Hmmmm...good question. I am not sure I would like the skin feel of a synthetic. In truth I haven't tried one. I am on the fence...still thinking. I am quite content with my boar and badger collection. I use every one of them (I have 9) in rotation. Every time I pick one up I am holding a piece of shaving history, upholding a tradition. Every boar and badger has a unique personality. I recently picked up a NOS Victora Pure Badger brush (at least I tell myself it's NOS)...and it is the nicest brush I have ever used. Can't imagine a synthetic coming close. Having said that, I am probably going to buy one just to give it a whirl at some point. But I am worried I will feel my wet shaving has lost its old school charm.
I checked out the price of synthetic brushes and there seems to be quite a spread in price...from $10 to $125. Are some synthetic bristles more exotic? More rare? Are some synthetic fibres on the endangered polymer list? I can understand the differences in the quality of handles maybe...but the bristles?
I would recommend adopting one of @Jayaruh 's brushes. I went through a pretty big synthetic kick last year, and I did feel a lot of what you mentioned. I set and re-knotted quite a few synthetics into custom wooden handles, and that mostly made the difference for me. A hand carved brush from jayaruh would be both beautiful and a value. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
For sure you are paying a premium for handles with Muhle, Simpson etc. Their fibers also have a different feel to them, and saying whether or not they are worth it, is one of those YMMV things. If you love or want the softest brush possible, the Plisson-types are pretty much it, and for less than $20, the IB, Maggard, and soon Stirling are the ticket. But in my opinion, these brushes have their own feel to them: synthetic. Not a knock, just like saying boar feels like boar, badger feels... On the higher end, the Simpson Chubby 2 comes the closest to breaking the mold, and if it wasn't for the slightest pushback in getting it to splay, I could easily imagine it was a good silvertip. On the more inexpensive side, I think the Ubersoft2 with it's sort of hybrid fan, has a very natural splay feel to it. The fan gives more coverage without having to fight the backbone of a synthetic. I am in the minority, but prefer it to the Plisson types. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I have no synthetics presently but I was thinking about trying the Razorock Plissoft. For $13.00 CDN I hear it's a fantastic deal, as it works like an expensive silvertip.
I have went all synth. My rotation consist of six brushes, each has a different feel Here is the line up. -razorock plissoft 26mm monster -razorock plissoft three color barber handle. -whipped dog 30mm with butterscotch handle. -crown king tali long rider duro 26mm -omega hi brush with dark ash wood handle -omega s10108 (pro size) I went all synth because I consistently get better lather than with natural hair brushes (also uses less product) I found it interesting that the plissoft monster splays out wider than the 3omm whipped dog. The whipped dog is very dense but super super soft at the tips. I haven't used the hi brush much yet. Still getting the hang of it. It seems better than I thought based on reviews I had read. The omega pro s10108 is an interesting brush. It gets a lot of bad reviews. However I enjoy it. It is quite scrubby but sometimes that is what your're looking for. However if you bowl or palm lather the brush feels much less scrubby, downright soft when filled with lather. In fact when looking for review videos on this brush I couldn't find many in english but there are a bunch of shave videos that appear to be in Italian that feature this brush and they all bowl lather. This brush generates and hold a lot of lather. Overall synths lather fast clean up easily and you can get great performance for a reasonable amount of money. Of the brushes I have one cost $32, two were just over $20 and the rest were less than $20 including shipping. I love synths but everyone needs to use what works for them and that they enjoy.
Never going all anything. Love my Badgers, Horse, Boar and Synth brushes. I have one wife. Everything else is multiples.
On the subject of old school shavers not having synthetics, there actually were synthetic fiber brushes decades age, in our grandfathers' time and up. They were called "nylon bristles", and they sucked big time. So "preserving the past" or some such is not a reason to eschew synthetics. They were around then, too.
Yes, true but there is more to it than that. The vintage brushes were not the quality of materials and design that the synthetic brushes are today. The facts are with the technology they have today (a key point to be considered here) things are different. The new generation synthetic brushes that have come out in the last few years are great and nothing at all like the vintage brush you showed other than the fact that it was a nylon or the synthetic material bristled brush of that time in history. Your not even comparing apples to apples here more like apples to oranges comparing a vintage synthetic brush to a modern synthetic brush. Happy Shaves All, Bill G
I don't think you understood what he was getting at. I read it as more of an endorsement of technology, and that synthetics have been around for decades; that it doesn't preclude traditional shaving methods. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Oh I mis understood your point and I am so sorry. More like mis read was trying to operate my plant and read at the the time. So sorry Happy Shaves, Bill G
One thing I noticed, that I knew prior my first synthetic lather-up, was/is how incredibly easy and fast it is to rinse and clean after use. It was only then I realised how big a factor it is to me. A boars bristles soak water/soap so it needs a fair amount of extra squeeze and rinse before the water coming from it is clear.
My brushes: Brandless Badger Wilkinson Boar Bodyshop Synth Vie-Long Horse RazoRock Synth I like the softness of the badger. It feels luxurious. The backbone of the boar is nice. It took a little breaking in. The Bodyshop synth is nice because it's so small. It works well for me. The horse surprised me. it has more backbone than the boar. It is somewhat prickly. After two uses it still stinks. Overall, I like it a lot. I hope the stink goes away soon. The RazoRock synth is nice. It is my biggest brush by far. Mixing old school with modern is fine for me if it works. I use all my brushes and I like them all. I tend to go to the boar the most I think. The horse is new, so it may become the favourite.
When I started with the synths... Pisson(22mm) = nice then the knot fell out of the handle. Plisson replaced it. Knot was put in a new handle. Muhle STF (25mm) was next (knot) a bit springy = not backbone.. RazoRocks were next Monster (26mm) - didn't enjoy the handle so it was replanted in a ferrule for my Rubberset 400 = dome buster rules! Disruptor (22mm) - nice for face lathering. Just a little small for dome busting. Bruce(24mm) - nice handle. More back bone then the other RRs. In retrospect the Plisson was quite the discovery. Disregarding price point economics. It is quite the brush. It was a surprise at so many levels (even though some think it is too "floppy"). Easy to lather up (bowl or face), extremely soft tips.
Cool. Looks still very usable. I have my Klenzo Nylon on deck for tomorrow's shave. I've used it before; if it was really that bad it wouldn't be in the rotation. A sweet 89 year old young (she still loves to get out and rollerskate) lady in our church gave it to me. It's fun to contemplate the history of the brush as I use it.
I just got the Italian handle in the mail this week. My first synthetic. Very soft and a fantastic latherer. A great bargain. I'm glad I took a chance
