04-04-2012, 07:17 AM
I just received my first boar a few days ago. It is a Semogue Owners Club boar (cherry handle) from Vintage Scent. Have to say they have great prices if you're a bit more patient on the shipping time from overseas to the US.
I used it for the first time last night and were surprised by the following things:
- Surprise #1: As usual, I've heard that they (as any brush) can be stinky but really was surprised it had no smell out of the box. After getting it wet it did have a little bit of a funk but not much at all really. A test lather in Proraso and it was gone - I've had a few much funkier badgers
- Suprise #2: It was MUCH softer than I expected. This was the biggest surprise. Obviously it's not broken in but I was really, really happy how soft it was before hand. Not super badger soft but much more than I expected and was even surprisingly soft when dry
- Surprise #3: It lathered much easier than I expected too. Using the Proraso to clean it out it really burst out the lather quickly. I've read that it can take longer to get a good lather with a boar but didn't experience that at all
- Not as surprising: After my Proraso defunk I shaved with it after lathering with a Razorock tallow soak. I typically only shave 2 passes. With my straights I can get close to BBS on two passes so I rarely throw in a 3rd unless it's a special occasion. First pass was pretty nice, second pass it seemed like I was running out of lather. Not really a surprise here - I know they hold more when broken in but I'm thinking too I need to load longer than I typically do.
- Surprise #4: I've heard you need more product with a boar many times. I got just as much if not more lather when I used my normal snurdle of Proraso. I'm thinking for the soap I wasn't picking up as much as I usually do from the puck, so probably if I worked it right I'd be using the same amount of soap
I took Johnny's advice and soaked it for a long time in hot (tap, not boiling) water. That probably made a good difference in my exprience compared if I tried to treat it like a badger if I didn't do the research. I really thank Johnny and the rest in your great advice on other threads.
I'm going to go through the 15-20 minute soak then dry cycles to help the break in along. I run a fan in my room overnight and have put the boar in front of it to help it dry out quickly and be able to run the cycles daily vs. every other day.
Moral of my story is I'm glad that I got by any negative pub and preconcieved notions I may have had on a boar brush and it's good to get past that and give things a try. Not sure if it will surpass my beloved Rooney 3/1 Super but you never know. I'll maybe keep this thread updated as I go along.
I used it for the first time last night and were surprised by the following things:
- Surprise #1: As usual, I've heard that they (as any brush) can be stinky but really was surprised it had no smell out of the box. After getting it wet it did have a little bit of a funk but not much at all really. A test lather in Proraso and it was gone - I've had a few much funkier badgers
- Suprise #2: It was MUCH softer than I expected. This was the biggest surprise. Obviously it's not broken in but I was really, really happy how soft it was before hand. Not super badger soft but much more than I expected and was even surprisingly soft when dry
- Surprise #3: It lathered much easier than I expected too. Using the Proraso to clean it out it really burst out the lather quickly. I've read that it can take longer to get a good lather with a boar but didn't experience that at all
- Not as surprising: After my Proraso defunk I shaved with it after lathering with a Razorock tallow soak. I typically only shave 2 passes. With my straights I can get close to BBS on two passes so I rarely throw in a 3rd unless it's a special occasion. First pass was pretty nice, second pass it seemed like I was running out of lather. Not really a surprise here - I know they hold more when broken in but I'm thinking too I need to load longer than I typically do.
- Surprise #4: I've heard you need more product with a boar many times. I got just as much if not more lather when I used my normal snurdle of Proraso. I'm thinking for the soap I wasn't picking up as much as I usually do from the puck, so probably if I worked it right I'd be using the same amount of soap
I took Johnny's advice and soaked it for a long time in hot (tap, not boiling) water. That probably made a good difference in my exprience compared if I tried to treat it like a badger if I didn't do the research. I really thank Johnny and the rest in your great advice on other threads.
I'm going to go through the 15-20 minute soak then dry cycles to help the break in along. I run a fan in my room overnight and have put the boar in front of it to help it dry out quickly and be able to run the cycles daily vs. every other day.
Moral of my story is I'm glad that I got by any negative pub and preconcieved notions I may have had on a boar brush and it's good to get past that and give things a try. Not sure if it will surpass my beloved Rooney 3/1 Super but you never know. I'll maybe keep this thread updated as I go along.
04-09-2012, 11:23 AM
Just as an update:
I've been using the brush exclusively since I picked it up. As of right now it's not supplanting my beloved Rooney 3/1 Super but it's definately a really nice brush. We'll see how it is after it fully breaks in.
I'm doing much better loading the brush and now have no problems with having enough lather for a full shave and then some.
Also, I've been cheating a bit on the break in on the weekend. I've been lathered with it twice a day over the weekend - I'm able to cheat a bit here because I have a desk fan that I run in my room. After a lather and sitting it under the fan, it's bone dry in less than 8 hours. After careful inspection it looks like some of the tips are beginning to split but not all at this point.
Can't wait to see what it's like in one week!
I've been using the brush exclusively since I picked it up. As of right now it's not supplanting my beloved Rooney 3/1 Super but it's definately a really nice brush. We'll see how it is after it fully breaks in.
I'm doing much better loading the brush and now have no problems with having enough lather for a full shave and then some.
Also, I've been cheating a bit on the break in on the weekend. I've been lathered with it twice a day over the weekend - I'm able to cheat a bit here because I have a desk fan that I run in my room. After a lather and sitting it under the fan, it's bone dry in less than 8 hours. After careful inspection it looks like some of the tips are beginning to split but not all at this point.
Can't wait to see what it's like in one week!
04-09-2012, 01:16 PM
You have the right idea. Just don't compare the brushes dry. From what I've seen with the last 2 boars I've broken in, one day you'll just realize,"Hey, this thing is pretty decent.", and you'll realize it's broken in. For me it's like flipping a switch and the light goes on.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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