Good price on a well-respected synthetic:
Cade Shaving Brush Plisson | L'OCCITANE en Provence | United States
Cheers, Steve
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Good price on a well-respected synthetic:
Cade Shaving Brush Plisson | L'OCCITANE en Provence | United States
Cheers, Steve
Those have been discontinued. The same knot is available from vendors and Plisson, but for much more money.
That is a good price. I just bought one from a L'Occitane retail outlet in Canada for $58 CAD.
Bob
its definitely worth to 50 bucks. great brush.
Jury is out on that one for me at least. It works alright but I prefer a little more backbone in a synthetic like the Simpsons Chubby2 synthetic has. The Plisson reminds me a bit of the soft synthetic make up brushes the wife was looking at but not that soft.
Bob
Yep, it has a reputation for being very soft, but folks say it works very well in spite of it. But at $30 I figure I can sell it for that down the road if I don't like it. I'm fond of a little backbone too, so this will be an experiment for me.
Cheers, Steve
Yes, at that price that would be exactly what I'd do any why also. For me I just might keep mine for the days when you just want the luxury of a plush pillow to face lather with. It fits that niche nicely. Have you used a synthetic before or is this your first go at one?
Bob
I have a Muhle 21mm STF that seems to be quite a good brush. It feels great and makes good lather. I don't think most synth brushes are quite there yet, but they are good. I'm guessing that the synthetic fibers have the same coefficient of torsion (springiness) along the entire fiber while a badger hair is stiff at the base and soft at the tip. I'm also going to guess that v3 of the synthetic fibers will be like this.
Cheers, Steve
If by not quite there yet you mean mimicking a badger silver tip you are right and I don't think they will ever totally duplicate a badger silver tip. I just accept them as an entirely different class/type of knot that are now good enough to stand on their own merits.
The interesting thing about synthetic fibers is that they can be improved as time goes by by altering the characteristics of the individual fibers, as you mentioned. The changes in characteristics can be very uniform from brush to brush and lot to lot in a controlled manufacturing process. Try getting consistent improvements in badger hair fiber through a breeding program. Good luck with that.
Anyway, I think synthetics have just begun to hit their stride and will improve over time. Enjoy your Plisson.
Bob
Thanks Bob,
I agree 100%. Synthetic fibers are really in their infancy and I look forward to better and better brushes. They can, or soon will be able to stand with badger I think, with no apologies. I just brought up the comparison to illustrate that I believed they currently have a uniform spring constant along the fiber. One complaint is that they can sling lather, and that's what made me think the fibers are uniform. BTW, my Muhle STF v2 doesn't seem to exhibit this behavior, or at least not much.
They are still a ways off from replacing a Simpson Chubby's "wall of badger" feeling though!
Cheers, Steve
Yea well, synthetics are not really in their infancy if you take the failed attempt of the 1950's, I think, to popularize nylon knots. That did nothing to help that class of knot and people have long memories. It has been just recently that the idea of a useful synthetic knot has taken hold and a fair effort has been put into improving the class in a relatively short time has been made.
I think they are already able to stand on their own as compared to badger, boar or horse hair knot offering a useful but different set of characteristics from the others. The downfall of synthetics is the constant comparison to badger rather than recognizing and accepting the different attributes they offer. After all, if you want what a badger, boar or horse hair brush has to offer you buy one of them. You don't/shouldn't expect the same performance from a badger as opposed to a boar, they are different.
Yea, you certainly can sling lather with most synthetics if you are an enthusiastic user of painting strokes to apply your lather with. As you say they tend to be springy by nature and most factory lofts are set too high for my tastes making sling lather all the more likely as with a floppy badger silver tip. I have had most of my synthetics reset to lower lofts and face lather using circular strokes to build the lather and painting strokes spread it. I did this after using the very low lofted Chubby2 synthetic and finding it great for face lathering with slinging the lather around. With the Plisson OTH you can almost "crack the whip" with it and will most assuredly sling lather if you get carried away painting with it.
Bob
The Edwin Jagger XL is not springy, has backbone, and is soft, and performs so well that I ended up selling my Simpson Cubby 2 Manchurian, as well as many other badgers, as they just couldn't compete.
Mine arrived yesterday and I took it for a spin this morning. It is very soft, but that did not impede its ability to make a first-rate lather. I was using Martin de Candre which lathers well and is sort of in between in hardness. I loaded it for 30 swirls and did not soak the brush.
When using back-and-forth strokes, the fibers wanted to clump into a wedge shape. Circular motion with finishing the edges with back-and-forth motions worked well.
Compared to the Mühle, it has less backbone and springiness, but as noted both seem to make equally good lather. Soap seems to work its way deep into the Muhle and a gentle squeeze of the knot on the second or third pass seems to help. The Mühle fibers do not clump. I did not have to squeeze the Plisson to get three full passes from a 30-swirl loading. Had some left over.
Anyway, that's the news based on one use. It's a good brush.
Cheers, Steve
Yes, the Plisson is the softest synthetic I have used. I get very little sensation when face lathering with it, like there was nothing there. The strangest feeling synthetic brush I have used yet it does work very well as a lather maker.
Bob
I've face lathered with the Plisson Synthetic brush over a month with hard & soft soaps & creams. It has become one of my favorite brushes. It splays soft & easy for mixing up the lather, then has soft paint strokes to smooth out the lather. It builds rich lather better than badger because no soap or water are absorbed by the fibers, all goes into building the lather. The Plisson knot is soft yet not really floppy. Synthetics are improving as another brush type. Frankly, i enjoy using the Plisson. Badger silvertips are too expensive, these new synthetics provide needed competition.
Oh, and I forgot to add, mine came with a well-made sturdy brush holder, the kind you wall mount.
Cheers, Steve
Silvertip softness + boar backbone = L'Occitane Plisson
Perfect brush!
If it's too expensive for you consider HJM Mühle Black Fibre. You'll be surprised with performance.
Hey, I'm planing to get myself one of those, can anyone compare it to Semogue 2000?
I've used the 2000 one and its magnificent but i see a lot of advantages to useing the L'occitane as it does not need to be left to dry out that long, etc...
I just bought on for £35, they are sold out online but you can but instores. Use the website to find nearest store that has in stock. Sellers on EBay selling for £60 and people are buying WTF? I was told by the cashier they were not being discountiued and they used to cost £60 before being reduced though she did not sound sure.
This is my 2nd ever brush, the first being a vulfix 404 mixed boar/badger. First time touching the tips, I was amazed by the softness, that was enough to convince me to purchase. I feel the knot feels very light and you can pass your finger through very very easily, some may feel too light. I found myslef reaching for the brush just to feel the tips on my fingers and cheeks. I've made a lather to test it, it lathered a lot faster than the vulfix and appeared thicker, I did a quick face lather and it felt great. I'll have to try it properly before recommending it 100% but I'm loving it at the moment. IMO some may find it too soft and light, those with thick beards who like scritch may not like it.
Before purchasing, I was not expecting much TBH, I liked my fulfix a lot and was just curious to all the hype and £35 seemed quite resonable. I was initially going to buy a thater or savile row but then I thought I'd give this a try since I could pick up at the store instead of waiting weeks for shipping. Very impressed, I may buy a few more. Not sure how long they will last so may need a back up, they would be very handy for a gift.
Welcome to the brave new world of synthetics. Glad you had a good experience.
Bob
So yesterday when I first took the brush home, I thought the knot felt to me a little like the body shop brush in that while it was extremly soft, it felt cheaply made, for lack of a better word. You can run your fingers through the middle of the knot with no pressure at all. It felt light and thought it was just a great "value" brush. Used it for a full shave today, pretty amazed how it preformed. Will probably be my daily brush, if I leave my whiskers to grow a few days will probably look for my vulfix. My experience with brushes is very limited but for what it's worth, I'm slowly falling in love with this brush. "Brush of the Gods"? IMO probably not, brush for me? Very much so.
What colour did you guys get? Pics I've seen are dark brown, wood pattern. Mine is just plain black.
Dark brown wood pattern from the L'Occitaine store. oddly it says Plisson on the handle and not L'Occcitaine.
Bob
Mine was a very dark brown wood grain. Very satisfied with this brush.
Currently it is one of my favorites. That being said I have a TGN High Mountain White set in a Pixelfixed custom brush on it's way to me. I have a strong feeling the new brush is going to take center stage.
I got mine last friday and i can say that for 30$ it was worth it!
It's the best brush I've used sofar and i didn't regret buying it, although if it had a bit more backbone I'd be much more happy!
If you want a bit more backbone Muhle STF has it and I think the EJ synthetics do too but haven't tried one yet. The synthetic with the most backbone I have tried is a Simpsons Chubby 2 synthetic. Many complained the loft was too short making the brush too stiff for them to use. I just love mine though.
Bob
I was told Soft Face Facial Beard Brush Shaving Mustache Brush with Bamboo Handle Brown | eBay
this has identical fibre but twice the density. At £2.19 free shipping there is no down side. Will post a short review when it comes in 4/5 weeks time.
This is why I think your cosmetics brush will work http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...e-brushes.html .
Bob
The tips are soft on the Muhle STF and the Simpsons Chubby 2 synthetic that I have. They possibly softer tips than the silver tip badgers I have. I have one of the original Simpson Chubby2 synthetics which a lot of people did not like because it had so much backbone/stiffness that they could not easily get it to splay to do circular strokes with it. Never had a problem with that and it is one of my favourite brushes. YMMV of course.
Bob
One thing About this brush, I've heard it being described as "feeling like a toy" and I do tend to agree, though I still think it's fantastic.
Attachment 190972
This came in today. On inspection the fibres look quite similar but the way it's been arranged does not leave the same softness. It reminds me of (knot and handle) the bodyshop brush that I don't have on hand to compare. Haven't used it yet.
Might use as a travel brush. :shrug:
I hope it is not like The Body Shop's brush. That was a brush I could not stand to use and gave it to the boss to use as a make up brush. It was like trying to face lather with a knot made of quills.
Bob
Just tried it out briefly, didn't shave. Firsly the only thing it has in common with the plisson is they are both synthetic, the similarities end there. I can't compare with bodyshops as I've never used it. So the ebay brush loaded and lathered really well and quickly, there appears to be some backbone, you have to push to make it spay and maintain. Very scritchy. If you bowl lather and prefer to paint the lather on it may work for you. The loft feels too small. It's difficult to complain when it costs next to nothing but it is what it is. Probably better than the wilkingsword supermarket brush. Is it worth it? IMO not really, considering the options out there at the moment. I would prefer to spend a bit more and get something decent that will last. YMMV.
The only thing I would think would be good is if you are buying a razor for a present and you want to get them started.
I saw these at a store recently. So the Covent garden store has black handle with L'Occitane label, and the regent street store is as described above ^^. I highly recommend the wood pattern instead. I think the knots are the same but the wood pattern looks so much better.
Thoughts of the brush? I don't hate it but at the same time I don't think I'll ever use it again, I'll probably give it away to any of my friends who's wants to try it. I wouldn't recommend to anyone, even those on a budget spend a little more and get a quality boar.