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.

I originally bought this brush because I was needing to swap to a different shaving soap for my sensitive skin. I went with this one because of the reviews saying it was very well-made and would not fall apart. Not only do I agree but the Omega brush is amazing for the following reasons.Firstly, the build quality is great. The black Omega 10049 shaving brush has a 42mm wide plastic handle with 63mm tall boar bristles. This brush has served me for over 4 years now, and besides minor water damage to the Omega sticker on the handle, it looks brand new. The bristles on the brush have completely kept their original shape and hold. When I started using it the first week, only a few loose hairs came out, but soon after they immediately stopped. Now it only rarely ever sheds a hair about once a month.Secondly, the boar smell quickly disappears on this brush. The odor upon opening the brush from its packaging was strong. Still, just after a week and a half of using the brush to shave, it completely disappeared. I was amazed at how surprisingly quickly the smell disappeared compared to the other brushes I have used. I compare this with the brush I have now which is the rosewood boar bristle brush by Parker. I have been using that brush for more than a month now and can still smell the boar odor on it. Omega does carry a synthetic bristle brush, but the build is much lower compared to the boar bristle one.The third reason this brush is amazing is because of the lather it produces. With the 63mm tall bristles, lathering becomes effortless and only takes 8-10 seconds to completely foam up in my shaving mug. (Comparing this with the previously mentioned Parker boar brush which takes a solid minute for a good lather.) As for the actual lather, I have used this brush on Poraso’s shaving soap, Mitchell's wool fat shaving soap, and even a Dove’s sensitive bar of soap, yet none of these was any problem whatsoever for the Omega brush to create a rich foamy lather on. The big handle makes it extremely easy for stirring in a shaving mug compared to trying to stir up a lather with smaller shaving brushes.Finally, my last reason for why this brush is so amazing is the price point. With there being no quality badger brushes under 80 dollars and the average boar brush on amazon being around 20 dollars, this brush is a steal. Even comparing the other brushes that similarly sit around ten dollars you will not get the same amount of quality as this brush. It is truly the best bang for your buck. The only negative about this brush is that it does not come with its own stand. Luckily, this brush is easily compatible with the popular Perfecto Deluxe shaving stand that is also on amazon.Overall, I highly recommend you pick this brush up and give it a try. Attached is a photo of the Omega boar brush in the Perfecto Deluxe stand, and a photo of it with the Parker boar brush.

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.