I tried a brand new Semogue for the first time today - The 1305 is a beautiful looking brush, but its important we never judge a book by its cover. I must admit I was initially attracted to this brush because of its retro appearance (The enamel painted handle looks great). I didn't experience any major problems, apart from losing about 8 bristles, which I'm guessing should be OK for now. Its definitely a much finer bristle in comparison to the Omega's and I noticed the 1305 splayed very easily even during first use. Knowing it was a new brush, I decided to load it for about 2 minutes to ensure I'd have plenty of lather for 3 passes. There appeared to be plenty of lather on the brush after the first pass, however, the lather kind of just disappeared after the second pass and barely made it through 2.5 passes. I'm guessing since the bristles were new and therefore probably thirsty, it just absorbed the lather before I was able to use it. In fairness to the 1305, its still early days. I need to give it more time to shine before passing judgement. All I can say for now, is that the Semogue 1305 appears to be different. I'll share my thoughts again in just over a months time.