Is the Semogue Owners Club Boar overrated?

musicman1951 said:

I actually find the opposite. I have a Kent BK8 with simply fabulous face feel, but it takes considerably more product than the SOC. I rotate two SOCs most days for over a year and have to admit that I can't remember how much product they used before the break in period concluded. I do remember it took a good 6-8 weeks to break in fully.

Of all my brushes the SOC is the best for the lather/product ratio.

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thanks for your input, very interesting. So you're saying, although you do not have recollection of the pre-break-in period, that lather/product ratio might actually get better after break-in. 6 to 8 weeks, I'll remember that, thanks !

did it lose bristle for a long time? I have been using mine for 2-3 weeks now and it's still losing 1 to 3 bristle per use

I have one I have used in rotation for several months. I like it a lot and am as happy with it as I am with my mid line badger brushes. Mine has only lost a couple of bristles in that time.

I'm really interested in getting the brush but I just hate the handles. Am I the only one?

haganah said:

I'm really interested in getting the brush but I just hate the handles. Am I the only one?

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Yes you are.

haganah said:

I'm really interested in getting the brush but I just hate the handles. Am I the only one?

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Haters gonna hate.

Is it the wood finish you're opposed to? It is thoroughly sealed and you don't have to worry about it getting stained or cracking. Don't let it soak in water, just as you would with any wooden handle, but getting it wet during the course of lathering won't hurt it.

Or is it the shape of the handle that bothers you? I find it to be one of the most comfortable and ergonomic of any of my brush handles. It offers a variety of different grips. I wouldn't mind if they scaled it down about 15~25% to the size of a 610/620, but the way it is, its still a better handle than anything else in my collection.

haganah said:

I'm really interested in getting the brush but I just hate the handles. Am I the only one?

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No, but you're certainly not among the majority. Get one and re-set the knot in a handle of your choice.

Both the finish and shape. I have the occitane plisson which is wood and I would love to be able to just let the brush sit in water, to not worry about wiping it dry constantly etc. The shape isn't as elegant IMO (which is simply an opinion not a fact) but that's secondary. Maybe I will get at some point though.

No it is not overrated.



It just needs to be broken in.

Buy a cheap cream and hand lather it between uses until it breaks in.

I thought it was the drying that breaks it in; do you even need to lather it up? Heck can you use hand soap or just get it wet, swirl in around your hand and then dry over and over?

Mine did well without a significant break in period, but I attribute my success to a LOT of product and water. She is big and thirsty!

I think my mindset is all screwed up. I got the SOC and was like "what a cute tiny little brush". (My other brushes are a parker silvertip I don't really use anymore (my first brush, only one for a long time), Simpsons chubby 3 super, and Omega pro 49. The parker isn't THAT much bigger, but the others are considerably bigger.)

My other problem is that I keep using my CH3 and not breaking in my boar brushes
I was disappointed with the quality of lather I got out of the SOC vs the omega 49 & CH3. But I've only lathered it twice so... (Omega 49 was disappointing until the 4th use or so, when it started picking up, but I've only lathered that brush maybe 8 times... I really gotta start using my boars more.)

Talking about shedding...

Did your SOC shed for a long time? I have mine since nearly 6 weeks, and use it every other day (which means approx. 20 uses) and it still loses 2-3 hairs each use...

Anything to worry about? Should I return it?

Thanks for your help !

My SOC lost a hair or two per shave for a while but did stop after a bit (maybe a couple months). Make sure you soak it for a few minutes before use if you're not and the shedding should go away but might want to see how long you have to return it. If you're getting close to the end of your window and not sure it's going to stop, I'd say send it back.

hydro-magic said:

My SOC lost a hair or two per shave for a while but did stop after a bit (maybe a couple months). Make sure you soak it for a few minutes before use if you're not and the shedding should go away but might want to see how long you have to return it. If you're getting close to the end of your window and not sure it's going to stop, I'd say send it back.

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+1

I've been using mine at least once or twice a week for a while, now, and I do not call it shedding more than a couple of hairs over that time. It's breaking in beautifully and rapidly is becoming one of my favorites.

I have noticed with my SOC that when it dries, the bristles are extremely coarse and stiff. Yes, the brush is clean (I rinse them very well after use). I absolutely do not flex or bend the bristles without first softening them by soaking in water for a minute or two. I believe in this coarse and stiff state that they will break if flexed. On average mine sheds about 1/2 bristle per use, or one bristle every two uses to be more practical.

I finally own one of these wonderful brushes, and I believe it might become my favorite brush for a number of reasons. Having just used it once as of the time of this post, it still made one of the best lathers I've seen from a brand new shaving brush and feels luxurious on the skin while providing enough backbone to let you know that it is doing a wonderful job of preparing you neck and gave for your shave. This is one brush I'll be keeping in constant use if all goes well. Mine is the SOC boar brush with the cherry handle. It is superb!

I've had mine almost two years and it's just a great big huge lather mop. Big brush needs big soap.

Penknight said:

I finally own one of these wonderful brushes, and I believe it might become my favorite brush for a number of reasons. Having just used it once as of the time of this post, it still made one of the best lathers I've seen from a brand new shaving brush and feels luxurious on the skin while providing enough backbone to let you know that it is doing a wonderful job of preparing you neck and gave for your shave. This is one brush I'll be keeping in constant use if all goes well. Mine is the SOC boar brush with the cherry handle. It is superb!

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+1. My SOC sidelined my 2013 BC LE Mistura.