Originally Posted by
GreenRipper
An attribute of synthetics is that they simply don't hold onto water the way badger brushes do. Some consider this a failing when it comes to using them to build a lather but almost all the wet shavers I know will admit that it's of benefit in a travel brush. It's pretty nice being able to get up for a morning shave and have your brush be reasonably dry by checkout.
As far as a negatives go, it depends upon your perspective. First is the matter of scritch, I'm pretty scritch adverse (and it appears that we share this trait) but some guys love a brush with some scratch to it. Heck, some guys even feel that they need that scritch to lift their whiskers so that they can shave them off. If that's the case then synthetics are unlikely to be your new favorite brush. The other "negative" is that reluctance synthetics exhibit when it comes to holding onto water. This attribute makes building a lather with a synthetic brush a bit different than with a badger and some guys simply prefer having a knot that holds onto water better than the synthetics do.
Last but not least, don't feel guilty about the price you paid! These are fantastic knots and I think far too many people give them a pass simply because the price leads them to believe that they must be inferior, that and the fact that the old synthetics were...we'll say "sub-optimal" and be nice about it. I mentioned before that when I see someone new to the hobby asking about brushes I'm quick to steer them in the direction of the latest generation of synthetics as I feel that their virtues far outweigh their sins and when it comes to price they are a great value. On top of that, any dollars you saved on a knot are likely to get used to feed some other AD. That or you can do as I did and hang around the Brushmakers' Alcove and find a piece of art to mount those beloved knots in!