Boar Brushes have a soul of their own.

I own mostly synthetic brushes because I like them the best but every now and then I really enjoy using one of my boar brushes.

Boar brushes seem to have their own kind of soul. They have an almost personality of their own.
To me they are a different experience than a synthetic or a badger brush. Whereas a badger and a synthetic can have similarities the boar is a completely different shave. So once in awhile I like to use one to really mix things up a bit now and then. What say you?

(05-26-2019, 02:50 PM)shave/brush Wrote: Boar brushes seem to have their own kind of soul. They have an almost personality of their own.
To me they are a different experience than a synthetic or a badger brush. Whereas a badger and a synthetic can have similarities the boar is a completely different shave. So once in awhile I like to use one to really mix things up a bit now and then. What say you?

We haven't made any boar brushes, and I'm by far mainly a a badger-hair devotee, but I agree.

I've been with Boar several years now. Yes each one seems different and once they break in still hold a nice scritchyness (is that a word)?

I love my boar brush and use it at least once a week.

But, I find my synthetic far too soft, and seldom use it anymore.

I prefer boar over badger. I agree, unique and satisfying to use.

I've always regarded boars like a well worn baseball glove - It's all in the break-in.  

If you have a bit of patience, and the hair is of good quality they can indeed be very rewarding. 

I find I do not much care for synthetics of any kind, and a nice 2 or 3 band badger is still what I reach for the most.

I’ve read about people’s love of boar brushes. Clearly there must be a secret to them that I haven’t figured out. When I started using a brush and soap, I experimented with many different boar brushes. Perhaps I just didn’t give them enough time to break in, but for whatever reason, just never really got along with them. Badger reigns supreme in my den.

I used badger and synthetic brushes for over 55 years, and never was a fan of boar until Phil offered the Thäter Premium Boar brush and the Semogue LE brush. I'm now hooked and have a half dozen boar brushes, and have used them 90% of the time over the past year. My premium badger brushes are all stored, and I'm not sure whether I'll ever go back to them.

(05-26-2019, 05:52 PM)evnpar Wrote: I used badger and synthetic brushes for over 55 years, and never was a fan of boar until Phil offered the Thäter Premium Boar brush and the Semogue LE brush. I'm now hooked and have a half dozen boar brushes, and have used them 90% of the time over the past year.

Ya, that's the one I have.  Interestingly, it didn't require any break-in.  It was just what I wanted from the very first shave.  Maybe I just got lucky with a perfect knot. The amount of scritch (scritchyness?) is exactly what I want.

I think it's time I considered another.  Now, hmmm, another Thater, or should I try a Semogue?

I'm also considering a horse hair brush.  Never tried one.

I use the Semogue limited edition from this past year and love it. However, with that said I revisited my Thater Boar and wowie zowie it's been better than I remember it. I don't often shave every day and give my face a break but, with the Thater I just want to use it. 

There are so many boar brushes on the market with different characteristics. 

I do have a couple synthetic brushes I use primarily for travel because they dry so fast. I'm not too big on using them for daily brushes though and prefer the boar.

I like using a large boar brush for bowl lathering. They seem to really whip up a nice lather in to time. Fun to use.

I love when folks post about boar brushes! I have a SOC with ivory handle and the Semogue LE. They are both wonderful, and I am inspired to use one of them on my next shave!

Thanks!

Vr

Matt

I'm hoping that  you'll be delighted.

Although my badgers greatly outnumber my boars, the boars have a permanent place in my brush rotation. They do have a character of their own, but so do badgers. On the other hand, I find synthetics quite soulless and plastic, which they are, of course. I use a synthetic brush only when I travel, because it dries quickly and is relatively inexpensive; I can’t see a synthetic making it into my regular brush rotation.

(05-27-2019, 05:49 PM)Garb Wrote: I'm hoping that  you'll be delighted.

Yes...thanks! The shave this morning was absolutely delightful with BBBS results!

Tools:

Brush: 2018 Semogue LE Boar

Soap: Ralp Lauren Safari

Shave Mug: Ralph Lauren Safari

Razor: Feather AS-D2

Razor Blade: Made in England Wilkinson from 1982
on its second use. The first shave it was sharp and very smooth. The second shave it felt equally sharp and much smoother. I couldn’t help but think, “YES!! Here we go again! Another metallic miracle!”

Aftershave: Ralph Lauren Safari

Edt: Ralph Lauren Safari

Have a great week!

Vr

Matt