Thread: what's wrong with synthetic brushes?

so i have just started to get serious about shaving and upgrade my situation.. for years i have been using a mach3 with burt's bees bay rum soap and a van der hagen brush i got at rite aid for 2 dollars..

i've ordered a feather artist club dx and plan on staying with the same soap.. but as far as brushes go.. i'm clueless..

i like a stiffer brush and always build my lather on my face.. from what i can tell.. the rooney synthetic seems to appeal to me.. but why does everyone hate on synthetic?

i love eating animals.. don't even cook the thing... just cut out the tenderloin and serve it to me wrapped in bacon and covered in butter.

First of all, welcome to SRP!

I dont think theres anything wrong with synthetics, it just seems like more people prefer the absorbancy and feel of a badger hair brush..! There may also be an element of nostalgia with the badger hair over a synthetic for some people?

I've tried one, and I just found it was a little too coarse on the skin for my liking, and I just prefer the real stuff. Both both gave good lather and good results so, for me at least, its just a personal preference thing. I couldnt really tell the difference in the lather, though I kept kidding myself that I could..! Maybe it was my brain telling me that real hair is more absorbant than synthetic, and therefore the lather was better... I'm not sure!

But if you want to get a synthetic brush, there is no reason at all not to do that! If you can get results you like with that brush and it works for you, then stick with it. Thats basically my mantra, if it gives you results you like then its good!

Welcome again and good luck!

Not everyone does. I use a BodyShop synthetic as a travel brush. It doesn't hold water as well as a properly broken-in boar brush, but it does ok, and dries almost completely with a flick of the wrist. I could get by with it if I had to.

If you're looking for a good quality brush with some real spine to it, take a look at Omega's selection of boar's bristle brushes. They mostly ring in around $20 and really get the job done, especially the biggest of them known as the "Professional"

Best Regards

goshawk

There's certainly nothing wrong with synthetic brushes. The big difference I have noted with synthetics is the inability to hold water. Boar will hold some water and badger will hold a lot of water. If you've enjoyed the VDH brush, I would recommend an Omega or Semogue boar brush to move on to. The VDH is a competent brush, but it is simply outclassed by the Omega and Semogue boar offerings.

I now you planned on sticking with Burts bay rum soap, but I would honestly recommend trying a different soap. In my experience, burt's doesn't have the kind of "slip" I like in a shave soap for use with a straight. While I am sure it gets along fine with a cartridge, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by some other makes of soap. Honeybee Spa is a winner for me in the great soap for the price contest. Lots of good scents and great slip.


Welcome to SRP!

I prefer my Omega Syntex to any boar or badger brush.

Somehow lather tends to degenerate sooner with the use of natural hair.
I create lather on my face and massage it into the skin if you like. Natural hairs do tend to make the lather go runny after a couple of minutes.

thanks a lot for the replies.. i suppose i'd be just fine sticking with the same brush i have.. for some reason i want a whole new start... i watched a video on youtube with claimed synthetic brushes have the absorbency of badger with the stiffness of boar.. does this sound off?.. it was a mantic59 video on the basics of brushes.

They have had synthetics at least from the 1950s. My father had a nylon one and it was terrible. They have improved them markedly these days. Like everything else there is something for everybody.

so i've spent all day thinking about brushes.. i think it's something i'd like to purchase in person.. any members from the los angeles area who may know of a good haberdashery?

I find myself reaching for my boar everytime now. Semogue and Omega both make excellent boar brushes and I like the way they work with soaps. For creams I still use a badger

GoldenNib has 23mm nylon knots I think work very awesomely.