Hello Gents, I just received my first synthetic shaving brush and it is a black, octagonal handle, 24mm Whipped Dog! I emailed back and forth with Larry several times and was impressed, as always, with his friendliness and helpfulness. He truly has some of the best customer service around. What I noticed out of the package was how soft the tips of the fibers were! To compare I put my dry Frank Shaving silvertip up to my face and it felt scratchy by comparison. Needless to say, I really like the softness of this brush. The only thing I found a bit different to the badger or boar is how springy the WD synthetic knot was. In fact, I did find it a bit difficult to get it to splay out when building up lather on my face. You almost have to get used to really pressing it down against your face when lathering. I also noticed that the brush seems really tiny in the 24mm knot. It seems like a great travel brush, but I couldn't use my normal brush drying stand to hang it upside down. It could simply be the octagonal handle shape that I chose. Luckily, being a synthetic it dries very fast and doesn't really need to be hung upside down after a quick towel drying imo. Overall, it seems to be an excellent brush and I really enjoy the extremely soft tips of the brush. It does make me wonder, though, how much better is the Plisson brush than the WD? It's hard to imagine that it could get too much better. Maybe it splays easier or something, but I am really impressed with the Whipped Dog Synthetic and of course with Larry's fabulous customer service. I will continue using it to see if I can dial it in better for future shaves. Does anyone have experience comparing both the Plisson and Whipped Dog synthetics to comment on value/performance?
I own both. While I like the WD, the Plisson/L'Occitane is far softer and performs better for me overall. The Plisson/L'Occitane is also smaller than my WD, so that could be an issue for you if you think that the WD is tiny.
They are both good knots. The WD synthetic is springier than the Plisson, more backbone. The WD is bigger in diameter, but it has a fair sized glue bump that means the effective loft is actually shorter than the Plisson. So the Plisson brush has softer, more flexible fibers with a greater effective loft. In practice, the Plisson is more efficient at lathering than the WD and feels softer and less scrubby. I like both brushes, they are simply different. That's part of the fun collecting many different brushes (SBAD)! I look at my brushes, 13 at last count, and say "what do I feel like today?"
I have both. The WD is a super brush for the money, and Larry is wonderful to order from, the Plisson IMO is a great brush!
No brush needs to be hung upside down to dry, they dry just fine standing on the handle with the bristles up. I have no experience with the Plisson synthetic, I can say that based on my experience the WD synthetic is good I do like the TGN and Muhle synthetics much more.
Thanks for that Tom! My experience has been the same with drying brushes as long as I dry them on a towel before putting it away. The WD has been great other than the rather springy nature of the brush. I'm wondering if that is a synthetic thing or just a WD thing.
You might want to take a look at some of my threads concerning synthetics (see signature line). All synthetics tend to have some spring in them. Gen 4 fibers tend to have a little less spring than the Gen 3 fibers (WD and Plisson).
Here's some homework. Next time you use a bush, any brush, that you hang in a rack after use. After an hour or two look under the brush, do you see a puddle of water? Any water? I'm willing to bet the answer is no. Ventilation is the key, keep the brush in the open until it's dried.
I think the Plisson is way better. I had the WD 24mm Synthetic and sold it, because it was near impossible to splay, and that made it aggravating to use. The Plisson is an absolute joy that never fails me, dries great, lathers anything I have thrown at it, and gives me great shaves and great happiness.
Thanks for offering your opinion. I am having a similar experience with the WD. I'm hoping to get the chance to try out a Plisson if they ever come back in stock
Completely agree with you sir. I always try to fan mine out, whether hanging upside down or not, to get maximum air flow. Good to know the brush won't self destruct if you don't hang it to dry
People complain that the Plisson doesn't have enough backbone, but frankly it does. It's way better than a pure badger at least. It was literally impossible to get the WD to splay.
Much appreciated GD. I've been somewhat unsatisfied with the WD. It isn't a bad brush, but I would like something a little less springy I think. I'm used to a 26mm fan shaped silver tip and it practically cradles your face while you lather with it. Sounds like either the Plisson or Muhle are two viable options in that direction.
I've noticed too that it sometimes flicks lather around after I've splayed it when face lathering. Not a huge fan of that feature.
