Boar over Badger

A couple of years ago, while looking for the perfect brush I bought a Rooney silver tip badger hair brush and a simple Omega boar hair brush.

Rooney;
$100
thick pile
super soft bristles
good backbone
good lather
bit of a lather pig

Omega:
$10
thick pile
very soft bristles and getting softer
excellent backbone just what I was looking for
excellent creamy lather and easily obtained
very little soap needed

Conclusion:
I still use my Rooney when I have forgotten to soak my Omega or something, but if I lost it I wouldn't rush out to buy another. If I lost the Omega however I would be straight down to the drug store for another without hesitation. The Omega brush is simply twenty times the brush that the Rooney is for the money. Boar is the best bang for your buck hands down.

X

which omega do you have?? all my brushes ar badger but have been wanting to try out a boar one!

First Badger Brush

Col Conk Pure Badger
Cost = $29
Size 20mm
Bristles = Well packed
Feel = Scritchy at the tips and soft when mushed to the face
Lather = Can hold for 2 full passes with Soap "On the face" technique

First "Quality Boar Brush:

Semogue 1305
Cost = $28 but I won it free
Size = 22mm
Bristles = Well Packed
Feel = Scritchy
Lather = Ok for 2 passes with Soap "On the face" technique


Both brushes do exactly what they should but the Badger does it with Cream too :) and the Boar really drops the ball there :p I am not even going to go to the difference when using Uberlather :rofl2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BenjamanBarker

which omega do you have?? all my brushes ar badger but have been wanting to try out a boar one!

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This one, because it was at the local drug store. OMEGA, shaving brushes, bristle shaving brush

I waver back and forth on this one, but mostly prefer boars. My TGN Finest badger knot is a dream, though. That Omega brush you linked was my first brush and it is a great brush for the money, no question.

One thing to consider is that a top of the line boar is about $40 and a top of the line badger is over $300. My Semogue Owners Club is a quite amazing brush for the money.

In the end, it's all fun and everyone will like different brushes for different reasons.

Badger brushes:

Love my silvertips.

Soft,
Some Floppy,
Some have good backbone
big surface area covered.

great with creams and soft soaps.

my boars,
paid $10 each
Omega from a drug store
Omega Pro 49
Huge lathers
soft tips,
great backbone

amazing for hard and triple milled soaps. MWF and the Pro 49 is a match made in heaven.

Love 'em all for different reasons, on different days, in different moods.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jdto

In the end, it's all fun and everyone will like different brushes for different reasons.

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This is so true. The strong back bone on the boar hair is something I don't want to give up now especially now that I know how soft the bristles are getting and how creamy the lather is. For others, different factors will be weighed with a greater priority.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xman

This is so true. The strong back bone on the boar hair is something I don't want to give up now especially now that I know how soft the bristles are getting and how creamy the lather is. For others, different factors will be weighed with a greater priority.

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This is one factor that does go to the Boar brushes "X" they do seem to grow better with age much like fine wine :)

I would highly recommend the TGN Finest knot to anyone who wants a badger with backbone.

Having owned about 50 Simpson, Plisson, Kent, Vulfix badgers,....I'm pretty much using my Semogue 1305 daily. I often fantasize about buying another high end badger brush but then I just whipped up a great lather with the Semogue and call it a day. One of the very best values out there in my opinion.

The reason Boar, or Horse for that matter are so reasonably priced is because they are perceived as starter or bottom of the line brushes. If they came out with a $200 Boar would many folks buy it? Probably not unless it had something really special about it. They can charge $300 and more for a Badger because they know folks will buy it. If people stopped buying Badger lets say because of some health scare like Badger Mange which is transferable to Humans and causes your face to fall off the stuff would disappear and I guarantee you they would find something else as "premium" and jack up the price.

I was using a boar brush for a while and loving it then I saw a badger brush locally and bought it. I used it for a week or so and went back to the boar. Mostly because it was shedding so much which is no fault of it being badger but it was too soft for me, it was more work to make a good lather with it I found.

I like both. I use my boars mostly for soaps, my badgers mostly for creams. The badgers handle soaps just fine and the boars, once well broken in, handle creams just fine. It is all really just personal preference and since I can't decide I just use both.

I've gone back and forth also. The one difference I've found is that badgers draw lather deeper into the knot, which I can exploit more readily for passes 2 through 4. Initial lather, softness, backbone etc are a draw. Boars provide 80% of the experience for 5-10% of the price. I (and most of us, I suspect) are perfectionists. So 95+% of the time, I use a badger. But I fully understand those who choose otherwise.

I used to use a boar brush before my straight razor shaving epiphany, and a little while into it. Then I got a cheapish (Windsor) pure badger brush for about 45 bucks. That's a rather exorbitant purchase for me. My family think I'm mad paying 'so much' for a shaving brush. Of course they don't have the 'benefit' of this site :-)

I wouldn't even consider buying a brush much more expensive, the badger is different from the boar (which I've now given to me son) but not better. In fact, I'm considering a Semogue 1305 or 1438 as my next brush to sue with soap, I find the badger a little soft at times for use with soap. The badger is nice for face lathering, though. I don't do a LOT of face lathering, but IF I did maybe I would consider a softer badger brush...

I recently stepped up from a Omega to a Semogue 830. It is a better brush and softer tips than my well broken in Omega with decent backbone for soap.

I like both my badgers and my boar. I am actually quite sad that my boar continues to shed or the bristles on the sides of the knot break off against the sides of the handle (I think I packed it too tight).

Boar vs. badger! Whoulda thunk?

I am two shaves in with my omega 49 and I have to say I love it! I had thought badger was the only way to go but I'm very happy I gave boar a chance.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wrxguyusa

I recently stepped up from a Omega to a Semogue 830. It is a better brush and softer tips than my well broken in Omega with decent backbone for soap.

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I had a Semogue 830 and to me it works just like a badger. I have an Omega 10005 boar, used it today, and was perfectly satisfied with it.

For me, the badger was easier to use while I was trying to learn how to shave the old fashioned way. Now with two years experience, I can adapt to more things. To be honest, I think the stuff I use most often is the first stuff I found easy to use.

No need for any VS, IMO.

I have a Thäter silvertip, a Simpsons 2 band, and a SOC...I use them all equally...just depends on what soap/cream I use and how I feel that day. They all have their place.

I have 7 brushes in my collection 3 badger 2 boar and 1 bristle and badger an 1 Ever Ready Badgerlon that was my Dads but the one I seem to use the most is my $10.00 Omega Boar for what ever reason. I think about what razor I want to use and what soap or cream but I almost always use my Boar brush.