I have been wanting to try a SOC for a while now. Ever since I started wet shaving three and some years ago. I wanted a SOC boar, but Semogue boar experiences with 1305 (too floppy and not dense enough), 1470 (actually a great brush, but took too long to break in and ate lather instead of giving it to me, but once broken in was a fantastic brush) and 1800 (actually an amazingly good brush) were mixed bag for me, so I abstained from SOC boar. I love the SOC handle and have a SOC 2012 SE (a mixed hair in resin handle), which is one of my very favorite brushes. Still I never tried a wooden handled SOC. I especially didn't think a two band brush could impress me because I make my own two band brushes that are pretty amazing. However, the other day I came across a SOC two band on BST at a price that I could not pass up. So I bought it and tried it yesterday. WOW! Why is this brush not more popular?! It is really amazing. It is not super dense, has a higher loft/knot (52/24) ratio than I would expect to be adequate for my tastes, but the feel and performance of this brush are amazing! It is on a soft side for sure, but not floppy. The less dense knot affords excellent flow of lather, there is no scritch whatsoever (I read a lot about the scritch in these, but my copy has none), the handle is, well, a SOC handle, which is an inspiration to me as a brush maker. All in all this is a fantastic two band brush which is all business and none of the fanfare of density and other attributes that fetch ridiculous prices. I mean is there a two band Simpson out there for anywhere near the price of a SOC two band? I doubt it. This brush sells for under $70 shipped! I have to tip my hat to Semogue for creating such value in a badger shaving brush. I am only wondering why this brush is not more popular. Any ideas?
Here is my SOTD from yesterday:
Here is my SOTD from yesterday: