Here's my review of the newly launched G5/G7 series synthetic brushes from Frank Shaving. The black knot in brown handle is the G5 and the G7 is in the blue handle. The modernised beehive handle design is not only very ergonomic but looks absolutely fantastic! FS have really designed a wonderfully unique handle! Disclaimer: I'm going by the assumption that the G5 black knot is commonly referred to as G5B and the G7 is referred to as G5C. The G5 is the "new and improved" boss knot. It retains the backbone and light scrub of the boss knot, which is what the boss knot is renowned for. The G5 has a antimicrobial coating, which make it ideal for travelling, where the brush might reside in a dopp kit/travel tube. It also improves on the splay of the boss knot. The boss knot always felt fairly stiff to me, even though it was less dense than the G5. The knot is 26mm with a loft of 54mm. The glue bump is small so the splay is good, whilst maintaining decent backbone. The face feel gives a slight scrubby feeling but not scratchy. It's comfortable but one can feel the scrubbing action whilst swirling the brush around. The G7 has a remarkable likeness to a two band badger (2BB). This matches the reviews I've read regarding the G5C knot. This bulb knot has all the characteristics of a 2BB! The splay is extraordinarily similar. The way it envelopes the contours of the face, like a natural hair brush. The splay is very natural and the knot opens up on response to pressure applied. With minimal pressure, it still retains its shape and doesn't feel like a "stick" or "wet noodle". The backbone is less than the G5(B), but fairly inline with a well broken in 2BB. Density is similar to a 2BB but not as much as an SHD badger knot. The tips also have a slight texture that gives it a face feel of a 2BB. It's not at all scratchy but does give a bit of a scrub. It's quite impressive to see how far synthetic fibres have come. Not necessarily just in comparison to badger brushes, but even when comparing to previous generations of synthetic fibres. The one exception to this for me is the FS Pur-tech (which is the same fibre as Muhle silvertip fibre). This to me remains the pinnacle of synthetic brushes! These new brushes from FS can be found on the FS store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004401993937.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004515869680.html
Nice review! If you don't mind giving me an opinion, I have a Muhle STF 25mm and use it quite a bit. It makes really great lahter but I've always found it a little stiff, difficult to splay, and a little scratchy although those things got a little better after some use. If I wanted something a little easier to splay and less scratchy than a Muhle STF, what should I try? Thanks.
It looks like someone sawed a beehive handle in half, and inserted a butt plug in what remained. It does look ergonomic. I also found the hair description intriguing, as I use two band badger almost exclusively. I'm going to be keeping an eye on Frank shaving brushes.
