TC, my friend, after 30 years behind the radio microphone, I thought I had the perfect face for radio. Now I have competition. Well now . . .
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TC, my friend, after 30 years behind the radio microphone, I thought I had the perfect face for radio. Now I have competition. Well now . . .
I have a fairly modest array of brushes. But my general instinct is to reach for the synthetics. They feel nicer on my face and I find my skin less irritated. I am getting a big 11.5 cm x 4.5 cm 100 gram theater this weekend. I have heard overwhelming good things and am in high hopes this will be the badger that makes it into regular rotation. I just ordered a lathe and will start turning handles with tuxedo and boss knots soon. Not for sales just fun and to give away.
The Boss knot is nice too. IMO i didnt find much difference between it and the tuxedo besides color. I have 2 of each.
Fixed it.
I have to admit I must have been to rough cleaning mine when I first got it (before I got the warning against doing just that!) so mine sheds a bit. That being said, I still like the way it lathers and feels better than my two other brushes.
Run water over brush, swirl on soap a little, and I got all the lather I need.
I've got mine set at different heights so to try any difference. Sure, at a lower loft they are stiffer, but that's about it. I too enjoy both knots. They are great synthetics in my opinion. Now if they could pack them tighter and get more fibers in them would be cool.
Josh, I got one of Outback Brushes too. Took it on a test run on a trip to California. It's little and a bit floppy, but works up a nice lather when I pinch it at the bottom of the knot to get a little more backbone.
I had my first use of the Epsilon synthetic "extra soft" last night and was impressed, similar characteristics to the Simpson chubby 2 synthetic. Will be using the regular Epsilon synthetic tonight.
After using whatever inexpensive synthetic my local pharmacy sold for nearly 50 years, I feel that I can get an outstanding performance from almost any brush. I then switched to premium boar knots for a few years, then used nothing but newer and improved synthetics for a couple of years, but for the past year or so I'm primarily using premium boar knots. If the goal is to produce a good lather, they all work equally well. What one enjoys using is just personal preference. I prefer a knot with soft tips and enough backbone for face lathering, which I can get from a badger, synthetic, or boar.
I'd agree that the cost cannot be solely justified by any apparent improvement in lathering or feel. That said, you don't have to pay the price of a Simpsons Manchurian or Shavemac 2 band silvertip to have a high quality badger knot brush.
Various Chinese companies sell good solid 2 band silvertip badger brushes at reasonable cost or you can roll tour own by using a Maggards SHD 2 band knot in the handle of your choice. Another excellent choice would be a Semogue Owners Club, SOC, 2 band badger brush. All these are more expensive than the brushes you already have but not prohibitively so imo.
Bob
Well, you can apply that to anything. Why buy a custom razor when a $40 eboy special will shave just as good and last just as long or a fancy strop when a basic one does the same job?
We all spend our hard earned dollars on those things we feel are personally important to us.