I am thinking of picking up my first synthetic brush. The Parker Brush at the link below looks like a good one. Any suggestions? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LLQ3WK/?tag=thshde-20
have never tried that one but I have a KONG and that is the brush that changed my mind about synthetics....hopefully someone who has used both can chime in.
+1 on the Kong. Changed my whole perspective on brushes. It can be found here. http://www.stirlingsoap.com/synthetic-shave-brush-26mm/
I've tried an omega, a Whipped Dog and a RazoRock Plissoft. I wasn't a fan of the omega but the other two are amazing. The razorock is slightly softer but either choice is very affordable.
I'm wondering if it's a good choice too. It's been in my Amazon cart for the past two weeks and I haven't pulled the trigger yet. It did get some very good reviews there.
D. All of the above. Synthetic brushes nowadays are incredible. I'm a huge fan of my Plisson. It's my daily driver.
This is the one I got and I think there are better ones out there. In fact, if you really want one...
I have a Whipped Dog synthetic that is a great knot. I made a wild cherry handle for it patterned after a vintage Made-Rite handle.
I regret having gotten mine. Not that it's horrible -- it's not. But I now think there are better options for similar money.
I am a face latherer. I have two brushes that have Pur-Tech synthetics in them. They are soft, but they have too much backbone. It is very difficult to splay them so face lathering is difficult. The Whipped Dog is a good balance. It is soft, but it splays and has some backbone, too. I enjoyed the shaves with it. The problem for me is I have too many brushes now. HA! I am looking to get a couple of WD synthetics for my new Jayaruh #34 and #35. Here is the #2 synthetic. Here is the #10 synthetic.
I'm a recent convert to face lathering -- or rather, a returnee. I didn't realize bowl lather was a thing until getting into the hobby aspect. But either before or now, I'm fine with "painting." I'm ok with splay too but I still don't get why it's such a big deal.
I now have 3. The Plisson was my first and I added the Kong and then the Razorock Plissoft, which was sellong ror $10 at Italian Barber. If that is still available, it it is an incredible deal. For perspective, I also have a Rooney 2/1 silvertip, a Simpson Duke 3 in Best, a Kent BK 8, and a Seogue 830. The synthetics won't make me give up my badgers or boar, but they are incredible for the money. Easy to lather and dry really fast, so good for travel. They are the softest of my brushes, so if you are a huge fan of dense brushes with a lot of backbone, they may not be to your liking. For me, they work with soaps and creams, face or bowl.
L'Occitane's. I've had it a little over a year now and have used it almost exclusively since. Similar knots are available from Razorock. The L'Occitane is an elusive beast.
With face lathering you build the lather on your face instead of in a bowl. So, I start on my neck and work up. After loading my brush, I begin to build the lather on my neck and then go to my cheeks and chin. I will splay and pump the brush to generate the lather. Then, I will paint the rest. The splaying, pumping, and swirling are all a part of making an abundance of lather on the face instead of in a bowl. I just do two passes anymore and end up washing away a good amount of lather. Too bad you can't save it for the next day. HA!
