Semogue Owners Club Brush

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
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Cicerosecundus
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Semogue Owners Club Brush

Post by Cicerosecundus »

Recently ordered the Semogue Owners Club Brush. Anyone out there using one? I have in my rotation their 2000, a marvel with soap. Cicerosecundus
Flash G
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Post by Flash G »

I placed an order for it last week. I'm looking forward to see how it compares with my Gillette XL boar.

Though I can't seem to get the CTT tracking to work. It just says the brush is in Vilnius on 09.10.2009 ?!
Eric
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rustyblade
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Post by rustyblade »

The 2009 special edition brush which this brush is based on is used daily. It is the best shaving brush I have ever owned, but it does take some time to break in.
Richard
Flash G
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Post by Flash G »

Richard, I went on your and Chris' recommendation in the Shopping forum :wink:
Last edited by Flash G on Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
Eric
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Blue As A Jewel
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Post by Blue As A Jewel »

I ordered the SOBC last week based on its resemblance to the 2009 LE specs - It was ordered along with a 1350, 2000, Omega 48 and 49. I'm also eyeing the Semogue 2015HD sometime in the future*


* - the "future" can loosely be interpreted as any time between this afternoon and next year...
- Ravi -

You can mistrust me less than you can mistrust him. Trust me.
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Teiste
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Post by Teiste »

Hello everybody:
as a designer of this brush with Matt Dubois and Leon from vintage scent we can tell you that this brush take less time to be fully break in than the LE 09.Its not as dense as the LE 09 so that makes a difference.
I have a video made using the proto of the SOC.See how easy its for it to make lather from soap and cream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUNFFVBwEQk

Please,let us know what you think about the brush once you have tried since we are still designing more brushes and we would love to hear your inputs and thoughts.Also just a quick reminder that we have a Semogue Owners Club page in facebook,just join us there.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=ho ... 782&ref=ts
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Blue As A Jewel
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Post by Blue As A Jewel »

Teiste wrote:Hello everybody:
as a designer of this brush with Matt Dubois and Leon from vintage scent we can tell you that this brush take less time to be fully break in than the LE 09.Its not as dense as the LE 09 so that makes a difference.
I have a video made using the proto of the SOC.See how easy its for it to make lather from soap and cream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUNFFVBwEQk

Please,let us know what you think about the brush once you have tried since we are still designing more brushes and we would love to hear your inputs and thoughts.Also just a quick reminder that we have a Semogue Owners Club page in facebook,just join us there.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=ho ... 782&ref=ts
Now you have me very excited Teiste! Are you working on an LE10 if I may ask?
- Ravi -

You can mistrust me less than you can mistrust him. Trust me.
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Teiste
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Post by Teiste »

Blue As A Jewel wrote:
Teiste wrote:Hello everybody:
as a designer of this brush with Matt Dubois and Leon from vintage scent we can tell you that this brush take less time to be fully break in than the LE 09.Its not as dense as the LE 09 so that makes a difference.
I have a video made using the proto of the SOC.See how easy its for it to make lather from soap and cream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUNFFVBwEQk

Please,let us know what you think about the brush once you have tried since we are still designing more brushes and we would love to hear your inputs and thoughts.Also just a quick reminder that we have a Semogue Owners Club page in facebook,just join us there.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=ho ... 782&ref=ts
Yes my friend,we are working on it and its gonna be a great surprise!

Now you have me very excited Teiste! Are you working on an LE10 if I may ask?
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Lord Ponsenberry Smyth
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Post by Lord Ponsenberry Smyth »

Teiste, great to hear about another special Semogue boar !

How does the new brush differ from the LE09 in terms of specifications materials and performance ?

When do you expect the LE10 to be released and will it be produced in greater number than the 09 ?
David Ponsenberry Smyth 111. ( Lord )
Advocate for the use of French and Italian soaps.
________________________________
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m3m0ryleak
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Post by m3m0ryleak »

Teiste,

Thanks for that video. How many friends were you going to have over to shave with all that lather?. My friend, you rock being able to switch between two languages like that!. Four years of high school french and I was still a total bozo. I will be at the post office in the morning to pick up my SOC brush right after rush hour.
Tony

"They say that dreams are growing wild just this side of Burma Shave" - Tom Waits
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Teiste
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Post by Teiste »

Lord Ponsenberry Smyth wrote:Teiste, great to hear about another special Semogue boar !

How does the new brush differ from the LE09 in terms of specifications materials and performance ?

When do you expect the LE10 to be released and will it be produced in greater number than the 09 ?
Hello my friend:
basically its the same than the LE09 but this time is less densely packed,so in this way the break in process is much shorter.Also the bristles have received even a new better treatment in the Semogue factory.
The LE 10 would be released by the end of the summer,but this is not 100 per cent sure yet.We are working on this project now for more than 5 months and we really wanna released a high quality product,and so far things are going great!
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Teiste
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Post by Teiste »

m3m0ryleak wrote:Teiste,

Thanks for that video. How many friends were you going to have over to shave with all that lather?. My friend, you rock being able to switch between two languages like that!. Four years of high school french and I was still a total bozo. I will be at the post office in the morning to pick up my SOC brush right after rush hour.
Thanks for your comments!The brush is a lather machine,thats all that I can say and Im sure youre gonna experience by yourself.
Mr Gomes have done an excellent job with it.
ATLpr8head
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Post by ATLpr8head »

I own the 2009 LE #75 and it is truly an amazing brush. The density and the softness of the bristles is amazing. I can bowl lather or face lather as well. It did take a good 3-4 weeks to fully break in but it is a true gem to shave with. I really wish boar was appreciated more among folks though. It is kind of considered the poor mans brush among many. They dont know what they are missing;)
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Lord Ponsenberry Smyth
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Post by Lord Ponsenberry Smyth »

ATLpr8head wrote:I really wish boar was appreciated more among folks though. It is kind of considered the poor mans brush among many. They dont know what they are missing;)
I agree with you views.

I think a large part of the problem is that many users or potential users are deterred by the fact that it just doesn't feel as luxurios as Badger.
It's cheaper price means that it's perception by consumers is one of inferiority.

Boar may well in fact be superior as a lather maker ( with soaps at least ) but as far as being a desirable, upmarket object of beauty and luxury, it really doesn't compete.Cheap painted and stained wood handles don't help matters either.

( Having said that it is interesting to note the amount of attention that Semogue is attracting at the moment with their new SOC brush and talk of a 2010 Ltd. Ed. brush on the way. )
David Ponsenberry Smyth 111. ( Lord )
Advocate for the use of French and Italian soaps.
________________________________
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife.
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Blue As A Jewel
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Post by Blue As A Jewel »

Lord Ponsenberry Smyth wrote:
ATLpr8head wrote:I really wish boar was appreciated more among folks though. It is kind of considered the poor mans brush among many. They dont know what they are missing;)
I agree with you views.

I think a large part of the problem is that many users or potential users are deterred by the fact that it just doesn't feel as luxurios as Badger.
It's cheaper price means that it's perception by consumers is one of inferiority.

Boar may well in fact be superior as a lather maker ( with soaps at least ) but as far as being a desirable, upmarket object of beauty and luxury, it really doesn't compete.Cheap painted and stained wood handles don't help matters either.

( Having said that it is interesting to note the amount of attention that Semogue is attracting at the moment with their new SOC brush and talk of a 2010 Ltd. Ed. brush on the way. )
Before I came across this lot here, I was given an Acca Kappa boar brush which I used on a daily basis. It, or more likely I, produced a pretty mediocre lather ...also on a daily basis.

I ordered a Vulfix 2235 and there was no looking back... or so I thought... I've scoffed at boar users and their "ratty" looking brushes... but I would now have to agree with others who have said these are quite under appreciated in terms of their functional abilities. So, I am no longer closed minded... and to that end, I now have winging their way across multiple oceans -> four boars, a horse and a mixed horse-badger (terrible, hideous creature)... On reflection, I think I may have lost it with that last one...
- Ravi -

You can mistrust me less than you can mistrust him. Trust me.
notthesharpest
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Post by notthesharpest »

hodger? barse? badho?
SiR-ed8

Post by SiR-ed8 »

ATLpr8head wrote:I own the 2009 LE #75 and it is truly an amazing brush. The density and the softness of the bristles is amazing. I can bowl lather or face lather as well. It did take a good 3-4 weeks to fully break in but it is a true gem to shave with. I really wish boar was appreciated more among folks though. It is kind of considered the poor mans brush among many. They dont know what they are missing;)
I initially thought same but I think times may have changed after more people have become educated if not acquainted with Omega as well as Semogue.

In past I've seen new comers ask "What's best badger to start with?" Often met with "Tweezerman Pure" response. Of course, every now and again 1 or 2 resurface asking same but of late there's been few threads asking "best cheap boar brush?" Given are VDH, Omega and Semogue.

If keep an open mind you'll be exposed to many things you may otherwise not. These are natural brushes and such even those that have exact model under same brand may perform differently and of course add factors: varying bear types, lather skill, water etc...you're bound for myriad of experiences.

Ultimately it is you who have the final say. Reviews are fine but not necessarily set in stone. In truth, after playing with badgers of late I like both species as each has positive attributes. That's what it should be fun and experimentation.
Flash G
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Post by Flash G »

Received my SOC yesterday (after it had spent four days in customs doing god knows what... :roll: ). A very nice brush and it looks much better in real life. It was maybe a bit thinner than expected.
Out of the box the bristle smelled like baby powder, no funk at all. I let it soak in water while I put my son to bed. After letting the water run of, it only had a faint (and odly pleasant) funk.
I let it loose on my puck of EJ sandalwood ss (the scent is one of the strongest I've encoutered, except for Connaught's Vetiver cream...) and lathered up on my palm getting a decent lather, while loosing five bristles. After a rinse I let it have another go at the soap and lost another five bristles. I then tried it twice with Trumper's Lime ss and twice with Harris' Arlington ss with decent resutls while palm lathering. I then tried Castel Forbes Lime sc in a bowl with great results and the brush had a very nice lime scent after rinsing. The brush had bloomed quite a bit, too. The bristles felt firm and prickly on my balm the first four-five times lathering, but the prickliness had gone when I took the brush to my face this morning after lathering up with CF limes sc in a bowl.
The handle is very nice, but I find it is just a bit too narrow for me to get a comfortable grip, so I use the ridges. The handle is long enough to let the butt rest nicely in the palm while working on soaps.
I'm very happy with this brush and I'm looking forward to what it will become after a couple of weeks.
Eric
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Lord Ponsenberry Smyth
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Post by Lord Ponsenberry Smyth »

notthesharpest wrote:hodger? barse? badho?
"Barse" ain't half bad !
David Ponsenberry Smyth 111. ( Lord )
Advocate for the use of French and Italian soaps.
________________________________
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife.
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Cicerosecundus
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Received and in use

Post by Cicerosecundus »

The SOC brush arrived last week and I have used it for the last four days in a row.

Compared to the 2000 which I use happily:

THe SOC has a better wood handle; more solid and heavier; feels better in the hand.

THE SOC's bristles are all of one kind; the 2000 has some, not a lot, darker bristles mixed in;

The SOC has a smaller knot and lower loft than the 2000 and I feel that esthetically, the SOC's bristles may be slightly overpowered by the heavy handle; it is a balance issue.

THe SOC's bristles are like the 2000 when it was new, very stiff, do not hold much water and do not whip up a good lather; it took weeks to break in the 2000, using it every day, with questionable results until one day I got the best lather from a puck of Tabac than I have ever received from my Simpson and Rooney Heritage brushes and that happy condition has prevailed every time since then that I have used it. I know that the same thing will happen to the SOC brush.

My recommendation for the 2010 Brush that the factory is designing is that the bristles have a larger knot and higher loft to balance and mate well with a heavy hardwood handle.

Cicerosecundus
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