Stiff Synthetic Brush Recommendations?

Discussion in 'The Brush' started by TheBurgh, Apr 2, 2022.

  1. TheBurgh

    TheBurgh Active Member

    As a noob, I have been doing quite a bit of reading (here and elsewhere) about brushes. Much like wines, blades and cars, there are an innumerable quantity of attributes. I can't quite drill down to the direction I've taken in personal preference. Many posts are helpful, but I'm looking for a synthetic.

    So, I'll ask for a bit of help in recommending a brush and keep my preferences simple.

    Looking for a stiff, dense, non-floppy, scrubby, grind-the-lather-into-the-beard synthetic brush. Not interested in the spreading, painting or splaying type of brush. Really not concerned with whipping the lather or the amount of lather retention by the brush.

    Sorry if my terminology is sloppy. Still learning.

    Thanks for your help!
     
  2. brit

    brit in a box

    as a guy who used boar brushes for years,the tuxedo synthetic knot -24mm is a great choice.ticks all the boxes for me.:)
     
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  3. DrStrange

    DrStrange Well-Known Member

  4. MrDaniel's

    MrDaniel's Well-Known Member

    Maybe an Omega S-Brush could do the trick?

    I had one for a while and it was really stiff, probably the stiffest brush I've ever used. Too stiff for me personally.
     
  5. TheBurgh

    TheBurgh Active Member

    Just ordered this one to (inexpensively) get started on my quest.
     
  6. MrDaniel's

    MrDaniel's Well-Known Member

    I hope you will enjoy it! The knot might not be as dense as some others, but it certainly has backbone and some scrub to it.
     
  7. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    If that fails to satisfy, the old nylon "first generation" synthetic brushes from the 70's/80's might be the ticket.

    Most people find them too stiff and scratchy, and they don't lather well. (Picture a brush knot made from cut up fishing line, and you'll have a decent idea of what to expect). The knots are almost exclusively white colored. Makes for easy identification. As a bonus, for vintage brushes, they tend to be on the inexpensive side.

    An ebay search for "rubberset nylon shave brush" will show you the look of that type of shave brush. You can expand your search from there.
     
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  8. MrDaniel's

    MrDaniel's Well-Known Member

    I think Gillette still makes one a bit like that. I've seen them on ebay.
     
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  9. brit

    brit in a box

    i thought that one was for cleaning said gillette razors..:D:eatdrink047:
     
  10. MrDaniel's

    MrDaniel's Well-Known Member

    "Removes the plating.. eh, dirt completely in just one use!"
     
  11. brit

    brit in a box

    :D
     
  12. PanChango

    PanChango Not Cute

    I re-did a Rubberset 300N. I used the nylon brush once and it was pretty awful...

    Not my pic, but this was the one. I really like the handle, but the knot was ick.

    300n.JPG
     
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  13. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    This Razorock noir 24mm 400 synthetic always reminded me of a boar brush with face feel. Razorock Noir 400 Plissoft 24mm (2).jpg
    If you want a better brush for scrubbing that has soft tips with great backbone I would go with this Yaqi "Ever helpful"22mm 2band badger will really surprize a person.
    I have 8 badger brushes and this one is designed for scrubbing and it still surprises me, it has a shorter loft with a dense knot and scrubs better than my boar brushes IMO.
    You can get them on sale sometimes and it was worth the small amount I paid, I have a another yaqi 22mm 2band badger "Sagrada Familia" and it is not the same face feel when scrubbing compared to the "Ever helpful). Yaqi #1 ever-helpfull 22mm 2 band badger.jpg
     
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  14. Campion

    Campion Active Member

    I second the Omega S Brush. The Omega Hi Brush is even stiffer, as are synthetics from Zenith. The Hi Brush and the Zeniths cost a fair amount more than an S, however.
     
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  15. Hogie

    Hogie Well-Known Member

    I got a Simpsons Trafalgar T3 brush. It's fairly stiff backbone and yet soft. Now that I have the T3, I see I could have gotten by with a T2. T3 is BIG brush! T3 cost me $34.99
    [​IMG]
     
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  16. kfbrady

    kfbrady Well-Known Member

    I'm also a big fan of the Simpson Trafalgar line. They are very nicely made and at $26-$35 level a bargain. The knots are densely packed which produces plenty of stiffness but the tips are softer than any badger I own. They lather well and dry quickly. The T1 is travel brush sized while the T3 is huge - chubby sized - so as Hogie says the T2 (24mm knot, 44mm loft) is the happy medium. I have all 3 but use the T2 the most.

    Here are the T1 and T2 together...
    [​IMG]
     
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  17. TheBurgh

    TheBurgh Active Member

    O.P. reporting back.

    Did buy and use the Omega. Very disappointed with my hopeful expectations. (The brush itself is probably performing as it should.) The backbone is not nearly stiff enough. Have to paint the lather, the tips never reaching my beard. Perhaps the bristles are too long and flexible. Whatever the reason, the brush is not capable of applying soap while it is perpendicular to surface of my face (in a dobbing, tips-down motion).

    Just placed an order for a Trafalgar 1, thinking that the smaller brush with shorter, stubbier bristles might be more stabbie.

    There is a possibility that the brush I desire doesn't exist. In that case, maybe cut a brush's crown way down, shop in a hardware store or go back to apply cream/gel/soap by hand.

    Boar?
     
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  18. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Ahhh, the joy of the hunt :)
     
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  19. MrDaniel's

    MrDaniel's Well-Known Member

    Sorry to hear that the brush didn't do the trick. Hopefully the T1 will though! I just got a T2 myself.

    If you go for a boar, in my experience Semogues have less backbone than Omegas. I have used only one Omega boar though (10049), but I'd guess that 40033 or something like that, with it's shorter loft, would be more to your liking. Someone with more experience can probably chime in and tell if there are better options.
     
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  20. Ron R

    Ron R Well-Known Member

    This brush will not disappoint for scrubbing, it is dense short loft and does not get much better and even has soft tips. It is designed for scrubbing IMO.
    The Yaqi 22mm "Ever helpful" 2 band badger scrubs better than my boar brushes IMO.
    Brush collage Feb 11 2022.jpg
    Have some great shaves!
     
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