Breaking in a Semogue Owners Club

How long does it take? I've shaved for about 1.5 week with it and I'm not feeling much progress. My Omega 49 felt softer and like it had made more progress in the same time period. Just curious if anyone has had experience with breaking in a SOC and can share their experience.

Thanks!

I've been using my SOC daily for about three weeks and it's starting to break in nicely. Probably 75% of the bristles are split, and it's definitely softer than when I started! I think another week or two and it'll be right where I like it. So far, with one exception, I've been bowl lathering. I tried using it for face lathering today, and wasn't crazy about it, but it might have been operator error!

merchantbanker said:

How long does it take? I've shaved for about 1.5 week with it and I'm not feeling much progress. My Omega 49 felt softer and like it had made more progress in the same time period. Just curious if anyone has had experience with breaking in a SOC and can share their experience.

Thanks!

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I can't comment on the SOC, but I have a 2009LE which was the brush the SOC was made after.
The SOC has same grade of hair (uncoloured), it's a little less dense and it has another type of wood for the handle.

My LE took a long time to break in, I had almost given up on it, but others said it would eventually break in and it would be worth the wait.
So I kept at it, and they where right - I have finally gotten to understand the brush, and the tips are just a delightful forest of softness - a lather hog though.

No other boar brush has taken so long to break in, my Omegas where great after about a week, my other Semogues took a bit longer than the Omegas, but not nearly as long time as the LE.

So if you just have patience and keep using it, I'm sure you'll get a really great brush out of it.

shm said:

I can't comment on the SOC, but I have a 2009LE which was the brush the SOC was made after.
The SOC has same grade of hair (uncoloured), it's a little less dense and it has another type of wood for the handle.

My LE took a long time to break in, I had almost given up on it, but others said it would eventually break in and it would be worth the wait.
So I kept at it, and they where right - I have finally gotten to understand the brush, and the tips are just a delightful forest of softness - a lather hog though.

No other boar brush has taken so long to break in, my Omegas where great after about a week, my other Semogues took a bit longer than the Omegas, but not nearly as long time as the LE.

So if you just have patience and keep using it, I'm sure you'll get a really great brush out of it.

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Thanks for note of encouragement on this one. It's a stunning brush and I know it has potential. I'm just waiting for this brush to start acting on its promise. I face lather, so this brush has been a little rough for me. Not bad, just rough. Well, 1 month and counting till SOC break in...

Semogues do take a long time to break in, my 620 was almost 6 months & my 830 wasn't far behind that.

Deffinatley worth the wait but you have to stick with them, I've no experience with the SOC but I'll bet it will be a few months at least.

You will know when it's broken in by the sudden explosion of lather. Don't give up, it IS worth the effort/wait.

I used a lather and dry cycle, even hanging the brush from under a ceiling air vent at times to make sure it would dry. I lathered it between drying whether I shaved with it or not.

MWF did not work very well to break it in. ARKO worked much better for me.

It is worth it. Enjoy!

I'm going into my third week with a 1305 ... despite all the test-lathering I did when I first got it, nothing seems to help break it in as well as actually using it to shave with. I guess the action of whiskers v. bristles helps to soften them up.

I've found that a Lanolin based product (like Musgo Real, Lavanda or MWF) is good to soften it up, I've been using that to test-lather and usually let it sit several hours or overnight. Some days, I might rinse and repeat the test-lathering 2 or 3 times.

Last night, I let the bristle tips soak overnight in some water water, without any soap or cream. Its going to dry out during the day while I'm at work, and I'll probably shave with it tonight when I get home.

As I said, I'm about three weeks in to the break-in period ... making progress, but it is going a lot slower than I had thought. I hope the wait will be worth it.

I firmly believe that drying the brush is critical to break-in. Lather the brush every other day for two weeks, only once per day, and prepare to be shocked.

Barring, perhaps, the 620. I doubt there's a force wieldable by human hands what can expedite the break-in of that brush.

My SoC was one of my longer breakins, but MUCH shorter than my 620 and 2010LE. I'd say 20-30 lather/dry's and it was looking pretty much done. When I get a new boar I just keep it on my sink and every time I shave I bowl or palm lather with the boar and wash everything down the drain, dry it out and put it away before doing my actual shaving.

I traded for my SOC. It was nicely broken in when i got it.

I've used my SOC about 30 times, allowing at least a day between uses to give it enough time to dry. It's just about there. Have patience and you will be rewarded. I haven't met a Semogue I didn't like after I've given it's time to break in.

IrkMe said:

Semogues do take a long time to break in, my 620 was almost 6 months & my 830 wasn't far behind that. Deffinatley worth the wait but you have to stick with them, I've no experience with the SOC but I'll bet it will be a few months at least.

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That isn't my experience. I think the suggestion that any boar takes months to break in, is going to be off putting for some. And it depends how you're defining breaking in. There's break in, and there's also incremental improvement over time.

I've had the 830 for a couple of weeks now and its produced quality, plentiful lather from day 3. That's my definition of breaking in - where the brush does its job as intended, with consistency. The tips are still splitting, but it's a soft brush right through to the knot to begin with, so no issues there. I found the same with the 1460.

My 620 works great, but I've had it months and I can't see one split hair. My 1305 took 3-4 weeks to work consistently.

The SOC took a month. It was quite difficult to get good consistent lather for 2-3 weeks, then it started to get better. This is with tips starting to split from the first few shaves. I sold this one as it got too soft and fat for me.

I've corresponded with posters on another forum, where they had longer and/or more frustrating experiences with the 1460 and 830 - the opposite to my experience. I put this down to two things in their case. No/little familiarity with boars, or being brand new to DE shaving and making lather. I started boar use with the SOC and 1305. Not only do these both take longer to become consistent workers, they were my first boars. Since then, I've barely experienced what others would call break in with subsequent Semogues. I think that's because I've got the hang of working with them during break in, and can make small adjustments to get good results, regardless of the brushes capacity for water retention.

So I think a degree of break in is also required of the user.

JPDyson said:

I firmly believe that drying the brush is critical to break-in. Lather the brush every other day for two weeks, only once per day, and prepare to be shocked.

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I'm going to try this ... thanks for the idea.

I use my SOC every two to three days. While I had good results with it after about a month of break in, it took a good two months to break in fully.

ironbrewer said:

I traded for my SOC. It was nicely broken in when i got it.

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Worked for me(bought mine on the BST). I also have a Semogue 2000 which definitely took a month to break in(we, more like 2-3 since it was/is in a rotation), but it works over Tabac,MWF, and any other soap like nobody's business-except for the SOC which appears to be the new champ lately.


marty

Drubbing.

While I agree with getting a consistant lather from a new boar can take a short time for me that is not breaking it in.

My 620 was a prickly & frankly unpleasant brush that if not for feedback from other owners on here about the time it was likely to take to soften it would have went in the bin. I can't comment further on my 830 as it was stolen by my father (who loves it) but I knew that it also would get better by giving it time and it certainly did.

While I may be a relative newbie to boars my Omega's where to my standard "broken" in a fraction of the time my Semogue's did. I don't think that providing that information should put anyone off from owning any boar, forewarned is forearmed & may save a good brush from taking the bin trip.

I am surprised though that your 620 has not split it tips yet, I was playing around with my wifes new camera this morning so I grabbed a few pics of my 620.




There's some monster hairs in there that will never split but the difference from new is night & day.

A degree of break in is also required of the user is a valid point though, but just like a new razor/blade or soap that should be a over in 4-5 shaves.

As allways though, YMMV

Good things come to those who wait. Staying patient through the break-in is just what we have to put up with for the boar experience.

Do long shaving sessions help with breaking in? I am a head shaver and apply leather to more square than obvious face. Also I don't know how to detect that my brush already broken in.

Semogue 2000, took me about a month but I love the brush now. I grab it on days I don't shave and pass my fingers through it to admire its softness. yea took time but its worth the wait.

Patience is a virtue with this brush...mine took the better part of a month. But when its broken in, you'll be in for a treat!