Originally Posted by
Slur
I have told my opinion about this several times.
Boar brushes are superior to badger by any means. Boars are gold medal for me. Silver medal to the horses and bronze to the badgers.
The smell of a new boar is usually very bad. I treat every new boar brush from 3 days to a week for eliminating the stink. I create rich lather every day with a different soap and I keep the brush in a container full of water for 24 hours. Every day I change the lather and then I put again the brush into the container. Usually in 3-4 days the smell has gone. Sometimes it might take a week.
Remember that a boar brush improves with the use, giving its best after months of daily use; while the badger brush gives its best at once and with the time and use it becomes worse.
Notice that my opinion is considered heretic in the shaving forums, and most people consider badgers as the top quality of shaving brushes.
Some others say that the boar brushes are the best for soaps and the badger brushes are the best for the creams. For me the truth is that regarding soaps, the badgers are pathetic indeed, and considering creams, the badgers can handle them, but the boars are superior again.
Another heretic opinion of mine is that the hot towel you were expecting the barber to use, is a useless and folkloristic part of preparation, and does not add anything substantial to the preparation.
Have fun :nj