Just got my Semogue SOC boar with the cherry handle and I like it! I pulled it out of the package and gave it a sniff, nothing, no stink whatsoever. So I gave it a soak and proceeded to use it and it seems to work great right out of the box. I have read a lot of stories about how it can take a little longer to break in a SOC over some other boar brushes but I can't find any fault with how it is working on its first use. It's firm but in a good way, lathers fine and feels very comfortable on the face. Am I crazy or has anyone else found their SOC completely usable and comfortable when it was brand new?
New SOC - am I crazy?
- Thread starter sgemmett
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Mine had a slight odour out of the box but it worked just fine from the off. It's now fully broken in and has bloomed out nicely with the ends well and truly split. Lost a little of its backbone in the process but it's still a fabulous brush for hard soaps and the like.
No, you're not crazy, but the brush will change through use. The bristle tips will split and the brush will feel softer. Most people think this change is for the better. If you let the brush completely dry between uses, the consensus is this will speed up the break in period. I put mine on a window sill that receives the afternoon sun to reduce the drying time, this worked very well for me.
Glad you got a good one. Mine didn't have the initial softness right out of the box like yours, but after a couple of weeks, it got there. I've had it about a month now, and it's still breaking in nicely. Great brush, no doubt. Oh, and mine didn't have any odor at all out of the box either. Enjoy!
My SOC was "broken in" after a few uses. Every Semogue I've had but one was about as good as they got within a few shaves.
I have found the SOC really likes a good soaking. I shave first thing in the morning and usually only soak for a minute or so and they can be a bit scratchy. I let it soak for about 10 minutes last week and the thing was amazingly pliable. Give it a shot.
I have found the SOC really likes a good soaking. I shave first thing in the morning and usually only soak for a minute or so and they can be a bit scratchy. I let it soak for about 10 minutes last week and the thing was amazingly pliable. Give it a shot.
I bought mine practically broken in, but it is a great bowl latherer and a equally good as a facelatherer 
Mine was fine out of the box but improved some after usage. This is one nice brush. Enjoy it.
I've never heard of a bad SOC. Enjoy yours!
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All my other boars were purchased used so they were all at least somewhat broken in and cleaned of any original odors. Since this was my first new to me brush I had anticipated some of the new brush smell and really expected a more noticeable need to break it in. Pleasantly surprised on both subjects. Maybe it is a myth that pigs stink? Perhaps Kari Byron could take this one on, heard she has free time lately.
Nah my omega 49 stunk so bad. Still does after over a year.
I enjoyed mine from the get-go, and the funk was pretty minimal. But it's definitely not the same brush (in a good way) after almost 50 uses. Enjoy the journey!
Same experience as the OP with my SOC. Great brush.
I have four Semogues, and all worked fine out of the box, no funk, no shedding. They do get a bit better with use.
I'm on my second SOC,(first was destroyed by a dog), The first had almost no smell and just got better with each use. My new one is only about two weeks old and still breaking in, but that's going pretty quick, starting to bloom nicely already. This brush has no smell, go figure. The boar must have bathed regularly. The SOC is a great brush and I really love it, just gets better and better.
Just makes more lather with less effort as it breaks in.
OT: What brush is in ur avatar ? Gorgeous.
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