Boar VS Badger shaving brush

Doc Mottern said:

Im sorry man i meant no offence

Im a badger man an I have tried boar (never again)

But reading the stuff on here we should do a badger vs. badger comparison

Click to expand...

Got ya covered boss - check this out!

There is a wealth of information in some of the older posts. In fact, if you go to the tutorial/pictoral forum, and go to the last page, and work your way to the first, you'll find a TON of really neat picture ladden posts!

dude ur my hero!!

i actualy went an got the 5 bux boar bush at wall mart cuz of this blog

ya know its not that bad for soap (for cream it would be bad) but it wont last a month

gonna get the omega at target and going in for the EJ Best Badger my badger is getting old anyway

its a 3 yr old AoS and i beat the hell out of it (its been to 3 diffrent countries)

htownmmm said:

No need to deal with the odor:

soak overnight in a sink of water with a hair conditoner added.

Remove in the morning and let dry.

Use and enjoy!


Marty

Click to expand...

I thought of that myself, did it before I can to this post and still took several days to get the stink out. But I'm very glad it worked for you Marty. IMO it doesn't work in a single night, but it is the best way to defunk a boar.

TimmyBoston said:

the best way to defunk a boar.

Click to expand...

That's a cute little expression, isn't it.

My first brush was an omega boar and since then, I have bought an EJ Best Badger as well. Of course the badger out-performs the boar, but I have a new found respect for the boar. I believe it was TimmyBoston who posted about using a brush to wash his face and after reading that I decided to give it a try myself. Up to that point, I had never thought about lathering directly on my face, but after doing so for the purpose of washing it, I discovered that the boar brush with proraso soap, did a great job! I haven't tried this with other creams for obvious reasons, but now when I use my proraso soap, I'll probably be reaching for the piggy. Thanks TimmyB!

Among my 7 brushes is a Burma Shave i have had for ten years.
The knot is as soft as a womens makeup brush .
Works a treat.I love it.
I also have badger
badger/horse
horse
more boar.
Nuff said

Semogue SOC/Palmolive

I started with the cheapest of the Omega boars and have now started using a cheap Escali Badger for the last month.
Personally I find, that, after breaking in, the boar is no less soft but still stiff enough to precisely lather up the face without getting into the nostrils as the Escali does due to the soft bristles flaring on being loaded. I found a work around for this.
I use a plastic tie (used for tying cables / wires together) to tie the bristles together at the base, near the handle. (A rubber band would do too).
This reduces the bristle length and makes the brush less floppy making it good for fast precise lathering.
The Omega boar loads up from a round of soap much faster.
See pictures. My boar and badger in the sun together. The badger with the tie attached near the handle. Notice the limited flaring when loaded.
Personally I prefer the Omega boar to the Escali badger. Softer and less scritchy. YMMV.

I feel you. But it is a matter of personal preference. I started shaving with boar back in 1980 and with badger about 10 years later. So I have vast experience with both. The boar gets more face time than the badger. Although the latter is more luxurious, the former is harder and I really like the good face massage I am getting from it while I shave prep. It just feels sturdy, hard, manly. It sings to me nicer than the badger.
But then I am the type of guy who loves a strong peat taste in his scotch, who fills his pipe with Lattakia instead of aromatic and who smokes a Maduro before a Connecticut. Just my 2-cents.

Maitre

This thread has been around for almost ten years because it's the definitive source on the subject. Excellent text and pics!

I find a pleasure using my omega 11137 boar on face lathering ! Way better than my soc 2 band or my duke 2 in best or my ej in supper ! Just sayin ! First post !just had to share my thoughts ! Hope I'm not rude to badger lovers !!!

"WOW" You nailed it. Just buy both and you have the best of both worlds.

Apparently you've never tried a Semogue 1305. I've got several Badger hair brushes and this is BY FAR my favorite. I've not lost a single hair since I got it, and I use Proraso in the tub as well, and it's MUCH better with the so called harder soaps. Try comparing oranges to oranges next time.Handmade for $20! Enough said.

I personally miss reading Joel's threads, especially with all his great pics.

khlogan2002 said:

Apparently you've never tried a Semogue 1305. I've got several Badger hair brushes and this is BY FAR my favorite. I've not lost a single hair since I got it, and I use Proraso in the tub as well, and it's MUCH better with the so called harder soaps. Try comparing oranges to oranges next time.Handmade for $20! Enough said.

Click to expand...

I don't think Semogues were even available in the states when he made this thread.

I have an old Van Der Hagen boar brush, and, based on your photos and descriptions, my VDH (green plastic handle) appears to be of a noticeably higher quality than that Burma Shave, so thanks for your efforts.
That Burma Shave brush is a good example of using (misusing) a known brand or vibe and using it to sell... I mean... get us to throw our money away. Had real good results using the VDH boar w/ Cremo, and it has survived some abuse. BTW, the VDH sells for only a few bucks more.

This is a very entertaining read, even though its a decade old. I started out with an Escali badger, then got a couple of more expensive badgers, ending on a Simpson Duke 3. Then I bought a couple of boars, including a Semogue 1305, Omega 49 and a B&B LE. Then i moved on to getting a few synthetics. My point is, that even though the OP is comparing a $5 boar to a $130 badger, the comparison is still pretty valid. And you dont have to pay too much more than the quoted "$5" to get a much better boar. The three boars I have were all under $20, and they are all quite excellent brushes. They will never be as soft and as supple as great badger. But I for one really enjoy the face feel of a boar every once in a while. These days I grab a synthetic more than anything else. I would say 8 out of every 10 shaves is with a synth. But for those other two out of ten shaves, one will be a boar, and one will be a badger. There is something great about all three. Thanks for reviving this post. I enjoyed it.

Actually I found the OP extraordinarily misleading and I shutter to think of how many guys were duped by this post over the years. Comparing a $5 Burma shave brush to a $100 Vulfix? So all boar brushes stink, shed, feel scratchy, and only last three months? Gimme a break. I had a Perfecto pure badger that shed a half dozen hairs every shave, felt like a fistful of needles on my skin, and was floppier than a wet mop. I guess I should conclude that all badger brushes are floppy, prickly, and shed worse than a shaggy dog. By contrast, my first Omega boar, is soft, has great backbone, and rarely sheds a hair. My Semogue boar is even better. Oh yeah, neither brush smells bad. They just smell like the last soap I lathered with them. Anyway, I realize that Semogue brushes weren't readily available in the U.S. in 2005 and it could be that Omegas were hard to get too. But I hope anyone reading this now has the good sense to realize that well-made boars are great brushes.

tankerjohn said:

Actually I found the OP extraordinarily misleading and I shutter to think of how many guys were duped by this post over the years. Comparing a $5 Burma shave brush to a $100 Vulfix? So all boar brushes stink, shed, feel scratchy, and only last three months? Gimme a break. I had a Perfecto pure badger that shed a half dozen hairs every shave, felt like a fistful of needles on my skin, and was floppier than a wet mop. I guess I should conclude that all badger brushes are floppy, prickly, and shed worse than a shaggy dog. By contrast, my first Omega boar, is soft, has great backbone, and rarely sheds a hair. My Semogue boar is even better. Oh yeah, neither brush smells bad. They just smell like the last soap I lathered with them. Anyway, I realize that Semogue brushes weren't readily available in the U.S. in 2005 and it could be that Omegas were hard to get too. But I hope anyone reading this now has the good sense to realize that well-made boars are great brushes.

Click to expand...

This! Well said brother.