The Omega Pro 48 with Antica Barbieria Colla and the Mamba

The Omega Pro 48 — model 10048 — is the first boar brush I owned, and it remains an excellent brush. The loft is enough that the feel on the face is a soft resilience, and in this shave, at least, only the tip of the knot was really involved: I loaded the brush well, but that loading did not extend more than a quarter of the way down the knot, and as I worked up a very nice lather indeed — ABC is an excellent shaving soap — the lathered part of the brush didn’t go any deeper. But the knot is large enough that it still held plenty of soap and lather for an excellent three-pass shave.

I’ve read comments that the Pro 48 is too large for face lathering, but it has never seemed so to me. I find it quite easy to work up a good lather on the face, and the experience is pleasant enough that i’m getting this big boy back in rotation once we get through the parade of my natural-bristle brushes. We still have quite a way to go: today finishes the first shelf only: top left.