Omega 81230 boar brush

I have this broken in brush that has turned quite soft for my taste, a bit floppy. I have a semogue 1800 that i really like, feels soft and has great backbone.

Are all omega brushes similar? The description on most vendor sites says it is similar to a 48. I understand that a semogue 1305 is softer than the 1800, is it similarly soft to the omega(s). I also have a VDH Luxury Boar that feels quite good with nice backbone, but it is poorly made, there is a bunch of extra glue at the bottom of the knot and have caused some bristles to snap off.

Is there a omega brush equivalent to the 1800?

This belongs to the same grouping as the 1006X, 8026X variants, at 24/55mm.

The 49 is a much bigger brush. The 48 is slightly bigger than the 49.

This is my 49 alongside the 10065


Don't have the 1800 but my omega 10065 has slightly better backbone than my semogue 830.

To have better backbone during a shave:
a. don't soak for more than a minute
b. cover only half the bristle with water during the soak

merkur59 said:

This belongs to the same grouping as the 1006X, 8026X variants, at 24/55mm.

The 49 is a much bigger brush. The 48 is slightly bigger than the 49.

This is my 49 alongside the 10065


Don't have the 1800 but my omega 10065 has slightly better backbone than my semogue 830.

To have better backbone during a shave:
a. don't soak for more than a minute
b. cover only half the bristle with water during the soak

Click to expand...

Thanks, i have tried both A and B but half way during the application for the first pass the knot softens and splays all the way (face lathering). If i try bowl lathering it will already be soft before application. How is the 49 backbone compared to the 10065?

49's backbone is only slightly better but if it is soaked for too long, it will splay too (for me, by the third pass - face lathering).
The one omega brush I have that will not splay much is the cheap plastic handle 10077. It is too stiff for me but this could be the brush you are looking for.

psst: the one semogue brush that I have which will not splay all the way is the mistura (but then you are looking for a boar brush , and you can't get the mistura anymore unless a member posts one on BST).

I have the same omega you have, and agree that once broken in it is quite floppy. I recently bought a Semogue 1438 and after 3 shaves I'm happy with it, except for the wet dog smell that will eventually go away.

Interesting...
Here is an old thread on the comparision between the 1438 and 620 (both semogue) and with great backbone reputation.
And pic from the first post:

Not in terms of 'grading' of hair. Omega has plain blond or dyed boar (plus synthetic and mixed too)...

But the semogues tend to "splay" more even when dry.

Here are some of mine (old pics, the 49 was new then):




side by side against Semogue 830 (notice the splay)

Omega's Boar brushes may not look fancy as some other over-blooming brushes but are very trusted
Can go wrong with them.

Semogue 1250, Omega 11137, Semogue 1305. Found this photo doing a Bing search. Looks like a photo Soren might have taken.

Omega's 11137 is similar to Semogue's 1800. I've owned an 1800 and I have a 11137 on the way. The 1250 and 1305 are the same size as the 1800.

Since my brush was just too floppy i decided to try to add some backbone. I wet the brush, parted the humid knot to expose as close as possible to the base and then applied a small amount of gorilla glue (small amount because it expands), then closed the not and tied with a rubberband. Once it expanded and cured i parted the knot again now around the piece glued at the center ( you will be able to feel it and see it) and carefully with a toothpick added more glue around the circumference (to expand the new glue bulb). I have to say it worked perfectly, now i have another great face lathering brush with very soft tips.

Nice. I haven't seen many solutions like yours. Congrats on modding the brush. I think a lot of people out there could try this, as so many brushes lack backbone for facelathering.

If it splays, my solution is to hold it just above the base of the knot, resting the bottom of the handle in the heel of my hand.