Any boar love here?

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
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vferdman
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Any boar love here?

Post by vferdman »

As I am a relatively new member here, I would like to ask if there are any boar brush lovers here. I must say that I get bouts of boar brush addiction and can not seem to reach for the badgers over the boars. I am in such a period right now. Something about the boar brush that is so satisfying. Scrub, but no scritch, soft, yet strong backbone. The way the lather forms and the kind of lather that forms are just wonderful for me. I prefer Omega boars, but am now waiting for a Semogue 1800 to arrive. I've tried two Semogues before, the 1305 and 1470, but neither won me over as much as the Omegas. Still, I love the Semogue craftsmanship and want to try another type of Semogue brush.

Any one else enjoying boars?
ShadowsDad
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by ShadowsDad »

There are at least a few of us here.

I find Semogues to be more like badgers with their splay, while still being boars. For me that isn't bad it just is.

I really like Omegas also, And I have a vintage Rooney and a TGN knot (not an Omega knot) that are quite similar to the Omegas.

I can't picture the boars turning me off to my badgers or synthetics because I enjoy all the variety in my cabinet yet when the boars come up in the rotation it's like meeting an old friend.
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
JRTASTER
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by JRTASTER »

Strong affection, if not passionate love!

There are two boars in my collection: the first, purchased from a member here, is different. Straight white, broom-like
bristles set in a custom handle, much similar to the Rooney (?) Emilion handle. Amazingly soft and excellent with soaps,
it gets used twice a week and it's a pretty good performer.

The second boar is the off the shelf brand sold in CVS for about $ 8 ( a brand name I should remember but can't), dyed to
more resemble badger. It too is just fine, and also gets used twice weekly. Possibly because of it's badge hair-like look
and bulb shape, it's liked a tad more than its more expensive cousin. It has also become a travel brush because it's easily
and inexpensively replaced should it be misplaced.

Both perform well, but perhaps not so well as my real badgers. I use only tallow soaps and fortunately they all are great
and easy latherers (save for the MWF, which takes some work); all my soaps play well with most of my badger and boar
brushes.

I have all the brushes needed/wanted for now, so there is no reason for me to have to decide if my next brush would be a
badger vs. boar. However, when choosing a brush as a gift for my son-in-law last Christmas, a Simpson Duke 2 was selected!
That may say something.

jr/John
Enjoying wet shaving, again.
jr/John
gsgo
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by gsgo »

Well, let me tell you a story about a man named Zach!

A few years ago Zach, then a member here and on a few other boards, authored more than a few posts on what could be safely be called "The Boar Wars" or "How to Make Lather with a Boar Brush".

I think he was pretty influential in raising everyone's awareness on boar brushes at the time. His posts and video's were epic and was truly a turning point for many shavers in accepting the lowly boar brush. While he doesn't maintain a presence on line with us anymore I do wonder if he ever realized how he changed our hobby.
Good shaving,

Gary
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giammi
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by giammi »

Yes, Omega 48 and Jaguar are my favorite brands.

I put them in a cup with very hot water while taking a shower - makes those bristles soft.
Giammi

Camminare sul filo del rasoio
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jww
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by jww »

Among my somewhat humble brush stash I have two boar brushes -- a Semogue 1305 and an Omega 1009 old-school style barbershop brush. I use them both equally. Lately, however, my new Duke 2 and Wee Scot are getting the nods for lather making.
Wendell

Resident Wool Fat Evangelist & anglophile. Have you hugged a sheep today?
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vferdman
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by vferdman »

Glad to see I am not alone. I started my DE journey with a fairly expensive badger brush from Royal Shave (their own brand in best). I wish I hadn't. It cost close to $50 and it's a shedder, too soft and too large for my tastes. I should have gone with an Omega boar as a starter brush. Preferably already broken in. Something like a 40033 or baby-pro 10029. Simply wonderful and cheap. Handles on those are pretty inexpensive, but under $15 with those amazing knots. My first RS badger is still with me, though I have transferred the knot into another, much better handle. I never use it for shaving any more. I do use it as a dust brush after cutting my sons' hair. It works well for that. Still, not worth the $50 I spent on it. My first boar was an Omega 10275, which cost under $10 and made me realize how amazing Omega boars are. It took some time to break it in, but after that I just began craving that boar feeling. I try to keep my den small and to the point, so I keep only things I use all the time. My current brush collection consists of five boars, two of which are factory made (Semogue and Omega) and three restores with Omega boar knots from TGN. I have just completed a trade that will replace one of my restores with Semogue 1800, so the total number stays the same.

My boar restores:

Image
Ever-Ready 100T handle with Omega 22mm/50mm from TGN

Image
Stanley Home Products handle with Omega 22mm/50mm from TGN

Image
Fuller clear handle with Omega 24mm/50mm from TGN

Don't get me wrong, I love badger brushes and have seven. Most of those are my own creations or restores. Only two of my badgers are actually factory made. They are Simpsons: Wee Scot and Case. I use them primarily for travel for their excellent dry time and I love the way they work. The rest of my badgers are TGN two band finest of various sizes and shapes (fan/bulb). I love using them, but just go through periods of preferring boars. Maybe it's seasonal, I haven't figured it out. It's great to have a choice.

My badger restores:

Image
Ever-Ready 650PB handle with 20mm TGN two band finest fan set at 22mm/48mm

Image
Handle of my own creation with a 16mm TGN two band finest bulb set at 18mm/46mm (I think)

Image
Handle of my own creation with a 22mm TGN two band finest fan set at 24mm/49mm

Image
N.S.Y. handle (unknown origin) with an 18mm TGN two band finest set at 20mm/46mm
brothers
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by brothers »

Here's a thread where I posted about breaking in some of my favorite boars a while back.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
JRTASTER
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by JRTASTER »

Vladimir,

Very nice selection. Its comforting to see that while you have not been wet shaving for very
long, you've managed to control at least your SBAD!

Well done!

jr/John
Enjoying wet shaving, again.
jr/John
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vferdman
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by vferdman »

brothers wrote:Here's a thread where I posted about breaking in some of my favorite boars a while back.
Gary, very nice. I will have to try this on my Semogue 1800 that's on its way to me. The new Omega blond knots seem to be pre-broken in as they begin to split the first week and by three weeks become fully split and stable. The banded knot I have is a bit more stubborn.

--
Vladimir
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vferdman
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by vferdman »

JRTASTER wrote:Vladimir,

Very nice selection. Its comforting to see that while you have not been wet shaving for very
long, you've managed to control at least your SBAD!

Well done!

jr/John
Well, I have had my share of SBAD. However I sold a bunch and now am only left with about a dozen brushes. Still, 11 more than necessary, but who is talking about necessities, right? I could not pair down any more as I just really love all my current brushes. I suppose I could be talked into selling some of my wooden ones just so I can make some more, but that won't reduce the size of my stable :) I think the way I control my SBAD now is to mostly use brushes of my own making. this keeps me away from factory brush reviews and keeps the SBAD at bay. Still, I just traded one of my boar restores (the black and white one) for a Semogue 1800 because I really want to have a Semogue I love as much as Omegas.
brothers
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by brothers »

I really like that black and white reknot brush. How do you secure the knot? Do you use epoxy, or something else that might not be so permanent, in case you ever change your mind?

I like the big brushes, 65 and larger, even though the somewhat smaller Semogue 2000 is a wonderful brush. I have been hoping that Semogue might decide to offer a big barber's brush similar to the Omega 20106 or the 48, in the same premium grade boar bristle as is used in the 2000.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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vferdman
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by vferdman »

brothers wrote:I really like that black and white reknot brush. How do you secure the knot? Do you use epoxy, or something else that might not be so permanent, in case you ever change your mind?

I like the big brushes, 65 and larger, even though the somewhat smaller Semogue 2000 is a wonderful brush. I have been hoping that Semogue might decide to offer a big barber's brush similar to the Omega 20106 or the 48, in the same premium grade boar bristle as is used in the 2000.
Gary, I use epoxy to secure the knot. I don't change my mind :) The black and white one is super sweet and I am saying good-bye to it. I did a lot of work to that one. The original E-R 100T brush was a very inexpensive boar of its time. Light hollow handle with very sharp corners and edges. If you've seen one in the wild, you may not recognize it compared to mine. I added a heavy steel bolt into the hollow handle and filled the rest of the cavity with JB-Weld (metalic epoxy). This makes the handle feel solid and heavy. I believe the brush weighed in at 85 grams, all told. I then sanded the seams and corners to smooth curves and installed the knot. I have a thread with pictures of what I started with on TSN. Not sure if it's okay to post links to other forums here. If it is, I'll post it. Or you can just go and search for my threads (same username as here) and you'll find it. It was a labor of love and if I see another one of these handles in the wild I'll grab it and do it again. Came out extremely well. TGN does sell a 27mm Omega boar knot. I think it may be the 48/49 knot. Next time I order from them I may pick it up and create a large boar brush. I am not a fan of large badgers (24mm is my absolute largest preference), but boars can be larger as long as they don't splay too much. Semogue 1305 was too floppy and splayed too much to create a huge "patch" on the face. I don't like that (sold it). I love the B&B Essentials at 22mm/55mm. It just seems like a perfect boar knot to me. Sweet brush.
brothers
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by brothers »

You may not believe all of this, but it's the truth. As soon as I saw the picture I wondered how you got an Ever Ready brush with rounded edges on top. I think I've got an old one needing a new knot just like yours. Also, in almost every brush I'ver refurbed, I've used epoxy, bondo, or JBWeld and nuts and bolts and stuff to weigh them down and make them solid. I also use epoxy in every brush I've ever reknotted. Great minds really do think alike! :D
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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vferdman
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by vferdman »

brothers wrote:You may not believe all of this, but it's the truth. As soon as I saw the picture I wondered how you got an Ever Ready brush with rounded edges on top. I think I've got an old one needing a new knot just like yours. Also, in almost every brush I'ver refurbed, I've used epoxy, bondo, or JBWeld and nuts and bolts and stuff to weigh them down and make them solid. I also use epoxy in every brush I've ever reknotted. Great minds really do think alike! :D
Yep, you got it. If you find that old E-R and feel like parting with it, I'll take it off your hands :)
JRTASTER
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by JRTASTER »

impressive and nicely done, functional and aesthetic!

jr/John
Enjoying wet shaving, again.
jr/John
brothers
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by brothers »

Well, actually I was thinking maybe it would look nice with some rounded edges, and new bristles!
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
changabang
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by changabang »

There are quite a few boars sitting on my shelf, including several Semogues and Omegas, but my favorites are the two Vulfix London Series I have, which, while inexpensive, have by far the classiest turned handles and lettering. These two are anxiously waiting to mix it up with the Pens vintage BB soap on its way from Phil at Bullgoose. =D>
James Nicks
gsgo
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by gsgo »

My Vulfix 2234 Horn Bristle serves me well especially with my collection of Italian soft soaps. There does seem to be some synergy between the Italian style shave soap and boar which I quite enjoy.
Good shaving,

Gary
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vferdman
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Re: Any boar love here?

Post by vferdman »

gsgo wrote:My Vulfix 2234 Horn Bristle serves me well especially with my collection of Italian soft soaps. There does seem to be some synergy between the Italian style shave soap and boar which I quite enjoy.
Yes, most definitely Italian soft soaps go real well with boars somehow. I can't explain it either. Since most of my soaps are Italian soft soaps this may be why I am on a boar kick right now. I use Cella, 3P, RR R-160, RR Classic and Proraso white tub (this one is not a classic Italian soft soap, but it is Italian and it's soft and goes well with boars and I love the scent). However, I have on its way to me a puck of MWF. After a year and half of reading polarized love/hate (mostly love) posts about it I finally ordered a puck to try. I figure it's one of those must try soaps like Tabac, which I have not tried yet (tried Tabac creme and absolutely hated everything about it, but I am not a creme guy). I will try the MWF with badger first and then with boar and see what happens. I do use Palmolive stick mushed into a bowl and boars work real well with that. I've heard horror stories about lathering MWF, though. I find boars can be real hard soap tamers, but that's me. I like a stiffer scrubbier brush.
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