REVIEW: Frank Shaving develops an in-house synthetic fibre!!!

Discussion in 'The Brush' started by nav, Nov 16, 2018.

  1. nav

    nav Well-Known Member

    I ordered a couple more Frank Shaving brushes and received them the other day. Their Aliexpress store is my usual place for ordering. Ordering and delivery were easy and cost-effective.

    This particular brush is unique in that the knot is made up of a new fibre that FS has developed in-house!

    I originally enquired about another pur-tech brush but was advised by FS that they have developed a similar fibre so I got very curious about it.

    It basically aims to replicate the Gen4 synthetic fibre, as used in the Muhle, EJ Silvertip Fibre ("STF") knots and the FS Pur-tech knots. Let’s call this one “FS fibre” for now.

    Read on to know my experience with this new knot…

    But first, here are some pics:

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    Shedding:

    No shedding at all, as per the case with all synthetics I’ve ever used.

    Softness:

    The Muhle Silvertip Fibre V2 (STF) is basically a market leader in synthetic fibre IMO. It’s basically perfection!

    Well, Frank Shaving nailed it with this new FS fibre!! It’s nearly the same as the Muhle STF in terms of the fibre itself! I’m surprised to experience just how much this feels like the STF.

    It’s really soft at the tips to the point where you barely feel them. The brush overall has substance, but the tips are like air! The way the STF and FS fibre both whip lather in no time is also unique. I add water, swirl a little, and it’s already incorporated and formed a nice-looking lather!

    Splay:

    The FS fibre splays very nicely! Again, like the Muhle STF, it expands amazingly as the volume of lather grows inside it. In fact, the splay is not just “very nice”, it’s actually amazing! It’s very natural and I like it better than my Muhle STF and my FS pur-tech!

    Backbone (and glue bump):

    The ratio of backbone and density is just perfect! As mentioned above, the splay is very natural so I don’t need to push down hard to get it to splay. Even though it does have a glue bump of approx. 8-10mm, it doesn’t negatively impact the performance, whereas on all other synths I have, a glue bump of about 10mm does negatively impact the experience of the brush.

    The combination of the fibre, the tips, the substance, density and backbone all combine to give me exactly what I would classify as perfection!

    The 24mm knot with the 53mm loft is just awesome! The finish on the knot could be a little better when compared to Muhle and EJ STF brushes however, at $23 for the 24mm FS fibre compared to the $86 for the Muhle 23mm STF …it’s a no brainer for me!

    It’s a big call, but this brush is now my #1 synthetic brush of all time (out of the 25 I have)!!

    Drying time:

    The brush dried out fully within a few hours, just like other synthetics on the market. No difference to be noted.

    Handle:

    The faux agate handle is lovely. It’s classy but I do wish it comes in other shapes as this handle shape is becoming common. No knocks against it though, it’s a really pleasing handle for sure!
     
    preidy, Hembree, brit and 7 others like this.
  2. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Are these knots available separate from the handle? Sounds like they'd be good for restorations. The visual is impressive for the look of "natural" versus some of the synthetics that are obviously man made.

    @nav - feel free to post (non-live auction) links to the product for easy clicking action. ;)
     
    Enrico and Frijolero like this.
  3. nav

    nav Well-Known Member

    I don't believe the knots are should separately.

    I agree, it's the most natural looking synthetic I've seen, even more than the v1 muhle STF.

    The link to this brush is here...

    https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/AXpe6CY
     
    RyX likes this.
  4. brit

    brit in a box

    nice looking brush..my synthetic knot brushes are starting to outnumber my other brushes..
     
    Enrico likes this.
  5. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Frank-Shav...64d599e6:m:m6Fn_4HYRd7nt_Eae8De2Tw:rk:17:pf:0
     
    AlDm and RyX like this.
  6. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    Thanks @Enrico! Both the Aliexpress & ebay sites have free shipping. The "knot only" costs a little more, but if it's to be used as a replacement there's no risk attempting to pull it from the handle.
     
  7. nav

    nav Well-Known Member

    The reason that knot is more expensive is because the pur-tech is the muhle STF fibre. The brush I reviewed is Frank Shaving own in house development, which would lead to cost savings and that's why the brush is so competitively priced.
     
    Screwtape and RyX like this.
  8. DaveO

    DaveO Active Member

    Is the Frank Shaving FS3# on the website the same one you reviewed. I'm satisfied with my Silver Tip badger, but I would like to try a good synthetic for travel.
     
    RyX likes this.
  9. AlDm

    AlDm Well-Known Member

    Very good topic. I wanted to get some answers to questions about self-installing a synthetic node in the handle. Perhaps many of these questions are also interesting, as well as me.
    The synthetic knot has a base (base / nut / bump). Does this base (bump) need to be completely immersed in the shaft of a brush handle? If someone has already independently installed a synthetic node (beam, whisk) in the handle, please share your experience. Thank.
    How deeply do you embed a knot (whisk) in a pen ???
    Sorry for not knowing English. I use machine translation.

    Очень хорошая тема. Я хотел получить некоторые ответы на вопросы по самостоятельной установке синтетического узла в ручку. Возможно многим эти вопросы тоже интересны, как и мне.
    Синтетический узел имеет основание ( базу/ орех/ шишка), Нужно ли эту основу ( шишку) полностью погружать в шахту ручки кисти?
    Это самый главный вопрос. Если кто-то уже самостоятельно устанавливал синтетический узел ( пучок, метёлка) в ручку, поделитесь пожалуйста своим опытом. Спасибо.
    Насколько глубоко вы внедряете узел ( метёлку) в ручку???
    Извините за незнание английского языка. Использую машинный перевод.
     
    brit and RyX like this.
  10. RyX

    RyX DoH!

    @AlDm In my experience the glue that holds the bristles together is 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch (6 to 12 mm) tall. Choosing how deep can affect the feel of the brush. Setting it deep in the cup of the handle forces the bristles to hold tight making for a scrubby, stiff brush.

    По моему опыту, клей, который держит щетину, составляет от 1/4 до 1/2 дюйма (6-12 мм). Выбор глубины может повлиять на ощущение кисти. Устанавливая его глубоко в чашку с ручкой, закрепите щетину, чтобы она была
     
    brit and AlDm like this.
  11. nav

    nav Well-Known Member

    Not entirely sure which sure you're referring to.

    Here's the link to the brush I reviewed:

    https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/AXpe6CY
     
    RyX likes this.
  12. Rhody

    Rhody Well-Known Member

    Is this model on ebay?
    In finding the terms confusing
    Us pur tech this model?
     
  13. nav

    nav Well-Known Member

    I'm not in the US so don't know about eBay. I got it from aliexpress using the link I've posted above.

    It's not the pur-tech...but the pur-tech is also fantastic but more costly. The G4 knot is basically the same thing but much cheaper.
     

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