Pure Bristle 10049 Shaving Brush, Black

I bought this brush because I was curious to see how a boar brush performs compared to a synthetic. This is only my second brush and first boar brush, so I don’t have much to compare this to. I will say that the brush was much softer than I expected it to be for being boar hair. This brush is BIG though. It may take some time getting used to but it feels comfortable in the hands. Even for someone with smaller hands like myself. I was expecting to be overpowered by a godawful animal smell. To my surprise, it wasn’t that bad. Because the bristles weren’t as prickly as I expected, I decided to forgo methods to accelerate the “breaking in” process of the brush and just use it. After first use, I already love it. It generated the best lather I’ve ever gotten. My synthetic brush I have used prior to this couldn’t compete at all to this. It will take some practice considering a boar brush requires different amounts of water compared to my synthetic brush to create a lather. I look forward to mastering it though. From what I gather, boar brushes only get better as they get broken in, so if my new Omega ‘49 is already this good straight out of the box, I can’t wait to see how it is once it gets broken in. Moreover, after just one use, my Omega ‘49 brush has already started to smell more like my Proraso shave soap than that mild “wet dog” smell it had previously.If I did have one critique of the Omega ‘49 it’s that the sticker on it just looks awful to me. Moreover, it started to bubble up a little bit after I used this brush. I decided to just peel the sticker off. I think it looks much better without the sticker anyway. You would never even be able to tell that a sticker was there at all now.

First, I believe it's called "pro" because barber shops press the long bristles sideways with their fingers to shape it and apply around face and mouth. If you press your index finger against the side of the bristles you can shape it, fan out or whatever, to go under your nose or around ears.It's awful at first when it's new but soaking overnight and rubbing on a towel a lot with will give it nice shape and softness. Soak in cold water overnight, half-way up the bristles only, and the next day dry it out well on a towel and rub it extensively against blue jeans or towel or something for a long time, the more the better. The bristles will get soft and spread out into a nice shape. Just a useless straight stack of prickly spikes when it's new, until you do this, or you can just use it for a year to accomplish the same thing, during which you will not like the brush for a long time.Also, the handle is big. You may or may not like, but that's the way it is. I think I like small handles better, but this is new for me, and I haven't formed an opinion yet.My old drug store boar bristle brushes always shed like crazy. It doesn't help that I've had them for probably 50 years and used them a lot, but it's great that "wet shaving" has become popular, we now have internet stores and these things are widely available. I love all the new quality brushes out there, and have bought a few different ones. I think boar is best. You just have to know how to use it and how to break it in, and how to take care of it. Don't leave them standing on their head wet for 20 years like I always did. I didn't know any better, but now youtube has taught me the error of my ways.Good cream or soap makes a lot of difference. I always used Williams pucks, but now I have Proraso and others and what a difference. I use my old 1963 Gilette slim adjustable from high school, my black handle super slim 109 from 1969 (high school) and have bought some modern ones which aren't any better, but its fun to try things. My best razor is a 1940's gilette super speed of unknown origin, probably my Dad's that he cast off in the switch to electric.This giant brush, from a small dollop of cream, will make as much lather as you can get holding down the trigger on a can of wally mart special, but more fun and smells better. And, proper lather is a whole 'nother world. Be sure to use a pre-shave oil.This is a nice brush and may or not be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the end all be all, the brush to end all searches for the perfect brush, but it's sure fun to buy these products to try and it won't break the bank.I have no idea why I went on and on like this. Just couldn't stop myself. If you're still there, I hope this helps you decide what to do.

If you are looking for your first Shaving brush, buy this one. The Omega isn't perfect, but it is by far the best for the money in my opinion, so if you are just getting into wet shaving, this is the one to pick up. With that said, all boar brushes require a break-in period. This is the period it goes from feeling like a whisk broom on your face to a soft, plush shaving brush. It needs time for all of the hairs to split. During this initial period it is best to bowl lather rather than face lather. You can also speed up the break-in process by brushing it on your palm while you read or watch tv for a couple hours.There are some complaints on here about the brush smelling. It would appear that some reviewers are quite new to wet-shaving. The smell is normal and happens with every natural hair brush. It is also not that noticeable and dissipates within a week or so of regular use.If the smell or the break-in period are a deal breaker for you, then you are probably after a synthetic brush rather than a boar's hair brush. Check out Maggards Synthetic. It is a great first brush and a good performing synthetic. The Omega Boar's hair is great, but the Omega synthetic leaves something to be desired.If you are looking for something to compare this to, the Semogue boar brush may be another good choice, but others claim it often looses its backbone quickly becoming floppy and unusable. I don't have personal experience with a Semogue, but I am partial to wooden handles. It would require the same break-in time as this Omega.As a final note of guidance, steer clear of anything on Amazon claiming to be a Badger Brush. There are no quality Badger brushes under $80, and very few at that price point. The cheaper badger brushes use clipped hair and small knots so they offer a far inferior shave to a broken in boar brush. I agree they look cooler, but even that is often from dye. Don't fall for the scam, you'll regret it.