Newbi ; Boar or badger for my first brush

... In fact, of the 2 boars I have, one is the Semogue Owners Club with the Cherry wood handle. The other is a Maggard Razors premium knot that I friend gifted me, set in a vintage Ever Ready handle.

SOC Boar in a cherry handle is a very acceptable way to go.  I would call it classic.  You do have to break any boar brush in to make the bristles split at the ends.  Some people do that by just using it.  Others do it by soaking it in the refrigerator, removing and drying it, working the tips lightly on a towel, then putting it back in the fridge to soak more.  Repeat every 10-12 hours for a couple of days.  The heat difference seems to speed up the splitting of the bristle ends.

Also, you should soak your boar brush in warm (not hot) water for at least 3-5 minutes each time before you use it.I

If you decide to go with badger, just go with a Silvertip badger.  Semogue has some nice options here.  Again, you should soak the Silvertip for at least 3 minutes before you use it.  

The classic option for badger is a Simpson Duke 3 in Best.  This is a bit more spendy.

Also, you could opt for a Semogue Mistura which is a mixed boar and badger brush.  

All of the Semogue options seem to come in the same handles--SOC style in various wood cherry, ash etcetera as well as other styles.  Semogue makes an economically priced brush.  Just go to their website and you''ll find what you are looking for.  These are just my suggestions.  There are lots of other acceptable brushes.

Finally, I really wish I could get back to Ecuador if only to pick up another "Panama" hat.  The real ones are made in Ecuador and are the best hat of its kind in the world, IMHO.  Wonderful country.

Good advise, thank you,

Most welcome to visit Ecuador again, you are 100% right about the Panama Hats (they where made for the workers in Panama Canal at the time), Ecuador is the best producer and the Hats and the  process is very nice to see,
I use one on a daily basis

Seems Badger is easier to brake in, needs less soak time, the silver-tip is very easy to lather and is smooth on skin - So why is Boar better or superior? Is it because of price, or because the Badgers are badly treated by the Chinese?

For me it comes down to price. Boar is far less expensive than badger. My two-year-old Omega was $10, and is quite soft. It took a while for that softness to develop, though. After a few months of regular use, I set it aside for another few months. When I picked it up again, I couldn't believe how soft it felt (after soaking, of course).

SOC Boar in a cherry handle is a very acceptable way to go.  I would call it classic.  You do have to break any boar brush in to make the bristles split at the ends.  Some people do that by just using it.  Others do it by soaking it in the refrigerator, removing and drying it, working the tips lightly on a towel, then putting it back in the fridge to soak more.  Repeat every 10-12 hours for a couple of days.  The heat difference seems to speed up the splitting of the bristle ends.

Also, you should soak your boar brush in warm (not hot) water for at least 3-5 minutes each time before you use it.I

If you decide to go with badger, just go with a Silvertip badger.  Semogue has some nice options here.  Again, you should soak the Silvertip for at least 3 minutes before you use it.  

The classic option for badger is a Simpson Duke 3 in Best.  This is a bit more spendy.

Also, you could opt for a Semogue Mistura which is a mixed boar and badger brush.  

All of the Semogue options seem to come in the same handles--SOC style in various wood cherry, ash etcetera as well as other styles.  Semogue makes an economically priced brush.  Just go to their website and you''ll find what you are looking for.  These are just my suggestions.  There are lots of other acceptable brushes.

Finally, I really wish I could get back to Ecuador if only to pick up another "Panama" hat.  The real ones are made in Ecuador and are the best hat of its kind in the world, IMHO.  Wonderful country.

Good advise, thank you,

Most welcome to visit Ecuador again, you are 100% right about the Panama Hats (they where made for the workers in Panama Canal at the time), Ecuador is the best producer and the Hats and the  process is very nice to see,
I use one on a daily basis

Seems Badger is easier to brake in, needs less soak time, the silver-tip is very easy to lather and is smooth on skin - So why is Boar better or superior? Is it because of price, or because the Badgers are badly treated by the Chinese?

Boar is not better or superior.  It is simply different.  It does take a lot more time to break in.  Generally, it is much less expensive. 

I mostly use badger because I enjoy it a little more. 

I bowl lather rather than face lather. Face latherers tend to like a softer brush.

I first choose my soap and then choose which brush I am going to use that day based on the soap I have chosen.  Some soaps call for a type of brush.  I first cut a portion of soap off the puck then smear it around the bottom of my lathering bowl.  Based on the consistency of the soap I can tell which brush might be better.  The other day I chose my Semogue Owner's Club Boar brush because it was perfect for the Grooming Dept Soap Ousia.

Here is a Simpson Polo 8 Super Badger (Silvertip) that was appropriate for the Omnibus soap shown.  It is a three band Silvertip.  Note that it is tall and in a bulb shape which I prefer for bowl lathering. The tips are soft:

Good advise, thank you,

Most welcome to visit Ecuador again, you are 100% right about the Panama Hats (they where made for the workers in Panama Canal at the time), Ecuador is the best producer and the Hats and the  process is very nice to see,
I use one on a daily basis

Seems Badger is easier to brake in, needs less soak time, the silver-tip is very easy to lather and is smooth on skin - So why is Boar better or superior? Is it because of price, or because the Badgers are badly treated by the Chinese?

Boar is not better or superior.  It is simply different.  It does take a lot more time to break in.  Generally, it is much less expensive. 

I mostly use badger because I enjoy it a little more. 

I bowl lather rather than face lather.  Face latherers tend to like a softer brush.

I first choose my soap and then choose which brush I am going to use that day based on the soap I have chosen.  Some soaps call for a type of brush.  I first cut a portion of soap off the puck then smear it around the bottom of my lathering bowl.  Based on the consistency of the soap I can tell which brush might be better.  The other day I chose my Semogue Owner's Club Boar brush because it was perfect for the Grooming Dept Soap Ousia.

I have along way to go, I only have one sterling soap and I use it daily, I use your method of bowl lather, I scoop with a sea shell an amount equal to a size of an almond and smear it in the bowl, add water and lather with my only synthetic brush.
will try the boar brush Eric is sending and in a couple of months look for a nice Badger on WTS 
Your Ousia packing looks nice, must have a nice smell.

Here is a Simpson Polo 8 Super Badger (Silvertip) that was appropriate for the Omnibus soap shown.  It is a three band Silvertip.  Note that it is tall and in a bulb shape which I prefer for bowl lathering.  The tips are soft:

Brush must be very nice being the highest level of Badger, I’ll be diving into the Rabbit hole soon

Here is a Simpson Polo 8 Super Badger (Silvertip) that was appropriate for the Omnibus soap shown.  It is a three band Silvertip.  Note that it is tall and in a bulb shape which I prefer for bowl lathering.  The tips are soft:

Brush must be very nice being the highest level of Badger, I’ll be diving into the Rabbit hole soon

It is a nice brush but don't be misled by the name. I am told by others that in the Simpson world the two band Silvertip is King. I have never used one. I believe it is a matter of personal preference. Reasonable people can differ about these things.

Just remember, the BST section is your friend. That is where I picked up this particular brush.

Here is a Simpson Polo 8 Super Badger (Silvertip) that was appropriate for the Omnibus soap shown.  It is a three band Silvertip.  Note that it is tall and in a bulb shape which I prefer for bowl lathering.  The tips are soft:

Brush must be very nice being the highest level of Badger, I’ll be diving into the Rabbit hole soon

It is a nice brush but don't be misled by the name.  I am told by others that in the Simpson world the two band Silvertip is King.  I have never used one.  I believe it is a matter of personal preference.

Just remember, the BST section is your friend.  That is where I picked up this particular brush.

Totally, the BST is impressive, for a newbi it is the best place to get equipped 

Thank you for all the good guidance, really appreciate it

I’ve tried the refrigerator soak and I didn’t really notice a difference in break in. Each to their own.  Below is the premium boar knot from Trotter (provenance unknown), SOC Taj resin and Semogue 2000.  You can see what I mean about aesthetics. The Semogues are nicer and more cleanly shaped. They’re all great brushes.

Provenance:

https://maggardrazors.com/products/magga...tural-boar

Thanks Paul - to be clear, the knot performs well and its breaking in nicely.  It's probably too soon to critique the aesthetics as once its fully broken in it will probably bloom as well as the others.  Loving the Oscuro.

I concur that the comparison between badger, boar and synthetic isn't really a better or worse comparison but just different.  The boars bristle ends split as the knot breaks in and can make for a really nice and soft brush.  Badgers are beautiful but can be pricey.  I'm not interested in synthetics so won't comment on them.  It's a bonus that you can get a seriously nice boar brush for a fraction of what a seriously nice badger will cost you.