Simpsons Trafalgar T2 - updated opinion

[CCS]

I have to say, after three shaves, maybe four, I'm getting used to it. It does a truly great job lathering soaps (today was MWF) and requires no pre-soaking like we usually do with our badgers and boars. Face feel will take more time to get used to and it won't replace anything for me nor lead me to buy more synthetic knot brushes but it doesn't suck as much as I first said. But the handle is probably too short for the knot size in both dimensions. I guess you have to look at these synth brushes as different as boar and badger are from each other. All in all, probably worth the $22.

 

[dmshaver]

Thank you for your review. The Trafalgar is a popular choice for many shavers.

 

[CCS]

Thank you for your review. The Trafalgar is a popular choice for many shavers.

That's why I bought it; everybody seems to love it (more the T3 but still). It's a no-brainer purchase (any decent synth probably is) for new or newer shavers as well as those who don't want the drama of badger and/or boar. I don't like the idea of them being a pretty old school guy but I knew I should at least try one that seemed to be well regarded.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I bought a uses T3 here for $20. It was basically a PIF for the seller. Mine was already broken in, as much as a synthetic brush actually can improve over time.

I have never gotten used to the unnatural feel. Truth be told, I can only recommend the ESC Ultimate, the Omega Evo and the Alpha Shaving G5”D”synthetics. All of them are far more expensive than a Semogue Owner’s Club Mistura. I’ve tried 4 other highly regarded brushes here and strongly disliked all of them, unfortunately. Like every other thing with this hobby, what works for one is absolutely despised by another.

When I started out, I planned to stick to synths but I’m glad I didn’t. I’d recommend the SOC Mistura to anyone who doesn’t require an ultra soft brush.

 

[CCS]

I bought a uses T3 here for $20. It was basically a PIF for the seller. Mine was already broken in, as much as a synthetic brush actually can improve over time.

I have never gotten used to the unnatural feel. Truth be told, I can only recommend the ESC Ultimate, the Omega Evo and the Alpha Shaving G5”D”synthetics. All of them are far more expensive than a Semogue Owner’s Club Mistura. I’ve tried 4 other highly regarded brushes here and strongly disliked all of them, unfortunately. Like every other thing with this hobby, what works for one is absolutely despised by another.

When I started out, I planned to stick to synths but I’m glad I didn’t. I’d recommend the SOC Mistura to anyone who doesn’t require an ultra soft brush.

See, for me, I don't even want to use them. I've got great badger and boar brushes and prefer them because they strike me as traditional. But I didn't want to be the only guy on B&B that didn't have at least one usable synthetic. I almost went for the Chubby 2 synth but couldn't spend that kinda money for it. At least they wouldn't likely shed, right?

 

[Phoenixkh]

See, for me, I don't even want to use them. I've got great badger and boar brushes and prefer them because they strike me as traditional. But I didn't want to be the only guy on B&B that didn't have at least one usable synthetic. I almost went for the Chubby 2 synth but couldn't spend that kinda money for it. At least they wouldn't likely shed, right?

One of the differences for us newbies is…… we have zero experience. We can learn from others or spend a small fortune figuring things out on our own.

You’ve been wet shaving for decades so your likes have evolved over time. I don’t have decades left so I have to make the right decisions as soon as possible. I had heard that modern synthetic brushes were now as good as natural bristle/fiber brushes. I believed that until I started experimenting with them and didn’t like the new ones I purchased.

After a few months of researching (read: following the advice of people here I’ve come to trust), I now have a nice, small collection of mixed, boar and badger brushes. For me, they give me a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[CJB3]

@CCS, you might like a Muhle STF brush. Many think STF feels closest to natural fiber.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I used to think that synthetic brushes were 'not as good as badger', but at that time I wanted a synthetic to resemble a badger as closely as possible. The closer that a synthetic was to a badger brush then the better it was. I think the time has now come to judge synthetics on their own, as separate and different products and stop comparing them to natural brushes as if that is the yardstick against which they should be measured. If I want a brush that is exactly like a badger then I will use a badger. I now want and expect a synthetic to offer me something different; I have one synth, a Chubby 2, and I love it, but it is nothing like my badger brushes and I don't want it to be, otherwise it has no purpose and offers no variety. For me, synth brushes should and do offer something different from natural hair, whether you like that difference is the big question.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I was just trying to find a synthetic as good as my first one. It took me 5 tries. And some people, actually a majority here, loved the brushes I would give away if I didn’t dislike them so much.

 

[CCS]

@CCS, you might like a Muhle STF brush. Many think STF feels closest to natural fiber.

Perhaps but I really have enough brushes at this point to last the rest of my life.

 

[CCS]

I used to think that synthetic brushes were 'not as good as badger', but at that time I wanted a synthetic to resemble a badger as closely as possible. The closer that a synthetic was to a badger brush then the better it was. I think the time has now come to judge synthetics on their own, as separate and different products and stop comparing them to natural brushes as if that is the yardstick against which they should be measured. If I want a brush that is exactly like a badger then I will use a badger. I now want and expect a synthetic to offer me something different; I have one synth, a Chubby 2, and I love it, but it is nothing like my badger brushes and I don't want it to be, otherwise it has no purpose and offers no variety. For me, synth brushes should and do offer something different from natural hair, whether you like that difference is the big question.

I've come around to your POV over the last weeks. There is zero reason synthetic fiber brushes can't stand in their own class. They obviously work, people seem to like them, they're are, for the most part, competitively priced, and are suitable for those who are upset with using animals for things like shaving brushes (or food or shoes...). My only request to the manufacturers would be to stop comparing them to boar or badger and dying them accordingly. I hate boar brushes that are dyed to look like badger. No need for it. A boar brush stands on its own. At this point, so can a synthetic IMO.

 

[Barbarian80]

I have a T3. I think it's a great looking brush for what it costs. I definitely don't enjoy using it that much. I brought it on my vacation just because I didn't care if it got bumped around in my dopp kit. It's just an OK brush and not very OK feeling on the face. Still, for what it costs its not a bad brush but the amount of praise it gets in general is pretty mind boggling.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I have a T3. I think it's a great looking brush for what it costs. I definitely don't enjoy using it that much. I brought it on my vacation just because I didn't care if it got bumped around in my dopp kit. It's just an OK brush and not very OK feeling on the face. Still, for what it costs its not a bad brush but the amount of praise it gets in general is pretty mind boggling.

It continues to show up in many, many SOTD photos. I'm with you: I don't get it. But to each their own.

About all I can say about it is what you did.... you can own your own Simpson for just a few dollars.

 

[Buflow]

There is zero reason synthetic fiber brushes can't stand in their own class.

I agree that the Trafalgar T3 really can't be compared to a badger brush. They're completely different animals so to speak.

When I first started using the T3 I didn't like the face feel at all. Then I realized that it was not to be used the same way as a badger. Even the Simpson website recommends that the lather be painted on the face rather than swirled.

It is my opinion that's at the heart of this debate, synthetics like the T3 are to be used differently.
In the bowl the T3 whips up at a lather like a Tasmanian devil. It's when you go to the face that things change. It's so dense and so stiff and splays so little that you really do have to paint the lather on. I can't use this brush as a face latherer. I have to go to a much softer brush for that.
Once I started painting the lather on with the T3 I fell in love with it. It's a remarkable brush but needs to be used differently. IMHO It really is in a different class

 

[garyg]

I'm still heavy on the side of our Badgers, never got a Boar to excite me, but have to admit the Trafalgar does it's job. It's a bit of an appliance rather than a work of art or favorite tool, but it is one of the Synths I reach for if I have run out of shave time .. fast, I've found it works bowl or face, soap or cream ..

 

[CCS]

I agree that the Trafalgar T3 really can't be compared to a badger brush. They're completely different animals so to speak.

When I first started using the T3 I didn't like the face feel at all. Then I realized that it was not to be used the same way as a badger. Even the Simpson website recommends that the lather be painted on the face rather than swirled.

It is my opinion that's at the heart of this debate, synthetics like the T3 are to be used differently.
In the bowl the T3 whips up at a lather like a Tasmanian devil. It's when you go to the face that things change. It's so dense and so stiff and splays so little that you really do have to paint the lather on. I can't use this brush as a face latherer. I have to go to a much softer brush for that.
Once I started painting the lather on with the T3 I fell in love with it. It's a remarkable brush but needs to be used differently. IMHO It really is in a different class

Doesn't Simpson also give the same advice for how to use their badger brushes? Paint the lather on?

 

[garyg]

Doesn't Simpson also give the same advice for how to use their badger brushes? Paint the lather on?

Yeah, right on, Simpson's likely saves money by using the same instructions over & over .. I've never figured out how to make lather with a painting motion ..

 

[Buflow]

Doesn't Simpson also give the same advice for how to use their badger brushes? Paint the lather on?

I haven't looked at the descriptions for all of the brushes but here's what I see on a quick glance:
"To achieve that perfect rich lather we recommend using back & forth or paint brush strokes with all our synthetic bristle offerings."

And then for a Chubby 1 Manchurian Badger "The ultimate face lathering experience."

 

[Barbarian80]

Yeah, right on, Simpson's likely saves money by using the same instructions over & over .. I've never figured out how to make lather with a painting motion ..

My thoughts exactly. If i only used painting strokes i might spend 3 hours making lather. I doubt Simpson put much thought into these instructions and figure people buying their brushes have enough common sense.

But- agree with what was said above- the Simpson Trafalger brushes probably whip up lather very efficiently and i'm sure painting the lather on is just ho-hum. Personally, i need to feel a brush swishing and slipping around my face like ice because 1. it brings me another level of enjoyment that i cannot experience as a painter and 2. i can feel exactly when the lather is ready and appropriate to shave with.

 

[Phoenixkh]

My thoughts exactly. If i only used painting strokes i might spend 3 hours making lather. I doubt Simpson put much thought into these instructions and figure people buying their brushes have enough common sense.

But- agree with what was said above- the Simpson Trafalger brushes probably whip up lather very efficiently and i'm sure painting the lather on is just ho-hum. Personally, i need to feel a brush swishing and slipping around my face like ice because 1. it brings me another level of enjoyment that i cannot experience as a painter and 2. i can feel exactly when the lather is ready and appropriate to shave with.

I've been a bowl latherer from the start of my journey 6 months ago now. We traveled to Bali, Indonesia last week and I stupidly brought my ceramic bowl with me. A slight mishap... and the bowl is broken so I'm face lathering at the moment. It turns out, I use the brush the same way.. bowl lathering or face lathering... swirling it around and enjoying that nice scrub feeling. Simply painting on the lather isn't enjoyable to me either.

I really tried to like the Trafalgar T3... I really did. As I've already mentioned, the face feel isn't comfortable for me, the way I use the brush. Let me think for a moment.. count the synth brushes I own or have owned that I like.... vs. the ones with a face feel I didn't enjoy. Three I like... 3 I don't like and one with a nice face feel but a handle that was annoying to me. The other thing is...the three I didn't like due to face feel and the one with the annoying handle? All of them are loved by multiple people here.

I've said this repeatedly. The most surprising thing I've learned since joining B&B on March 1st... wet shaving, every single component of it, is subjective. So if you need advice, seek out the people here who share your likes and dislikes.... they are here. No one is an island....There are no unique snowflakes... someone here will share your likes in all areas of wet shaving. If you read the threads, including the journals, you'll stumble upon people who value the same things you do.