I received my package from Frank Shaving (FS), containing two badger brushes and two synthetics. I ordered the pur-tech and a tuxedo. Here are some pics of the synths: Shedding: Neither brush has shed at all. Synthetics generally don’t have any issues with shedding and I have yet to receive a synthetic brush with shedding issues. Softness: The tips are very soft and similar to other tuxedo knots. I generally like tuxedo knots and this one feels like the “original” tuxedo knot from APShaveCo. The Pur-tech is something special! If you have ever experienced a Muhle Silvertip Fibre V2, you’ll know how good that fibre is. It’s basically PERFECTION in the synthetic fibre market IMO. 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! Just like the Muhle STF, the pur-tech excels at creating lather in no time! You can load it heavily and it’ll convert the soap and water into lather in rapid time! Splay: The tuxedo knot is very similar to other tuxedo knots on the market. This one is set at a loft of 55mm and I find it assists in splay. I enjoyed this characteristic. The pur-tech splays very nicely! Again, like the Muhle STF, it expands amazingly as the volume of lather grows inside it. This is fairly unique to this fibre as my Muhle STF v1 and v2 both display this characteristic. The splay therefore, is awesome! Backbone and glue bump: The tuxedo does have a glue bump of about 10mm. Given the loft is set at 55mm, the brush has strong backbone but still does splay fairly well. The pur-tech is set at a loft of 50mm with a knot of 28mm. This may sound SHOCKING at first but that’s the beauty of this fibre! This fibre doesn’t behave like any other synthetic fibre on the market. It’s very unique in this sense. The brush splays very nicely and with the 28mm knot, holds a lot of lather. It also never hogs any lather and releases/applies it very nicely on the face. It’s basically the “chubby” version of the Muhle STF. I’d highly recommend it to all the STF fans out there as it’s the same magical fibre but in a configuration that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s shot up to being one of my all time favourite synthetic brushes. I am curious about how this brush would feel with a loft of 55mm…or perhaps the same 50mm loft with the total absence of a glue bump. Drying time: Both brushes dried out in no time. It’s easy with a synthetic and that’s likely why they are so popular with travellers. I don’t travel much so it’s not a factor for me. I like synthetics for their overall characteristics. Handle: I perhaps should have chosen a different handle for the tuxedo but in any case, the handles are great. They are in the “chubby” shape and very comfortable to use. The marble pattern is really wonderful and looks very pleasing!
