A Quicker Way To Break In A Boar Brush by mantic59

Some of the mechanics asserted by your points are questionable.Bigger brushes make more lather because they're bigger, not because they're boars.

As a full convert to Synthetics, I find that the fibre itself has a lot to do with how much and how quickly you get a lather. With synthetics, the answer is faster and better than other fibres. That's regardless of loft and density, as I have a few and they all work just the same. The big ones just make more lather as they hold more.

I found boars of all sizes take far longer to make lather. Face feel is the biggest subjective preference, and I'm not really fussed about that when I get great lather, faster. The whole idea of backbone on shave forums came about based on how firm yet soft a brush was at scrubbing and working that lather up. No need for that with a synthetic.

My post was mostly about badger vs boar rather than synthetics.

I agree synthetics make lather quickest, use soap most efficiently, are easier to rinse and dry faster. They also hold a lot of lather and I agree that is mostly a function of brush size, including loft, rather than hair type. It's just that some hair types require compromises that others don't, which is why most badgers end up as lather hogs due to the density required to give them some backbone at any reasonable loft.

I find synthetics better at releasing lather than a badger but not as good as my Omega boars. That just seems to just be a function of density with higher density brushes keeping more lather to themselves. I find significant benefits to a high loft, lower density and split tip brush, as a boar, that I haven't found elsewhere.

I only prefer boar to synthetic due to face feel. That's a YMMV thing of course. I find soft synthetic fibres, to prevent floppiness, require high density with the negatives that entails. Stiffer and thicker synthetic fibres aren't soft enough at the tips as they don't split. But that can all be overcome by their greater efficiency, even at high density, so I agree on objective criteria that synthetics should rule the roost. I just prefer the "natural" feel of my boars.
 
I only prefer boar to synthetic due to face feel. That's a YMMV thing of course. I find soft synthetic fibres, to prevent floppiness, require high density with the negatives that entails. Stiffer and thicker synthetic fibres aren't soft enough at the tips as they don't split. But that can all be overcome by their greater efficiency, even at high density, so I agree on objective criteria that synthetics should rule the roost. I just prefer the "natural" feel of my boars.

If there were only the Plisson-style fibres available, I'd have stuck with my favourite boar and badger. The Silvertip V2 is in many brushes - Epsilon, Muhle/Jagger and Aesop... there's probably more I don't know of.

This is a far less floppy fibre than the Plisson which I didn't like at all, and doesn't seem to firm up no matter how much you stuff it. So I get a firm brush with the med Epsilon, and just more brush on the face with the big 26mm one.
 
So,read the thread and still do not know whether to break in or not. :bored:
Ordering a Semogue 1305 next week,thinking I may just use it and let whatever happens,happen naturally.
I mean it has to be a better brush than the $5 job I got from Woolies that I have been using for the last 3 years or so. Right?
 
So,read the thread and still do not know whether to break in or not. :bored:
Ordering a Semogue 1305 next week,thinking I may just use it and let whatever happens,happen naturally.
I mean it has to be a better brush than the $5 job I got from Woolies that I have been using for the last 3 years or so. Right?
The 1305 is a nice brush. I'll be surprised if you don't like it. I didn't do any special 'breaking in' and I've been happy with it from the start.
 
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