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Big differences in synthetics?

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I’ve only had two, a Razorock and something else and a large Vulfix silvertip. Wasn’t overly impressed by any of them. Continue using Boar. I may give the Razorock another try tomorrow. It’s been a couple of years.
 
I have a Muhle Silvertip Fiber that I like but wish it had a touch more backbone. Trying to decide between a Shavemac, Simpson, and Tuxedo to try to find a little more backbone.
 
I recently re-knotted a Shavemac 173 handle with a 30mm SynBad from APShaveCo. I actually really like this synth knot, and have it set at ~55mm loft to reduce chances of it being floppy. I really like this setup; I dislike skritch, and I want soft tips. I'm not particular about backbone as long as it isn't a floppy mop.

My Shavemac-SynBad brush likely would have enough backbone for many hardcore brush-heads. However, with its slightly-less-than-moderate backbone, it's near perfect for me.
 
I have a Muhle Silvertip Fiber that I like but wish it had a touch more backbone. Trying to decide between a Shavemac, Simpson, and Tuxedo to try to find a little more backbone.
If you want a lot of backbone, the Simpson Chubby synth brushes have that in spades. APShaveCo Silksmoke has moderate backbone and very soft tips if you already have a handle laying around or don't want to spend Simpson money.
 
I just got a Simpson Chubby2 synthetic and it is cloud soft with good backbone ...... even softer than my Simpson’s Commodore x3, this is going to end up my favorite brush ......
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AoM/BoSS
 
I'm going to buy my a synthetic brush, I'm used to boar, smaller knots, that I use in FL. I want to upgrade to a better brush, looking for a bit of softness but still with some backbone. My Omega 10019 (23x50mm) got softer and the loft opened up nicely but I want something more beautiful and a bit less scrubby.

Lot of confusion but the list narrowed down to:
- Mühle Silvertip Fibre Classic 33 K 257, it's the Large one, 23(x50?)mm knot
- Chubby Synth 2, 27(x50?)mm knot

I'm scared that the first might be a bit soft and weak, and that the second might have to much backbone, I want it to open on my face.

Hard choice!
 
I'm going to buy my a synthetic brush, I'm used to boar, smaller knots, that I use in FL. I want to upgrade to a better brush, looking for a bit of softness but still with some backbone. My Omega 10019 (23x50mm) got softer and the loft opened up nicely but I want something more beautiful and a bit less scrubby.

Lot of confusion but the list narrowed down to:
- Mühle Silvertip Fibre Classic 33 K 257, it's the Large one, 23(x50?)mm knot
- Chubby Synth 2, 27(x50?)mm knot

I'm scared that the first might be a bit soft and weak, and that the second might have to much backbone, I want it to open on my face.

Hard choice!
Having both ,I can suggest that you should choose the Omega EVO .Soft tips ,gentle scrub ,great splay ,exemplary water management ,super durable fibres and comfy handles.

STF is lacking in the scrub department (still a top-notch synth though !) ,while for the Chubby one has
to fill in an application to God
asking for help to splay it ...
 
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Having both ,I can suggest that you should choose the Omega EVO .Soft tips ,gentle scrub ,great splay ,exemplary water management ,super durable fibres and comfy handles.

STF is lacking in the scrub department (still a top-notch synth though !) ,while for the Chubby one has
to fill in an application to God
asking for help to splay it ...

Thanks for the tips, will narrow it down to Omega and Mühle, problem with the EVO is that I don't like that much the handle...
 
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Thanks for the tips, will narrow it down to Omega and Mühle, problem with the EVO is that I don't like that much the handle...
I was reluctant at first also .
Did not like much the EVO handles from pics .
But decided to give it a go.
After receiving my first EVO
all my hesitations vanished into thin air and never looked back .
Truly a great synthetic brush in
every aspect .
Muhle /EJ STFs ( I have 5 of them ,3x25mm & 2x23mm ) are also top-tiers .But lack the
gentle scrub of the SSF* knot of the EVO.Being the main difference between STF vs SSF .

* SilverSynth Fibre
 
I agree with @SCh5. I am far from a synthetic brush expert, but I happen to have used extensively the Omega 10018 and own and use both the Muhle STF XL and the Omega Evo. The tips of the latter are a lot softer than the ones of the boar, the backbone is more relaxed but still there's lots of it and it splays a bit more naturally than the Muhle. I think it is a great brush. I had one with the "veteran" handle and still own the "duca". Both very comfortable. That said, aesthetics are important too and the Muhle is a great brush, so it is also a fantastic option.
 
I've used several synthetic brushes over the past few years, but I have only kept one, a Yaqi Rainbow Brown. Most of the earlier brushes were too springy and tended to fling lather around if you weren't extremely careful. The Stirling King was pretty good, but ultimately I found it to be too floppy and too big.
More recently, I have tried two Simpsons synthetics, the Chubby 2 and Trafalgar T2. The Chubby was too difficult to splay, but it was wonderfully soft. The T2 splayed nicely but was too prickly. I have a Yaqi Mink and a Muhle STF on order, and I'm hoping that one or both are to my liking. It's interesting to see how differently we react to these brushes. With natural bristle brushes, perhaps that's partly due to natural variations, but with synthetics I think it's just the variations in our preferences.
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
I have a number of synthetic brushes. The two that are different from the rest are the Semogue Pharos and the Simpson Trafalgar. They both have a bit more backbone than my other synthetics.
 
I was reluctant at first also .
Did not like much the EVO handles from pics .
But decided to give it a go.
After receiving my first EVO
all my hesitations vanished into thin air and never looked back .
Truly a great synthetic brush in
every aspect .
Muhle /EJ STFs ( I have 5 of them ,3x25mm & 2x23mm ) are also top-tiers .But lack the
gentle scrub of the SSF* knot of the EVO.Being the main difference between STF vs SSF .

* SilverSynth Fibre
Are your Muhle STFs v1 or v2?
 
Thanks for the tips, will narrow it down to Omega and Mühle, problem with the EVO is that I don't like that much the handle...
Same here. I wonder why they would have such a limited set of very non-conventional handles in both shape & color.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
My preferred synthetic brushes use the Mühle Silvertip Fiber knot (Mühle, Jagger, Frank), the Full Moon knot and the Cashmere knot.
Need to add the Shavemac synthetic to the above list. Very nice synthetic brush.

Need to try the Simpson synthetic.
This is where the YMMV kicks in. ;)

To my face, there are differences between the various types of synthetic knots. And even though none of the synthetic knots I've tried to date suck, I do prefer certain synthetic knots over others.

Really Good:
Full Moon
Silvertip Fiber
Shavemac

Pretty Darn Good:
Cashmere
Tuxedo
Angel Hair

Good:
Synbad

Next on the list: I want to try Simpson's and Mother Lode brushes to see how they compare.

As always, YMMV. :)
That sounds like Cashmere. One of the best synthetics to bowl lather and paint the lather. :)

YMMV

Was reading my posts in this thread. Interesting how my synthetic brush preferences have evolved.

It's also really cool just how good synthetic brushes have gotten.

My 'Really Good' list has expanded:
Full Moon
Silvertip Fiber
Shavemac
EVO
Zenith
Original BOSS Fan
Quartermoon
Timberwolf Fan
PAA Roswell Grey Hybrid
PAA Amber Aerolite Stygian Synth Hybrid
PAA Nexus Hybrid
Tuxedo

I'm even enjoying the big Plissoft knot on the RazoRock Butterscotch Beehive.

Seems like a wonderful selection of brushes to choose from. :)

YMMV
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
Was reading my posts in this thread. Interesting how my synthetic brush preferences have evolved.

It's also really cool just how good synthetic brushes have gotten.

My 'Really Good' list has expanded:
Full Moon
Silvertip Fiber
Shavemac
EVO
Zenith
Original BOSS Fan
Quartermoon
Timberwolf Fan
PAA Roswell Grey Hybrid
PAA Amber Aerolite Stygian Synth Hybrid
PAA Nexus Hybrid
Tuxedo

I'm even enjoying the big Plissoft knot on the RazoRock Butterscotch Beehive.

Seems like a wonderful selection of brushes to choose from. :)

YMMV

Thanks for your list. Just ordered the PAA Amber Aerolite Stygian Synth Hybrid. Price was right.
 
Was reading my posts in this thread. Interesting how my synthetic brush preferences have evolved.

It's also really cool just how good synthetic brushes have gotten.

My 'Really Good' list has expanded:
Full Moon
Silvertip Fiber
Shavemac
EVO
Zenith
Original BOSS Fan
Quartermoon
Timberwolf Fan
PAA Roswell Grey Hybrid
PAA Amber Aerolite Stygian Synth Hybrid
PAA Nexus Hybrid
Tuxedo

I'm even enjoying the big Plissoft knot on the RazoRock Butterscotch Beehive.

Seems like a wonderful selection of brushes to choose from. :)

YMMV
I love that Plissoft knot. I’ve got the aluminum handle 400 and have to resist using it every day. It beats the Super Badger that I have hands down.
 
1. Big Bruce
2. Yaqi Sagrada Familia Tuxedo
3. Simpson Trafalgar T2

These are the synths I own in the order bought. I don't like the Bruce knot feel. The Tuxedo and Trafalgar seem similar - the edge may go to the Tuxedo as it may be a softer feel. I might try a Muhle STF one day but they sure are pricy for a synthetic. Most days I use badger brushes because I like them better than synthetic.
 
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