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APShaveCo synthetics: Cashmere (2 sizes) vs SynBad vs 2BED

I've previously posted about my APShaveCo Cashmere 24 mm and SynBad 30 mm brushes; I just received 2 more knots to see which I preferred most - the 30 mm Cashmere knot and the 24mm 2BED.

Pictures (keep in mind that these are still damp, so they look clumpier than they would if they were completely dry):

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In the top picture, left to right: Cashmere 30 mm knot, 2BED 24mm knot, 30 mm SynBad brush with faux marble handle, 24 mm Cashmere brush with Blue Lagoon handle. 2nd picture is top down, 3rd picture is clustered for ease of comparison (the 2 knots are on a soap tin to try to elevate them to more similar heights).

The Cashmere 24 and 30 mm knots are pretty similar; it's a little hard to tell, but the 30 mm Cashmere may have very slightly more backbone than the 24 mm knot (but then, I'm also lathering with a knot and not a true brush). Low on the backbone scale so it splays easily and nicely on the face (but definitely not floppy in my opinion), soft tips, and feels bigger than the 24 mm as expected. Feels excellent overall.

The 2BED is, frankly, disappointing. It looked less dense compared to the 30 mm knots (it's a fan knot) but felt close to a 30 mm bulb in terms of size on my face. Backbone was more than the Cashmere, possibly less than the SynBad but to be honest I wasn't focused on that very much. My big problem was that it felt prickly. It was not pleasant, and I took an immediate dislike to the knot. I will say that the 24 mm fan shape felt relatively close to a 30 mm standard/bulb synthetic in terms of size, so the lower density makes sense since it's spreading over a larger area. I've always wanted to try a fan brush, but after this experience I'll probably stick to denser feeling brush shapes (bulb) and simply go for larger sizes.

In short, the Cashmere 30 mm seems like a bigger Cashmere knot that is also an excellent knot/brush (I'm going to get this set into a custom handle and will see if it does have slightly different backbone or that's simply a consequence of not having a handle). The SynBad also continues to be an excellent brush with mildly more backbone but still splays easily. The 2BED is a knot that, frankly, I'd stay away from - it's prickly, less dense, and doesn't really feel like it has any advantages over the other two.

Hope this was helpful!
 

Esox

I didnt know
Staff member
It was to me, thanks for taking the time!

I'm debating an APShaveCo brush so I'm curious to hear the thoughts of those that use them.

@Raven Koenes Look Rave, look. Brushes!
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
The only Cashmere brush I have is the Yaqi and it has quickly become one of my preferred brushes.

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(Image captured from West Coast Shaving, which is where I bought my brush.)

Are the brushes you've featured based on a similar knot or completely different?

Now that I have lathered with a Cashmere brush for awhile (and really like it), I've been pondering getting another. Would like it to be sufficiently different so I can compare.

Hope that made sense?

Thank you.
 
I don't know how comparable Yaqi's knots/lofts are to APShaveCo's. I ended up going with APShaveCo due to both positive reviews and nicer handle options ( I really like the faux marble option).
 
You should do several uses before making final decisions. I have TurnNShave Silversynthetic and it took four shaves for it to break in.
 
Are the brushes you've featured based on a similar knot or completely different?

Now that I have lathered with a Cashmere brush for awhile (and really like it), I've been pondering getting another.
The Cashmere knot along with a few others that Al offers at APShaveCo are made by Yaqi but to different specs as the Yaqi knot. They are more dense than the Yaqi counterparts and even with that said they should basically still act very similar to the Yaqi... I really can't speak for the Cashmere because I bought the knot only option and set it in my own handle, but I did have the SynBad that was set in the Blue Lagoon handle and it came from Al set at the same loft as the Yaqi Dandelion brush you have, 53mm.... I have read that the 30mm knots lather and feel different from the 24mm counterparts but will they lather different from what you have, you'd have to try one to find out. I have only used APShaveCo's knots in the past and never used a brush from Yaqi to date so I can't really say for sure, only relying on what the vendor has told me!!
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
The Cashmere knot along with a few others that Al offers at APShaveCo are made by Yaqi but to different specs as the Yaqi knot. They are more dense than the Yaqi counterparts and even with that said they should basically still act very similar to the Yaqi... I really can't speak for the Cashmere because I bought the knot only option and set it in my own handle, but I did have the SynBad that was set in the Blue Lagoon handle and it came from Al set at the same loft as the Yaqi Dandelion brush you have, 53mm.... I have read that the 30mm knots lather and feel different from the 24mm counterparts but will they lather different from what you have, you'd have to try one to find out. I have only used APShaveCo's knots in the past and never used a brush from Yaqi to date so I can't really say for sure, only relying on what the vendor has told me!!

Thank you very much. I appreciate the information. :)
 
I like to start my lather in a bowl and not just paint it but really work it onto my face, but I find that I simply don't like my Synbad all that much for that purpose. It's overall a great brush and I love the handle, but I just find myself reaching for my boar brushes day in and day out and only using my Synbad for samples.

To understand why it's in my collection, I wanted a synthetic with soft tips and cashmere and Synbad seemed to be the go to's, but Synbad is supposed to have more backbone. So I picked it up, but I do find it a bit prickly when face lathering.
 
I like to start my lather in a bowl and not just paint it but really work it onto my face, but I find that I simply don't like my Synbad all that much for that purpose. It's overall a great brush and I love the handle, but I just find myself reaching for my boar brushes day in and day out and only using my Synbad for samples.

To understand why it's in my collection, I wanted a synthetic with soft tips and cashmere and Synbad seemed to be the go to's, but Synbad is supposed to have more backbone. So I picked it up, but I do find it a bit prickly when face lathering.

I had the exact opposite. I had a Maggards synthetic I did not like and wanted a brush with less of a backbone and picked the Cashmere between it and the Synbad. I have the 24mm in a winter handle and find it to be a delight to use.
 

Raven Koenes

My precious!
I like to start my lather in a bowl and not just paint it but really work it onto my face, but I find that I simply don't like my Synbad all that much for that purpose. It's overall a great brush and I love the handle, but I just find myself reaching for my boar brushes day in and day out and only using my Synbad for samples.

To understand why it's in my collection, I wanted a synthetic with soft tips and cashmere and Synbad seemed to be the go to's, but Synbad is supposed to have more backbone. So I picked it up, but I do find it a bit prickly when face lathering.
APShaveco got a bad batch of 24mm SynBad knots awhile back. They have a lot of upside down fibers in them. Fortunately they are easy to spot as the base of the fiber is brownish red and the tips are tapered white. I clipped around 34 upside down hairs out of mine, and now my SynBad is fine. It is not prickly at all, nor is it supposed to be. I'm just glad it wasn't my Silksmoke or Cashmere. Upside down fibers in those brushes would almost be impossible to spot.
 
I have the three on the right - all in handles (I don't have the 30mm cashmere)

My take is that they're all very nice brushes. The Synbad probably is the firmest, but not by much - the 2bed is very close. Unmounted knots always feel unsubstantial to me. Once you put it in a handle, you'll probably find that it firms up.

Of the three, the 2bed is my favorite because it splays most like a badger brush. The Synbad splays well, but is a little more synthetic feeling till the lather gets going, and the Cashmere feels even a tad more synthetic till the lather gets going and then it transforms and feels really rich and soft. Actually all of them feel great when the lather gets going and the viscosity and surface tension of the lather turn them into big cohesive puffs. The difference in feel is mostly in the first 10 or 15 seconds of building the face lather.

I think what's happening is that:

1.) The fan shape of the 2bed gives it more spread like a broken-in badger brush which helps it splay well even before the lather gets going - though there is a little bit of "badger-like" scritch until the lather gets going. (which I actually like).
2.) The thinner bristle shafts of the cashmere mean that although the tips are soft, they are not as tapered (relative to the shafts) and therefore the bristles bend in a slightly less natural way until the lather gets going.
3.) The Synbad, being a soft but firm medium sized synthetic bulb, it acts exactly as you would expect of this most common design - and I think it's at least the equal of any good medium-sized synthetic bulb that I've tried, and better than most, IMHO.

At the end of the day - they're all great brushes and all 3 have a place in my den for the foreseeable future. My favorite of the three is the 2bed because I face lather and it's the closest I've found to a badger and yet has all the benefits of synthetic (simple use & care, thick lather, hygienic - aka dries fast)
 
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