My Omega 10048 is well broken in now — soft and resilient without being scrubby. It’s a wonderful brush, and the cost is low. Worth trying. If you get one, I suggest that for a week you just load it with shaving soap and build a lather in your cupped palm, then rinse the brush well (hot water until water runs clear, then cold water), give it a good shake, and let it dry. Boar bristles when new will kill the lather so that when you go to the brush for the second pass, no lather remains. Once broken in, this brush is wonderful.
Like all boar (and horsehair) brushes, it should be soaked before each use: wet the knot well, stand the brush on its base, and take your shower. The brush will be ready when your shower’s done.
Because the level of shaving cream in my tub of J.M. Fraser is lower now after a few years of use, the long knot of the Omega Pro 48 is ideal for an easy load. And, as always, J.M. Fraser’s lather was excellent.
Rockwell’s Model T looks to my eye somewhat clunky, but in fact I like it more and more each time I use it. It did a very fine job this morning, comfortable and efficient and good to hold — the handle is quite comfortable. I have underestimated this razor. As you see, I use a setting of 3.
Three passes left my face totally smooth, and a good splash of Vitos Tobacco finished the job. A good start for a sunny morning.