Hello everybody. I haven't been here for a while. My wife is complaining about my Edwin Jagger badger hair brush. It smells. It is 14 years old. I don't keep it in a cupboard so I don't think that is the cause. Anyway, I'm not really looking for advice to fix the old brush. That can be binned. I am looking for recommendations for a new brush. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm lead to believe that synthetic has come on tremendously since I last visited this site. I'm in the UK. Don't want to spend more than about £40 ideally. Any suggestions as to what to get and where to get it from. Thanks
Well, you're in luck. Simpson's Trafalger synthetic brushes are decent quality and very affordable, and come in three sizes. Edit: I still prefer natural brushes.
I purchased a Fendrihan synthetic 22mm knot for only $10 and it does great for me. Probably not as high-end as Simpson, Muhle, etc, but I'm happy with it.
Well yeah, they use a different, proprietary fibre in those, and charge 3X the price. I would be very disappointed if a $30 brush was the equal of a $90 brush from the exact same manufacturer. Do I think the Trafalger series of brushes is worth the price premium over the various $10-20 synthetics out there? Yes. They set the knot a bit deeper, and use a denser knot than most other brands. I would assume that the Chubby synthetics are in a league of their own, given the price point, and overwhelmingly positive reviews regarding their density over the years. I'm still not going to recommend one to someone looking for both a £40 and under brush and a first synthetic brush, no matter how good a brush people think it is.
