Pennello da Barba Semogue Hereditas 2020

Sometime ago I reviewed the Semogue 2010 Pure Badger brush, and found that it was a fantastic beginners badger brush that certainly outperformed my much more expensive branded Best Badger brush, in both price and face feel. When I was sent this Semogue 2020 Best Badger brush, by the Portuguese Factory, I was very curious how it would perform. Out of the box, the 2010 and 2020 look a somewhat similar, however the 2020 Best Badger has softer and browner colored tips than the 2010, which has a solid black/grey pure badger knot. The knot size in both is identical – 22mm knot, 54mm loft. This 2020 didn’t have as much ‘funk’ (smell) normally associated with badger brushes, which was a pleasant start to the break-in journey! After a week of solid use, the 2020 really started ‘coming to life’ in its ability to lather, and its true face feel became more apparent. The handle is very comfortable. The 2020 has a gorgeous varnished Ash wood handle which not only looks fantastic, but sits very comfortably in the hand. The knot is adequately packed with nice quality Best badger hair that feels very comfortable on my face. I don’t like knots that feel scratchy on my face, but this knot has just the right amount of ‘scrub’ to create a lovely thick lather, and once lathered, the knot feels soft on the face. I am genuinely enjoying this brush – it lathers hard and soft shaving soaps as well as shaving creams, all with equal ease and success. It holds a great amount of lather and importantly, the knot releases lather nicely too – it’s NOT a lather hog! I often get asked about the Semogue SOC 2-band Badger brush as point of reference, with both 2020 and 2010 as well. I don’t have a Badger SOC to compare with, but I can say that the 2020 is a great brush, and a worthy brush to add to your brush collection.