Hello Gents, I’m back with another review. It’s been a while as I had given a break to my brush orders but I was very excited to try out some DS Cosmetic brushes. As usual, my ordering destination was Aliexpress. It was a smooth process and the parcel was fully tracked. My order consists 5 synthetic brushes and one of their two band silvertips. Here are some pics of the brushes: Shedding: No shedding at all from any of the synthetics. The badger lost a total of 8 hairs in the first 3 lathers and then noting after that. Discussion and Impressions: Lets start with the flat top synthetics as this style of knot is new to me. The closest knot I have to this would be the TurnNShave “quarter moon” tuxedo fan. But these DS flat tops are something completely different, being totally flat, not fan. The tips are very soft, as expected, from a synthetic brush. The feel on the face is very different from other synthetics…very unique! Due to the flat top, the face feel is a bit more solid and the brush feels denser, I guess due to the larger surface area the brush covers. The splay of both the flat tops is a bit more difficult than other synthetics because the flat top gives the knot more rigidity against the face. This is not at all a bad thing because a very unique function of the brush is that I hardly need to splay it out in order to create a great lather…again, due to the flat tops. The plisson style flat top is a little softer than the tuxedo, which is in-line with plisson vs tuxedo knots in general. The face feel and splay however, are very similar with the edge going to the tuxedo just by a smidge. Next up are the tuxedo bulb knot brushes. This is an interesting one because you can see the pic of the top view and notice the difference in bloom between the brushes, which are both 26mm knots. The green handle tuxedo behaves like a lot of tuxedo knots on the market. It’s soft tips, strong backbone and decent splay makes it a good all-rounder. The yellow handle tuxedo however, is something totally different to all the tuxedos I’ve used! The first thing I noticed is how pronounced the crimping is on the fibres. The knot blooms out incredibly and this does indeed translate to the same face feel where the splay is just wonderful!! This would have to be the best tuxedo knot I’ve experienced so far and what I would call “tuxedo perfection”! The tall blue brush is one I was awaiting with eagerness as I saw so many reviews of it stating it’s one of the softest knots around, and they weren’t wrong! The tips are probably the softest I’ve felt! On par with Muhle STF and FS G4 fibres! I mean, they are REALLY soft! Incredible face feel as the 26mm knot splays out beautifully and holds water and lather so well. Just a small dip in my water bowl and it hangs on to water like my badger brushes! The handle is very long and looks great, but a tad too long for my hands so it felt just a tad clunky. The brush is however very unique and really winner in my experience of 30+ synthetic brushes! Now to the two band silvertip. First off, I am confused with the nomenclature because I haven’t previously seen or heard of a two band silvertip however, I must say the function of the knot does indeed back this up! The tips are prickly to begin with and didn’t soften up after about 12 lathers! This is how many two bands are. The tips, once broken in, and the face feel of the knot do feel like a silvertip so perhaps that’s what the manufacturer was going for when choosing the particular badger hair and this gave rise to the “two band silvertip”. The brush splays really nicely and naturally. It is of medium density but doesn’t at any point feel floppy, even after soaking it in warm water for 10 minutes prior to the shave. The knot is 24mm and the loft is 55mm. I feel perhaps the brush would benefit from a loft reduction of about 5mm but there’s nothing wrong with it the way it is. It’s just that I know most of us do prefer that extra bit of density that comes with a lower loft. Drying time: All brushes dried out in no time. It’s easy with synthetics, they are just no fuss!! The badger takes a few hours, consistent with my other badger brushes. Handles: I want to also mention the handles. The “galaxy” style handles are just excellent! They have added a very unique look in my den and my wife really likes them too! The shape, size and weight are very nice and quite ergonomic for me (I have an old wrist injury so I appreciate ergonomics of a brush handle since lathering puts strain on the wrist). Overall, I’m very pleased with my first order of DS Cosmetic brushes. Comparing them against some of the other popular brands and these stand up along-side! The stand-outs are definitely the very unique flat top brushes! And the ultra-soft tall blue brush.
