Like an Omega 48 but with a nicer handle

[shave/brush]

how about the Omega Italian Flag 21762 brush?

High quality brush.

 

[Volare]

The Mondial Antica Barberia is very much available, and easy to find and obtain. Here's the link. You'll see that it has 26mm knot and a 60mm loft (vendor's measurements). I have one in transit. The reviews are good.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Thanks for sharing Jim. I am aware of Executive Grooming, who are based in my neck of the woods. They are obviously very tightly entrenched with PAB (aka Mondial), which I must say is interesting and very unique. Agreed, the brush is definitely available and easy enough to find if you don't mind having it shipped out of Italy or Australia (I thought Australia might have been the only option until I managed to find the brush on the manufacturer's web-site - hence, what I meant by it not being widely distributed). There might be a few other niche suppliers of which I am currently not aware.

The vendor might be right regarding the dimensions of the knot, but I've noticed that they can be a little contradictory on dimensions for various models that they do sell, which makes you question their accuracy. It would be great if you can confirm the dimensions of the knot once you have received it.

 

[Yyragtoj]

This is what my Omega 48 looks like now (on the left). The brush on the right was my practice run using the knot from an Omega 97. The wood is ash, scrounged from old croquet mallets and turned on a lathe. The knots aren't glued in yet.

View attachment 870310

Great looking brushes!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Thanks for sharing Jim. I am aware of Executive Grooming, who are based in my neck of the woods. They are obviously very tightly entrenched with PAB (aka Mondial), which I must say is interesting and very unique. Agreed, the brush is definitely available and easy enough to find if you don't mind having it shipped out of Italy or Australia (I thought Australia might have been the only option until I managed to find the brush on the manufacturer's web-site - hence, what I meant by it not being widely distributed). There might be a few other niche suppliers of which I am currently not aware.

The vendor might be right regarding the dimensions of the knot, but I've noticed that they can be a little contradictory on dimensions for various models that they do sell, which makes you question their accuracy. It would be great if you can confirm the dimensions of the knot once you have received it.

Yes, I will measure it, and post what I find.

You're right about vendor measurements. They're all over the place. One brush I measured recently was interesting in that none of the vendor's measurements were even particularly close. Even the handle measurements were apparently just guesses.

Cool that you found the brush on the manufacturer's site. I was unable to find it there. If I'm recalling correctly all I found there were badgers. Even with your post to guide me, it took me a minute or two to find out how to navigate to the information you'd found.

I also just noticed they make the aluminum in brushed and polished. I ordered the brushed (and am glad I did).

I think this "ivory" brush might be nice, and perhaps appropriate for the OP, although I don't know much about the handle. Is it cheap plastic or what? Here's the link to the eBay vendor.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Saltchuck]

Y

View attachment 870394

I think this "ivory" brush might be nice, and perhaps appropriate for the OP, although I don't know much about the handle. Is it cheap plastic or what? Here's the link to the eBay vendor.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Thanks Jim. Indeed it does look like what I'm looking for. Now I have a Mondial and a Zenith inbound! The faux ivory handle on my Omega 66 is pretty decent, so I'll take a chance on the Mondial's faux ivory handle.

I buffed and waxed the new wooden handle on my Omega 48 and glued in the knot, so now I should be set for a while. Famous last words!

Chuck

 

[Saltchuck]

Very clever. I like this a lot. The brush on the left has wood like some of the Zenith brushes in olive wood with a beautiful grain.

Thanks Jim.

Chuck

 

[Saltchuck]

Great looking brushes!

Thank you @Yyragtoj.

 

[Volare]

This is what my Omega 48 looks like now (on the left). The brush on the right was my practice run using the knot from an Omega 97. The wood is ash, scrounged from old croquet mallets and turned on a lathe. The knots aren't glued in yet.

Nice work @Saltchuck. The Omega 48 in that wooden handle looks fantastic !!

 

[Volare]

Yes, I will measure it, and post what I find.

Thank You Jim Looking forward to reading about your thoughts on this brush as well.

I think this "ivory" brush might be nice, and perhaps appropriate for the OP, although I don't know much about the handle. Is it cheap plastic or what? Here's the link to the eBay vendor.

I'd be guessing it's plastic (I might be wrong). Considering the price point, I would strongly assume that it's a plastic handle. If it was resin, you would think it would cost more than the Antica Barberia boar with the Aluminium handle. Still a good looking brush and should perform just as well.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I really like the way my Omega 48 boar brush works. Great lather, great feel on my face. But I'm not a fan of its chrome-plated plastic handle. I'm looking for recommendations for a boar brush with similar performance but with a handle that looks and feels better in the hand.

Would exact same performance be even better?

This is what my Omega 48 looks like now (on the left). The brush on the right was my practice run using the knot from an Omega 97. The wood is ash, scrounged from old croquet mallets and turned on a lathe. The knots aren't glued in yet.

Even the practice brush looks great.

Another suggestion was that I have my 48's knot put into a custom handle. Actually, I have made wooden brush handles on my lathe before, but only for knots purchased separately (from The Golden Nib). I have never taken a knot from an existing handle and put it in a new handle. Guess I should poke around the forum for a tutorial on how to do that without damaging the knot. Then maybe I'll practice on a lesser brush.

Did you find a particularly valuable tutorial?

Chuck, the more I think about it the more I like what you've done here. Of course having a lathe and having had some prior experience making handles made your solution much easier, but you seem to have done a great job of it.

What Zenith brush did you order?

One of the 27mm knot, 57mm loft Zenith brushes, I think the very cheapest, comes with a colored plastic handle. The eBay vendor says it makes an excellent donor for nicer handles. Had I a lathe and your skills that might be a project I'd be interested in.

You may now have the best looking "Omega 48" I've ever seen. Besides, it is both brand new and already broken in!

I will be interested in how you like the Mondial brush you ordered, too. Especially its handle. My aluminum Mondial is still in transit and not due to arrive for several more days.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Saltchuck]

Nice work @Saltchuck. The Omega 48 in that wooden handle looks fantastic !!

Thank you for the kind words @Volare!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[oscar11]

Not like an Omega but a relofted Semogue SOC.

 

[Saltchuck]

Would exact same performance be even better?

I used the re-handled Omega 48 this morning. Nice!

Even the practice brush looks great.

Thanks, Jim. Looks even better now that it is polished and waxed.

Which brings up another point. Commercially made wooden handles tend to have the wood sealed really well in some sort of plastic finish. The wooden handles I've made haven't held up as well in water. I have started soaking only the bristles (in a mug of water) rather than tossing the whole brush in a sink full of water. I'm hoping that the finish holds up better that way.

Did you find a particularly valuable tutorial?

Not really. Most of the tutorials are about keeping the handle and replacing the knot. What I did was the reverse. The key for me was the comment from @oscar11 about how to remove the knot by drilling a hole in the bottom and knocking the knot out with a dowel. (I actually used a bolt.) I had read that before and tried it on a couple of brushes, but it didn't work cleanly for me. I had to break those handles up. @oscar11 assured me that it would work on an Omega 48, and it did.

Chuck, the more I think about it the more I like what you've done here. Of course having a lathe and having had some prior experience making handles made your solution much easier, but you seem to have done a great job of it.]

Thank you again. Yes, having the equipment, tools, and prior experience was a huge advantage!

What Zenith brush did you order?

One of the 27mm knot, 57mm loft Zenith brushes, I think the very cheapest, comes with a colored plastic handle. The eBay vendor says it makes an excellent donor for nicer handles. Had I a lathe and your skills that might be a project I'd be interested in.

I ordered a Euro B07, and that was indeed my thinking.

You may now have the best looking "Omega 48" I've ever seen. Besides, it is both brand new and already broken in!

As a matter of fact I didn't like my Omega 48 very much when I first got it, but now that it is broken in I like it a lot.

I will be interested in how you like the Mondial brush you ordered, too. Especially its handle. My aluminum Mondial is still in transit and not due to arrive for several more days.

Happy shaves,

Jim

Same to you!

Chuck

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

What about something like polyurethane? I doubt you could easily add it to a brush with the knot already in but I would expect an oil based polyurethane might be fine on a handle before the knot is glued in.

I expect you've already thought of things such as this. I know you know about such matters, and I'm not claiming to know much, but just asking.

Thanks, Chuck, for all the information and answers to my questions.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[deoxy4]

I am a little late to the party but isn't this the Omega 48 knot and probably the Mondial knot?

Boar hair knot 27mm - Boar Knots - Badger Hair Knots - Wet Shaving

Pick any 1 1/4" holed handle you want and epoxy the knot.

 

[Saltchuck]

I am a little late to the party but isn't this the Omega 48 knot and probably the Mondial knot?

Boar hair knot 27mm - Boar Knots - Badger Hair Knots - Wet Shaving

Pick any 1 1/4" holed handle you want and epoxy the knot.

Good question @deoxy4. I hadn't noticed that knot on TGN before. I have a Mondial (and a Zenith) on order and will compare the knots on those two with the knot of the Omega 48 when I have them all in hand. At first glance, this one looks similar to the knot of the 48 except for the color of the collar at the base of the knot.

 

[deoxy4]

Good question @deoxy4. I hadn't noticed that knot on TGN before. I have a Mondial (and a Zenith) on order and will compare the knots on those two with the knot of the Omega 48 when I have them all in hand. At first glance, this one looks similar to the knot of the 48 except for the color of the collar at the base of the knot.

Have you checked out the blonde boar 26x64 brushes that Italian Barber sells under their Razorock label. They have a black plastic label that doesn't appear cheap from the reviews. For $8 looks like a good value. They have one with a cherry handle and one with an olive wood handle both priced at $20. These look like the Omega Professional boar knot.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

It is fun to search Google for a couple of different things.

1. European manufacturers of boar shave brush knots.
2. Chinese manufacturers of boar shave brush knots.

Digging into this information for a few Google pages is instructive, but good luck on answering all of your questions. Some of the manufacturers of brushes also have published information allowing you to ask questions of them. Definitive information is as easy to find as the universally suitable and perfect brush for all gentlemen.

I have a Mondial boar brush unopened at my office + a couple or so Zenith boar boars + several Omega boars of various qualities + the Semogue SOC + the Stirling boar + the Thater boar. I don't know much about them except from my use and examination of the various brushes, but the knots certainly do not seem all that much the same to me if at all. The Mondial awaits my inspection probably on Monday.

It is pretty clear that there are a number of knot manufacturing factories in China. Boars. Badgers of all types. Synthetics.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Have you checked out the blonde boar 26x64 brushes that Italian Barber sells under their Razorock label. They have a black plastic label that doesn't appear cheap from the reviews. For $8 looks like a good value. They have one with a cherry handle and one with an olive wood handle both priced at $20. These look like the Omega Professional boar knot.

Zenith.

 

[Jens]

I would recommend the following two, each of which are similar to the 48, but with better handles (both are among my favourite brushes):
- Omega 10098, https://www.omegabrush.com/product-detail/10098-2/?lang=en
- Omega 20102, 20102 Omega Pure bristle shaving brush - metal ring - Professional - Omega Brush