pointed out.

As for the barber's statement, I think in a profession where time can be money, a boar hair brush may indeed be preferred for fast (better?) lathering.

I use one of the green handled Surrey brushes...like others say "it's easy on the wallet". The only problem I have with it is the shedding, which seems to be typical after reading this. I've been thinking of getting one of the Omegas at Target, but if it is "moppy" I don't know. On the other hand, if it doesn't shedd as much it might be worth it.

-Pary