Omega Professional 10048 Review – Monster of a Boar Brush
Omega Professional 10048 Shaving Brush
The Omega 10048 is a brush from a range of shaving brushes from the brand Omega named professional. It’s a beast of a brush.
Pros
Plenty of backbone
Retains water and lather very well
Lathers very well and moves them whiskers from the skin
Trusted brand
Becomes soft once broken in
Cons
The handle is low quality
Too big for many gentlemen
Breaking in and smelly period to get through
We have recently covered the best of Omega Shaving Brushes in a roundup and compared the various types to make it easier to understand the range of handmade brushes the Italian company makes.
We included the Omega Professional Shaving Brush range within the roundup, and we will be covering the Omega 10048 (aka Omega “FORTY-EIGHT 48” Shaving Brush or Pro 48) model in this review.
This review should also provide some guidance on others from the Professional range. The Pro 48 is the largest brush, giving you a good idea about what the others in the range are like on a smaller scale.
The Brand: Omega is an Italian brand that was founded in the 1930s. Their Badger, Boar, and Synthetic shaving brushes are popular worldwide and inexpensive compared to many other brands. The wide range of brushes distributed around the world are handmade.
Let’s delve into the review and take a look at the handle, knot, and how the Omega Professional 10048 lathers up and performs.
Omega Professional 10048 Shaving Brush Description
The Boar Hair 10048 is a large shaving brush and about as big as a shaving brush gets. Many brands do not go over about 26mm, so this is a bit of a beast.
What Do You Think About The Handle?
The handle is very big, and a whole handful of chrome-colored material–named ABS. The Omega logo and number 48 are stamped on the bottom of the handle.
It’s very light to hold until it is loaded with water and lather. It feels too light compared to the type of brushes I prefer, but some users might prefer a light brush.
Backbone
This is where Boar brushes excel, and this brush has a mass of backbone. The bristles just spring straight back when I run my hand across it, and it has no floppiness at all loaded.
This is the first best aspect of this shaving brush.
Softness
The Omega 10048 does soften up after about a month of use, and at first, it is extremely tough and scritchy. This is quite normal for boar brushes as they need time to break in.
Once the brush was broken in it became quite soft and kept some of the scritcheness that really helps to massage the lather into the whiskers.
Water and Lather Retention
The Omega Professional has a large knot, and because it is made from boar hair and is so large, it retains a heck of a lot of water and lather.
This is great for those who like a brush to hold enough for a couple of passes or brush loads without dipping back into the bowl or swirling the brush around on the soap again. It does use a lot of shaving soap or cream, though, and too much for my liking.
With a smaller knot, this kind of retention is excellent. I just found it too much with the large knot.
Durability
I noticed a few hairs lost when I first started to use the Omega 10048, but that reduced. The knot seems solid enough even if the handle is only a plastic-type, and these should last five years or more.
It’s not the most expensive shaving brush, so I wouldn’t have high expectations on its longevity.
Drying
Boar shaving brushes tend to take quite some time to dry, and this one seems to take until the next day to dry out. It helps to lightly rub the brush over a towel to get rid of the excess water before standing it up to dry out.
Because the knot is so big on this brush, it will take longer than others to dry. It will also take a bit more time to break this beast of a brush in.
Lathering and Applying
I tried lathering up in a bowl and straight to the face. However, I found the brush too big for the lather bowls I have and preferred lathering on the face.
The brush works the lather very well into any facial hair, but it is large and too large for me. Others might really like this sort of size brush when applying the lather on the face, especially bigger guys.
The boar hair funky stink lasted for some time, and it’s not great when I have some really great scented soaps, which I have paid good money for. You might want to use a cheaper soap for the first few shaves or even for about three weeks (something like Arko – a strong scent). The stink does ease off.
Value For Money
The Omega Professional 10048 gives top value for money and is priced up at around $10 (£9 – €11). Bargain for big boar hair brush lovers.
Any Common Consumer Issues, Complaints, or Positive Reports?
It’s evident that most of the guys that bought and used the 10048 are experienced with using boar-type shaving brushes; otherwise, there would be more complaints about the initial stiffness and odor.
Most common negative comments in reviews are about the brush is too big and the cheap handle. You guys won’t complain as you know what to expect after reading the review.
There are plenty of positive reviews about how great the backbone is and how this brush is well worth its price tag.
Final Thoughts – Who is the Omega Professional 10048 Best Suited For?
The 10048 is a big brush, and it is not the right size for me and won’t be for some other gentlemen. The other smaller Omega Professional boar hair brushes have just as good backbone, and lather retention as this brush are worth considering.
You might need to have used a boar hair brush before using the 10048 and an average knot size (21mm and 24mm) to know you want to try out something quite a bit bigger. It does not make sense to buy and use this if you are new to using shaving brushes or a boar hair brush.
You also need to be up for the going through the breaking in period of this brush, which may just be worth the wait and effort.
See you on the next lather up and shave down.
