Semogue Excelsior 1470 Shaving Brush

THE brush you want. Don’t buy a cheap badger when you can get a premium boar for the same money.

This is my third shaving brush. My first one, probably like most new wet shavers, was a cheap ($11) badger brush. Why? Because badger is better, its $11, and its rated four and a half stars with a million reviews. DON’T DO IT! Trust me.I can only guess that the five star reviews are coming from folks who started with a crappy Bombay boar brush from Wal Mart and saw a marked improvement in performance with a minimal investment; or from smug thrifty folks who don’t know anything else and love to brag about buying something great for cheap. The inexpensive badger brush I received shed a TON of hairs at first, and continued shedding at least a few every time I shaved with it. Once it was wet and holding lather it went completely limp, and lost any form it had while dry. Imagine trying to paint a wall with a brush that has cooked spaghetti noodles instead of bristles.My second brush was a Made Rite vintage badger from a local antique store for $6. Despite being 30+ years old the hairs were stiffer. It whipped shaving cream faster and did a better job of retaining its shape while applying cream to my face.This brush arrived with super soft tips (this one is made with Semogue’s “premium” boar hair, which is 90% tips and the best boar hair they offer. Awesome for the price.) Behind those soft tips the bristles are stiff enough to keep their shape. It whipped cream as quickly as the contemporary badger brush, and was less than thirty seconds behind the vintage. It does not create as much cream, but I was pouring a significant amount down the drain before anyway. It makes more than enough with the same almond sized dollop I’ve been using.Where this brush really shines is in the application of the cream to the face. It is very soft and comfortable, but provides what I can only describe as a gentle scrub. The stiffer bristles help the brush keep its shape, which made for a much neater and more even application of cream. I didnt have to fill my nostrils with shaving cream to properly coat my upper lip. It just felt like the cream was getting under and around all of the whiskers. That resulted in a slick, phenomenal shave.Any of the Semogue premium boars would be a great choice, but the value of this particular brush is beyond compare.Update: the performance got better with time. The bristles got softer, and created lather faster, but remained stiff enough to apply easily to the face. It she’d, on average, a couple of bristles per month. Within only a couple of months the entire knot popped off the handle. The glue was still intact on the knot, and was as hard as a rock. I had to use a file to make grooves in the glue so new epoxy would stick. I re-glued with JB Weld, and it continued to get better with use for more than two years. Yesterday the knot came off the handle again. I’m tempted to file and re-glue, but right now they’re only $10… I’d give it 4.5 stars if I could.

Semogue 1470

This is a fantastic little brush. I shave my head, and I prefer boar over badger. Boar brushes massage, exfoliate, and raise the hair better than badger brushes (in my humble opinion). The ONLY drawback to this little beauty is its lack of bristles. It’s not as full as some of the other boar brushes I’ve owned in the past. None the less, it is quite soft for a boar (as though it had been broken in for me upon arrival) and it lathers exceptionally well. The lack of fullness I spoke of earlier will not demote this brush to 4 stars. What it lacks in fullness definitely makes up for in all other areas. The price + soft bristles + lathering + durability + looks = an exceptional boar hair brush. You won’t be disappointed.

High quality product for a great shave

Fantastic product. The boar hair is stiffer than a badger hair brush. I find it more effective. It works very well with the Cella shaving creme.The brush looks great and appears well made. I have not had the product for long, but see no signs of bristle loss.I would recommend this product to anyone – especially those with course facial hair. There is no reason to use overpriced cartridge blades and shaving gel from a can. This brush, Cella cream, and a quality safety razor cost less, work better, and require no more time.

Ottimo prodotto

Ho già ii 1438 della Samogue, questo è leggermente più rigido ma monta benissimo in ciotola.Lo uso in rotazione con altri pennelli quando voglio una schiuma più densa e una stesura più energica, e in più non ha mai perso un pelo.E’ molto carino anche esteticamente e visto il prezzo, sono decisamente soddisfatto

Piccolo grande pennello

Premetto che ho comprato anche il Semogue 1250, come anche vari Omega, tassi, sintetici Yaqi, Omega, etc. Mentre il Semogue 1250 diventa morbido come un tasso, volevo un ciuffo leggermente più corto in setola di maiale, per face lathering. Ebbene, il Semogue 1470 è il pennello in setola di maiale perfetto a questo. La qualità della setola è quella “best” (stessa di Semogue 1250) e la 2a migliore di casa Semogue (dopo la premium). Le setole sono più fini delle Omega, ragion per cui i Semogue diventano morbidissimi sulle punte. Dopo un lungo ammollo in condizionatore per i cappelli dentro il frigo, al 1o utilizzo, caricando la Figaro rossa per 30 secondi, il pennello si è caricato di abbastanza sapone per 2 1/2 passate. Il che è meglio di quello che mi era successo con il 1250, per il fatto che il 1470 ha più spina dorsale. I Semogue sono più densi degli Omega (non fatevi ingannare dalle dimensioni del ciuffo modeste) e richiedono più tempo per sviluppare le doppie punte. Quindi ritengo il risultato ottimo (caricando di più, sarei già arrivato alle 3 canoniche passate). Le setole sono le stesse ottime setole del 1250, che già so che diventeranno morbidissime, la maggior spina dorsale lo fanno un pennello molto adatto per saponi solidi o semisolidi (tipo Proraso in ciotola) e molto adatto al face lathering (mentre il 1250 è un pennello a metà strada fra ciotola e face lathering). In Spagna costa meno di 9 EUR, quindi si paga in realtà il “costo di trasporto”, ma ne vale la pena. L’ unico neo per me, sarebbe il manico, che non ho trovato molto comodo, ma questa è una cosa soggettiva e dipende dalle mani di ciascuno. Cioè ho trovato il 1250 più comodo. Ma comunque è un bellissimo pennello, il legno ha una vernice trasparente per proteggerlo dall’ acqua, ma comunque è meglio non lasciarlo immerso in acqua a lungo e cercare di non graffiare la verniciatura. Comunque, sapendo già la qualità della setola dal 1250, sono molto soddisfatto, ancor più che questo, contrariamente al 1250 che ha perso un sacco di setole, non ne persa nessuna alla 1a rasatura. Comunque, gli unici pennelli Omega che si avvicinano per morbidezza ai Semogue, sono quelli medi ad effetto tasso. Per l’ appassionato di rasatura tradizionale, provare una setola Semogue, è quasi obbligatorio. Non me la sento di togliere alcuna stella per il manico non proprio ergonomicissimo per la mia mano.

Not as advertised!

I thought I was buying the excelsior but what came says Hereditas. Looks the same but why was it switched? This is a very small brush. Maybe too short and stiff to splay well.

I love the brush, but mine loses hairs.

I did a lot of research on shaving brushes before buying this one, and I am not disappointed with the purchase.This is a very high quality boar hair brush, with a very short break-in period, and good ergonomics.I really appreciate the fact that it is hand-made, and that it has a wooden handle. These combine to make it feel like this brush is rather a unique item, other than some other brushes which have handles made of resin. One great thing about a wooden handle vs. a resin handle, is that you never have to worry about water spots (if you’re a bit OCD like me).My only complaint with the brush is that mine sheds hairs pretty frequently. Now, this may be a special circumstance because I have read many other people’s reviews for this brush that say theirs has never shed a single hair. So, perhaps I am just being a bit to vigorous with mine, or maybe I got a one-off unit that wasn’t assembled quite right. Or perhaps it will stop shedding after a few more uses (I’ve only used it three times).Either way, I still love the brush, and would purchase it again in a heartbeat!