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Semogue Model Numbers

When people mention the Semogue boar brush they have, they mention the model number. Seems to be a LOT of models. Is there any real difference. As far as I know, there's no pure, best, and silvertip boar.
 
But there's grades of boar hair - at least in Semogues brushes. There are 3 or 4 that are the same knot in plain wood or painted handle options, but most of the rest are different grades and lofts.
 
My observation (and partially the info from Bruno at VintageScent) is that the hair is, in order of fineness and softness:

Special
Premium/Super
Best
Extra

The Special grade always strikes me as supremely soft, but requiring a dense fill in order to maintain backbone. It's the luxury boar. Premium stands up a bit more on its own, as does Super, but both lack the extra softness that Special has. Still very soft, and probably a more versatile hair grade. The Best hair grade actually reminds me a lot of Simpsons Best; not in the way it feels, but in that - as Ian would say - it punches above its weight. Good backbone, and once broken in, perfectly adequate softness. The biggest difference is between Best and Extra, I think - it's SUPER scrubby, a spiritual successor to that infamous Boreal 976. Some may say it never really breaks in.

As to "model numbers", those don't mean a lot to me - that is, there's no real rhyme or reason that's easy to work out. However, the hair grades do have a significance. Mind the knot dimensions and hair grades in making a selection, and also, read the reviews. You'd be tempted to think the 1305 and 830 were the same knot in different handles, but it's simple not true. The 830 is denser and fans out more.

HTH, and don't ever be afraid to ask. Good thing about boar is that they're cheap enough for one to keep a full arsenal to use and compare. :thumbup:
 
I agree with everything JPDyson has said. I would add to study the differences in the discriptions on Vintage Scents site. With some, the difference is a painted handle vs a wood or acrylic handle. For example, I personally find the 1305 with a painted handle and etched hair that resembles badger to be similar to a 1250 that has natural boar hair, same size, 90% tops and a Beech wood handle to be the same. They're all great brushes, it just comes down to your preferences.
 
I don't really notice a major softness difference in the grades. I think the higher grades start out softer, but that's the first thing breaking in effects.

I found the % tops has MUCH more impact on how a brush feels. For example, the 620 (75% tops) was the least comfortable semogue I used. Both the 1470 and Custom 2010 were much better feeling. Now maybe that's because the 1470 was less dense and the custom was a better grade of hair... but I'm convinced it was the % tops.

In the end, my 1470 (Cheapest Semogue Leon Carries, Best 90%) feels just as soft as my 830 did (Premium 90%) or my Custom 2010LE (Special grade). The only way those brushes beat it is size, density, and costlier handles.
 
I guess to boil the whole process down, the only brushes I'd caution you about are those in Extra - be prepared for The Exfoliator II. The rest, like Ian said, break in nice and soft. I still contend that the Best is a stiffer (individual) hair than Premium, and Premium more so than Special, but this is boar - it's all stiffer than Badger.
 
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