Omega Shaving Brush #10048 Boar Bristle Aka The PRO 48

This is my second shaving brush, with the first being a Tweezerman badger that I have had for a year or so. I wanted to have an alternative to my badger because, as much as I love my simple Tweezerman, I prefer a stiffer brush for lathering. This boar brush is definitely that. First off it is huge compared to the Tweezerman with a nice grip and a head full of bristles. The chrome(ish) handle looks sharp and the brush has a sturdy, substantial feel to it. I caution users to be patient with this brush because when you first get it, it smells awful. It will leave its musky boar smell on your shave soap, your face or anything else it touches. This will last a week or so; I even broke mine in by soaking/rinsing in a solution of Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood but the eau-de-boar still lingered. After that one week period, the smell dissipates and you are rewarded with a pleasantly stiff brush with lots of broken-in bristles that whip up creams and soaps nicely and prepare your face well. This is a very good brush and it is priced appropriately.As for badger vs. boar, both are good but have differing strengths/weaknesses. Lots of personal opinion here, but I give the nod to badger for whipping up a lather and retaining water, but give the nod to boar for overall feeling and beard preparation. Enjoy.UPDATE 10/2021: This brush is still holding up fantastic. I have been using it constantly for seven years now and it still works great. The smell wore off after about a week and I lose a bristle only once in a while.

Going on 8 years with this brush and its my favorite, I own many but keep coming back to this one.Yes it smelled odd for the first month or so - just use it and the smell goes away.It is big and takes a bit of getting used to a larger brush but thats the great thing about this brush. It holds a ton of soap, enough for multiple passes without going back to the puck, it builds lather quickly. Just squeeze the brush to make it thinner for your mustache area, the large size of the brush makes quick work of lathering your face and neck.Bristles are the right stiffness for me, I like this better then badger brushes.The bristles are still in top shape and this will easily last another 8 years. I hang mine to dry after each use. Take care of it and it will take care of you.And the price is unbeatable. This is probably the best deal in wet shave brushes ever.For $10 bucks you cant go wrong !

A fantastic natural boar bristle brush, at a great price!As other reviewers have noted, this brush will take a week or so to be broken in. Once broken in, you've got yourself one fantastic shaving accessory.The ergonomics of the handle are comfortable in your hand, and the bristles are just the right length, and the shape of the crown of the brush lends to good distribution of your shaving soap, cream, etc.I generally don't like plastic handles, and I am not one for chrome, but the value and performance far outweigh my personal preferences. This is a brush that you should NOT overlook!A few things to note, and I am sure these points have been covered by other reviewers (but they may bear repeating): As a natural boar bristle product, this brush must be broken in. Why? Because 1) The bristles need to soften, or as some say "season". 2) You're probably not going to like the bristle's smell for the first week or so. 3) You need to work out any loose bristles. Once broken in, you've got yourself a reliable, high quality brush!If you're interested, I broke my brush in and deodorized it by soaking it handle up in warm water with a good quality shampoo (luckily my wife uses the good stuff), for a couple of hours. DO NOT soak the entire brush, handle and all. You don't want to compromise the binding in the handle, right? After the two hour soak, I worked in some conditioner, and let that sit for fifteen minutes, and rinsed it off. I allowed the brush to air dry, and when it was completely dry, I grabbed my favorite tub of Proraso, and worked up a heavy lather on the brush, being careful to work the lather into the bristles. I then let the brush sit overnight. Yes, the lather will dry out, but what you are doing here is helping to "season" the brush. The conditioners, and fragrance will set in the brush as it dries. What was accomplished was that the brush was conditioned, and the rather unpleasant (to me at least) odor of wet boar was replaced by the pleasant aroma of my shaving cream. The next morning, all I had to do was rinse my brush, and put it into service.Overall, I'm very pleased with this brush, and would recommend it to those new to the more civilized shaving techniques, as well as those that are just looking for a new or different brush for their shaving routine.

Bristles are ok but the handle feels very cheap. Branding is a sticker that came off right away.