I ask this question because I have a few different boars in a break-in process currently, and am a little puzzled. I hear mythical tales of how the tips soften up to the point where they sometimes beat out even silvertip for softness, but my experiences have been otherwise.
I have an Omega 31064, to use an example, which I have had for a little over 7 months now and lather every other day (palm lathers mostly), and still whenever I bring that sucker to my face I feel like I am getting scratched up. I have awful camera skills, or I would post closeups of the tips, but they are 90%+ split into at least two (many 3 and 4), save for a few of those thick, darker bristles which have shown zero interest in breaking.
I also have an SOC about 4 months into break-in, and while it is certainly a bit softer than the 31064 at this point, I get similar scratch. It is probably 70%-80% split tips at this point, but is noticably softer than the Omega.
I have a few others which are newer to the breakin (1305, IB LE, WSP Boar) which are interesting so far, but need a long way to go.
So I suppose it's worth asking, especially in the case of the Omega that has already had so much use and time to break in, at what point should I consider that my skin is too sensitive for boar? I have a Thater 2-band, and I've used WD Silvertips before, and none of these boars look like they are even remotely close to that degree of softness!
I have an Omega 31064, to use an example, which I have had for a little over 7 months now and lather every other day (palm lathers mostly), and still whenever I bring that sucker to my face I feel like I am getting scratched up. I have awful camera skills, or I would post closeups of the tips, but they are 90%+ split into at least two (many 3 and 4), save for a few of those thick, darker bristles which have shown zero interest in breaking.
I also have an SOC about 4 months into break-in, and while it is certainly a bit softer than the 31064 at this point, I get similar scratch. It is probably 70%-80% split tips at this point, but is noticably softer than the Omega.
I have a few others which are newer to the breakin (1305, IB LE, WSP Boar) which are interesting so far, but need a long way to go.
So I suppose it's worth asking, especially in the case of the Omega that has already had so much use and time to break in, at what point should I consider that my skin is too sensitive for boar? I have a Thater 2-band, and I've used WD Silvertips before, and none of these boars look like they are even remotely close to that degree of softness!