Thread: The benefits of a high quality synthetic brush

I'm talking about quality brushes like the Muhle Silvertip Fibre, probably the very best synthetic brush in the market.
The benefits:

• no animals are required, even if you're not a vegan or animal activist, it can't hurt now can it?
• (almost or) no hair loss, I counted them, in months time it lost a total of 3 hairs after that not a single one
• no break in period, they lather perfectly from the moment it leaves the box
• very short soaking time, they don't need a minute or more of soaking in order to perform
• fast loading time, probably because every end is split perfectly (see the first point)
• fast lather time, it's hardly any effort to quickly create a rich, creamy lathers
• flow through is outstanding, it's not a lather hog
• which brings us to economics, you'll use less soap/cream then you normally would
• it's better then my Muhle genuine silvertip; it outperforms it, AND IS CHEAPER
• after the shave synthetics dry SUPER FAST

.
The reasons they are not more popular are probably:

• synthetics in the past have been disappointing
• most people like the idea of traditional, natural hair
• Muhle doesn't have a distributor in the US
• Muhle is one of the few good synthetic brush builders, variation and competition is needed

You make some great points & the picture you provided is a beautiful brush.

I guess that I'm stuck in the past with shaving now, even the brushes. I want to go with natural hair brushes. Yes, I love animals & I pause to reflect on the badger that just lathered my bowl, every time I rinse her off.

I'm new, so I only have badger, boar & Turkisk Horse hair brushes; still don't know how they determined the nationality of that horse.

I wait for the day I find a beaver hair brush, I bet that would make a serious lather.

Well if you're new there's still time... You'll meet that quality synthetic one day.
I too have a boar (Semogue Owners Club), horse (Vie-Long) and badger (Muhle silvertip) besides my Muhle Silvertip Fibre.
So I have some quality brushes to compare it with.
The horse you have is probably made in Turkey, but may very well also have hair from Turkeys horses.
Don't beavers repel water?

Forgetting about the animal issues the only advantage I see to synthetics is the dry time which makes it great for traveling. I have never seen a synthetic that had the qualities of a quality badger. Pretty much all the benefits listed I already have with my badgers. I have never seen a synthetic that can hold water like a badger can.

Just my view.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

You make some great points & the picture you provided is a beautiful brush.

I guess that I'm stuck in the past with shaving now, even the brushes. I want to go with natural hair brushes. Yes, I love animals & I pause to reflect on the badger that just lathered my bowl, every time I rinse her off.

I'm new, so I only have badger, boar & Turkisk Horse hair brushes; still don't know how they determined the nationality of that horse.

I wait for the day I find a beaver hair brush, I bet that would make a serious lather.

And, you could use the beaver tail for a strop . . .

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Forgetting about the animal issues the only advantage I see to synthetics is the dry time which makes it great for traveling. I have never seen a synthetic that had the qualities of a quality badger. Pretty much all the benefits listed I already have with my badgers. I have never seen a synthetic that can hold water like a badger can.

Just my view.

How can flow through be better when it holds more water?
But, YMMV. By the way have you tried the Muhle Silvertip Fibre?
Plus, who said holding more water makes a better brush?

For state side folks, The Superior Shave carries them for $82 plus shipping. I wouldn't mind trying one, but the two omegas I have actually dry slower than my superbadger brush, and when lathering, they sling water everywhere making a mess; thus why I gave one away to a friend, the other will be going to my father. Just a lot of hit and miss with the synthetics, but the badger hair you pretty much have an idea of what you're getting. JMO

For me the animal issue is a non issue and the few synthetic shave brushes I have tried have been pathetic in use. I really don't feel like buying more in the hope one will eventually perform satisfactorily. I just ordered a Semogue 1305 boar and an SOC two band badger because I am reasonably sure how each will perform. I would hate to spend $82.00 only to give it to SWMBO for a duster. JMO

Bob

My favorite brush is my Omega synthetic and use it for all my hard soaps, when I use a cream it's a badger.
The Omega (at least for me) holds water and lather much better that my boar brush

The ability to hold water is unique to badger hair and is one of the reasons why it is considered the premium hair for a shave brush. You can dispute that if you want but there is probably a couple hundred years of history (at least) behind it. Of course there are plenty of guys who prefer boar or horse or synthetic to badger and that's fine. My dad had a nylon brush back in the 1950s and he loved it. He still has it and I think it's terrible but you know how that goes.