Great questions. And the answers are actually quite simple. Try many different brushes & use them for numerous shaves so you start discovering what you like in a boar brush. What I like may be entirely different than what you like. And the great thing about that is we are both right! It's what each person enjoys, & that can be the opposite of what someone else likes. So don't be too quick to give up on your brushes. Break in the Omega Premium Jade & use it & use it. Get to know it, then try other brushes & get to know them. Try bleached & unbleached & decide for yourself which you prefer. I prefer unbleached for their backbone, but many prefer bleached. I have numerous unbleached & bleached in my rotation. But my top 3 boar brushes are unbleached. Another unbleached boar many like is the Proraso Pro, made by Omega. It has a higher loft.
You're off to a great start, now enjoy the journey. Post any questions you have along the way. There are a lot of folks here that have experience with boar brushes. Or feel free to shoot me a PM.
But a word of warning. Boar brushes multiply like rabbits. They're so inexpensive you may end up with 10 before you know it. And once you're at 10, look out, 40 isn't as far off as you might think!!!!!
