Omega Premium #45 Review
Specs:
Overall height: 115mm
Knot: 25mm
Loft: 59mm
Handle height: 56mm
After reviewing the Omega #49, I came around to the point of view that I wanted a smaller and softer brush that still had some backbone and scrubbiness. Having read many reviews and being an existing Omega fan, I settled on the #45. It is from the Premium range and made in Italy, and has a smaller and slightly less dense undyed knot as opposed to the unbleached, natural bristle in the #49.
Original post viewable at The Shave Nook here, in a thread all about Omega boar brushes
The knot has definitely undergone some changes as a result of the bleaching and dying. It's extremely soft, and the bristles have started splitting after less than five shaves. Some were split before I even used it. This knot has slightly less backbone and resistance on the face compared to the unbleached bristle, and because of that, I would prefer a slightly shorter loft. I had no problem using it on soaps, but it does take a little more time to load with the damp brush.
The softness of the bristles is a strong point. The split tips feel luxurious on the face, soft but firm and not at all scratchy. The lower half of the bristle maintains reasonable rigidity providing you don't oversoak the brush before loading and lathering. Some people will dislike the softness of this brush and the lesser backbone, as it detracts from that scratchy scrubby feeling you get from the undyed. While the softer tips do feel nice caressing your skin, that slightly harsh scratching feeling from the #49 does make up a lot of the 'X Factor' with boars; the gritty backbone is part of the satisfaction. I'm not disappointed in the dyed and bleached hair; on the contrary, the softness of the tips and it's usability are both brilliant. I do wish this handle was available with the natural hair though. It'd be unbeatable.
The knot has shed 4-5 hairs so far, and a few more have broken off at the tip. My #49 shed a few hairs as well, more than this one, but none of the hair has broken off as far as I know. It will be interesting to see with time if the bleached and dyed hair is weaker than the undyed. I'm not concerned, this is a very solid brush with excellent build quality.
All things considered, the same knot is in the 31064 so I paid an additional $7 for a better handle. This is a great handle, so I'm happy with that. It's golden ivory in colour and made of solid resin. It's heavy but well balanced, quite large though well proportioned for my hand. I don't think brush handles make much difference as to whether or not a brush is suitable for any particular type of lathering, but the long handle here certainly keeps your fingers dry on the face and in the bowl. If I get unsatisfied with this brush in the future, it's an excellent candidate for a re-knot.
I'm happy I purchased this brush when I did, because Connaught have just two models in the Premium line still on clearance sale. I'm not sure if they'll be replaced, but the quality of the handle and the softness of the knot have made this a very worthwhile addition to my den.
Post-bloom comparison with #49:
Related reading:
Review of other Omega Premium brushes; #40 and #43 on TSN
Short review of Omega #42 on B&B
Reviews of Omega Premium #35, #37 and #40 on TSN
Specs:
Overall height: 115mm
Knot: 25mm
Loft: 59mm
Handle height: 56mm
After reviewing the Omega #49, I came around to the point of view that I wanted a smaller and softer brush that still had some backbone and scrubbiness. Having read many reviews and being an existing Omega fan, I settled on the #45. It is from the Premium range and made in Italy, and has a smaller and slightly less dense undyed knot as opposed to the unbleached, natural bristle in the #49.
Paul from Connaught Shaving said:
Original post viewable at The Shave Nook here, in a thread all about Omega boar brushes
The knot has definitely undergone some changes as a result of the bleaching and dying. It's extremely soft, and the bristles have started splitting after less than five shaves. Some were split before I even used it. This knot has slightly less backbone and resistance on the face compared to the unbleached bristle, and because of that, I would prefer a slightly shorter loft. I had no problem using it on soaps, but it does take a little more time to load with the damp brush.
The softness of the bristles is a strong point. The split tips feel luxurious on the face, soft but firm and not at all scratchy. The lower half of the bristle maintains reasonable rigidity providing you don't oversoak the brush before loading and lathering. Some people will dislike the softness of this brush and the lesser backbone, as it detracts from that scratchy scrubby feeling you get from the undyed. While the softer tips do feel nice caressing your skin, that slightly harsh scratching feeling from the #49 does make up a lot of the 'X Factor' with boars; the gritty backbone is part of the satisfaction. I'm not disappointed in the dyed and bleached hair; on the contrary, the softness of the tips and it's usability are both brilliant. I do wish this handle was available with the natural hair though. It'd be unbeatable.
The knot has shed 4-5 hairs so far, and a few more have broken off at the tip. My #49 shed a few hairs as well, more than this one, but none of the hair has broken off as far as I know. It will be interesting to see with time if the bleached and dyed hair is weaker than the undyed. I'm not concerned, this is a very solid brush with excellent build quality.
All things considered, the same knot is in the 31064 so I paid an additional $7 for a better handle. This is a great handle, so I'm happy with that. It's golden ivory in colour and made of solid resin. It's heavy but well balanced, quite large though well proportioned for my hand. I don't think brush handles make much difference as to whether or not a brush is suitable for any particular type of lathering, but the long handle here certainly keeps your fingers dry on the face and in the bowl. If I get unsatisfied with this brush in the future, it's an excellent candidate for a re-knot.
I'm happy I purchased this brush when I did, because Connaught have just two models in the Premium line still on clearance sale. I'm not sure if they'll be replaced, but the quality of the handle and the softness of the knot have made this a very worthwhile addition to my den.
Post-bloom comparison with #49:
Related reading:
Review of other Omega Premium brushes; #40 and #43 on TSN
Short review of Omega #42 on B&B
Reviews of Omega Premium #35, #37 and #40 on TSN