Initial impressions of the Barbear Classico Brushes

The past few months have been extraordinarily good for me in brush acquisition...but not so good on my bank account. These three beauties were, of course, brushes that I had to have. After reading about these brushes on the forums I decided that they were definitely for me. I could experience the different kind of hairs Semogue had to offer in a size that would be a little smaller for the times I have to shave around my stubble. You know, those times my girlfriend makes me grow it out for a while ;) This is a quick overview of my initial impressions as well as size comparisons between similar models. After 27 days after ordering these beauties finally made it to me, and if they are like any of the other Semogue brushes I have tried then they will be well worth the wait.







Beginning with the (Cerda-89), This was a brush that I have been wanting since I purchased my SOC, well nearly. I've wanted to try a SOC boar for a while, yet with just a little shorter loft. It's not the 90% Tops premium that the SOC sports, yet it's probably as close to it as I'll get to experience anytime soon. A comparison between the Barbear Classico Cerda and the SOC shows that the Cerda is a much smaller brush, yet I am looking forward to the time I'll spend getting to know this brush as I break it in.



Holding this brush in my hand, and exploring it's fine contours, I was only able to observe one imperfection. The brush has 2 glue bumps that is approximately 1mm by 1mm, but it does not look like it will affect the performance of the brush.



One thing that I did notice that was much different was the flagging on this brush (the splitting of the tips). I did not pay attention to the tips of my SOC when I first received it, but neither my other Semogue SE, nor my BB essentials were flagged at all when they were brand new. Looking at the tips of this brush I was able to see many splits such as this.



I received the SOC SE and after some breaking in I realized that it was both a monster brush with huge face feel, but also that it did an excellent job at building an amazing lather, while providing a great face feel. With soft tips and exceptional backbone it can quickly build a lather from anything that you throw it at. The wood on this brush (Mistura 96) is extremely striking with iridescent hues shining out of the wood grain. Standing shorter than the SE, The brush exhibits excellent backbone as did the SE, yet I expect that it too will soften up a little after use.



For the (Texugo 67) I haven't had the opportunity to pick up any other Semogue 2-bands in which I can compare it too. My only 2-band experience is that of my Simpson Tulip 2-2band. As you can see in the picture, the two of them are remarkably similar in sizing, the major difference being that the Simpson is much more bulb shaped.



After some use I hope to do a review of these brushes, though it appears that I may have my work cut out for me. This is a challenge that I will gladly accept. I hope that this was in some way helpful, let me know if you have any questions.