Bad news - suddenly a shedder

[brothers]

All of a sudden, my old favorite Semogue 2000 (boar) decided to start shedding like crazy. I've had it for years, and I've used it well all this time. Now (yesterday actually) it's throwing out bristles all over the place. Obviously, a section of the glue has failed, or something is causing the bristles to break off at the root by the dozens. My options are limited, throw it away or keep using it and hoping the shedding stops. I've got other wonderful brushes that will easily take its place, but it's pretty annoying.

[Sam]

I remember I had a shedder once. Think it was a Simpson

[fallingwickets]

the shedding would be more annoying to me than the annoyance of having to throw it away, or at the very least parking it on the pseudo DrP shelf!!

For me, either way and even with lots of other brushes, my psyche would require that the brush gets replaced

clive

[kooshman7]

Not sure when's the last time I posted here, but your post hooked me since I had a Semogue 2000 early in the start of my hobby I liked real well that developed a problem with the handle finish cracking. I contacted the vendor, Vintage Shave, and they put me in touch with the shop. I sent the brush back to them and they fixed it. Shipping was quite reasonable. I was happy I did that as the Semogue color for the 2000 looks much different than what I have now. They were kind enough to include another brush for my problems. Might be an option if you are attached to it like I was with mine. I really need to remember to break mine out and use it sometime.

[blantyre]

If the options are throwing it away or keeping going, I’d give it at least a dozen more shaves to shape up. If it’s still shedding badly maybe it’s done for. Actually among this crowd, it’s a significant achievement to actually wear a brush out! Congratulations are in order.

[fallingwickets]

it’s a significant achievement to actually wear a brush out! Congratulations are in order.

There should be an SMF award for such a significant milestone

clive

[brothers]

I'm loving these responses, gents! It's traumatic to lose a good brush. Here's what I did yesterday - I spent about 20 minutes tightly and randomly pinching the bristles over and over again, forcefully attempting to pull out any and all bristles that might have been even thinking about shooting themselves off into the air. I probably pulled out somewhere between 25 or 40, more or less. There were so many bristles on the floor that I had to go get the vacuum cleaner and sweep them all up. But then there were no more after that, no matter how hard I tried to rip them out. It leads me to believe a weak fissure in the glue knot must have opened up and released a few nearby bristles. I used the brush again this morning just to see if there were any others to be lost. There were none, but of course this brush has permanently branded itself as an unreliable shedder, an offense that won't be forgiven. Probably just a matter of time before it vomits more hair. The average brush has so many bristles, the loss of a random amount of hair isn't even noticeable. I'll keep it around for a while for sentimental reasons, and maybe even using it now and again unless the exploding boar begins to eject more hair.

[brothers]

This morning seemed to be as good as any to give the 2000 another try after the shedding fiasco 9 months ago. The soap was Asylum Bourbon Vetiver from BullGoose (Phil). The lather was great and there were zero problems with the brush. Now it's back among the favorites. I learned a lesson from this shedding event. I was going to try to come up with something philosophical, but came up dry. Anyway, my old wooden handle boar brush is still good at what it does.

[CMur12]

Gary, my Semogue 1305 from early 2009 has started shedding the occasional bristle. My guess is that the bristles are old and worn, and that they are breaking off, as I can see no evidence of the glue plug breaking down.

No appreciable shedding yet, so no reason to get rid of it. I have a couple of new ones in reserve, purchased years ago, just in case!

- Murray

[Haln]

I've had this unfortunate experience also.

[brothers]

The 2000 is no longer with me. She and I had some happy years together before her hair started falling out. Having a broken brush heart I tried without success to forgive her but the romance was gone. Her fault, not mine, out you go - hit the road and don't come back! Fast forward, I spent some time with a couple of new pretty new boars. I had many great shaving dates with some beautiful new generations of boar when suddenly there was a new brush in town and has forever stolen my brush heart! The wanna-be replacement shaving-mates quickly followed the first and forgotten Ex out the door and out of my mind. It really pays to shop around, doesn't it!

[CMur12]

Well, Gary, I'm a little old and worn, myself, and I've lost some hair along the way, too!

I would say your brush, having served you well for many years, was due for retirement, not rejection.

- Murray

[brothers]

Well, Gary, I'm a little old and worn, myself, and I've lost some hair along the way, too!

I would say your brush, having served you well for many years, was due for retirement, not rejection.

- Murray

Good point Murray! After the shedding was apparently a thing of the past, I continued to use the 2000 a few more times. It was then that I realized my taste in brushes has changed somewhat through the years. The very long loft of the knot resulted in an enormous splay during and after the shave. It seemed a bit floppy, and I just didn't admire it anymore. Being just another one of several well used and currently retired old brushes, I had no sentimental attachment to just another inanimate object that I didn't really enjoy using anymore. This one and a few others who were clearly being out-performed (my personal opinion) by the Zenith were passed along as a group with several free packs of excellent vintage Gillette blades (virtually at the cost of postage) to someone else.

[CMur12]

That sounds like a very good solution, Gary. I thought you might have just pitched the brush into the trash.

- Murray

[brothers]

If it wasn't for the fact that the shedding had stopped, what I would have done especially because I I did admire the shape and feel of the handle of the 2000, I would have taken a big pair of scissors and cut off the shedding brush head and replaced it with something different. Maybe something along the lines of a different boar, or a badger Manchurian brush head.