Thread: My Modest Synthetic Brush Lineup

Gentlemen,

Forum mentor Phrank had asked about my synthetic brush lineup and the characteristic of the knots. Here are some thoughts on them. From left to right:

1. Doug Korn custom 25mm Ubersoft. This is a relatively dense knot with medium backbone. The tips are soft, although not the softest in the group. It's a handsome brush, but not my favorite.

2. RazoRock Synthetic Silvertip. I think it's a 25 or 26mm knot. It has some backbone, with lovely splay. The tips are silky soft and the knot luscious. The only thing I don't like about this brush is the handle, and am thinking of having the knot placed in a custom handle.

3. Envy Shave 24mm Black Wolf knot is pure pleasure. Not much backbone in this brush, but the brush splays beautifully. The brush is a joy to use. I love the handle size, shape and color combination. You could say the brush is the smaller version of Envy Shave's 8 Ball. Love this brush.

4. Vladimir Ferdman custom 26mm BOSS. The handle on this brush is gorgeous and it fits my hands perfectly. Actually, I chose the color combination and it's quite striking. I don't care for the BOSS knot, however, as I find it a wee bit "scritchy." Some backbone combined with plenty of splay would be perfect for me had the knot been, say, Tuxedo instead.

5. Doug Korn custom 24mm Tuxedo. This is a beautiful brush. I love the color combination in the handle, and the shape. The brush has good backbone and works quite well with hard soaps or soft creams. Soft and sweet tips. It is one of my favorites, and a keeper.

6. The best for last. This is the Wholf Whiskers 26mm Black Wolf bulb shaped knot. The handle is called Bishop. This is about as perfect a synthetic brush I have found. Good backbone combined with a plush knot and silky soft tips make it my favorite. That my wife chose the color scheme in the handle makes the brush extra special.

For years I used silvertip badgers. I still think the Wiborg is the best overall shave brush made. The Thater isn't far behind. I also like the shavemac and the Simpson brushes. Vulfix, Kent and Rooney are also sweet brushes. Yet, all are gone from my lineup — for now.

Thanks for following up and showing this info. Super interesting and helpful.

Obie,

Since the wonderful visit that we had at Dave's Meetup in Wisconsin, I've totally fallen in love with synthetic brushes. So far I have replaced half of my brush knots with Tuxedo Synthetic knots.
I have to admit, it's worth the effort and there's no turning back.

Thanks for the tip!

Pete <:-}

I’ve also gravitated towards synthetics. I was trying for awhile to get on Wolf Whiskers list and discovered his store with his Father in law Rick Montalvo brushes. Ordered one since it was really close to what I had in mind and loved it so much bought a second for travel.

Lovely collection, Obie.
Personally, I still great prefer my large 2-Band badger brushes, but I really enjoy the Simpson's Chubby 2 Synthetic brushes for my head shaves and traveling. The fibre that they use in these brushes seem to be quite different than anything I have tried in other synthetics.
Enjoy your collection, my friend.

Hi Obie, thanks for the post. Any advice regarding entry-level, as it were, synthetic brushes? What should I be looking out for in terms of quality?

Thanks,
G

Just got a YAQI synthetic and am very pleased, especially when you consider they are relatively inexpensive.

Been using synthetic knots for years now and can say they do a good/great job of lathering anything I have used be it a cream, hard puck or croap. Glad that they are finally looking like they are gaining a wider acceptance as a shave brush choice. Besides being a great everyday choice there is not much that beats them for a travel because they dry so quickly. More shavers should at least try a synthetic knot to see what the fuss is about.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Been using synthetic knots for years now and can say they do a good/great job of lathering anything I have used be it a cream, hard puck or croap. Glad that they are finally looking like they are gaining a wider acceptance as a shave brush choice. Besides being a great everyday choice there is not much that beats them for a travel because they dry so quickly. More shavers should at least try a synthetic knot to see what the fuss is about.

Bob

Couldn't agree more: They're a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. The 'traditionalist' in me loves the big two-band badgers, but the more I use the latest synthetics, the more I enjoy them.

The other day, I was spending a good amount of time with an very dense badger (AKA lather hog) and a finicky soap. I knew eventually I'd have a decent lather, and most days I'd enjoy the challenge. Instead, what I did was to grab a Tuxedo brush, run it under some water, load, and I had a fantastic lather in about a minute.

Just one good synthetic at my place. A 23mm Virginia Sheng synthetic knot handled by WallyMan. It beats all the rest of my brushes, hands down(or up!)
Some synthetics are great like stiff boar and would be great for trvel. Cheap too!
JMO
~Richard