I really wanted to try a synthetic, but did not want to be disappointed. I have a really nice Shavemac which has totally spoiled me, and a nice Omega boar, which has ALSO spoiled me. They are very different but very comfortable brushes, and if you don't think boar can be comfortable, you aren't using a good boar brush!
I am an experimenter though, so I read all the reviews and bought this bad boy. The ad copy calls it top of the line, luxurious, and all the marketing speak that will give you diabetes if you read too much of it. But it looked pretty, I could afford it so I bought it.
It came nicely packed - OVER packed imho - from Shoebox Shave Shop. I got the usual excellent service from them by the way. They included a full sized tube of Arko regular cream, for which I have no use but it was a nice thing to get for free. Free is good
. The brush was as pretty as I expected, and felt nice dry. No funk of any kind of course. I didn't expect any.
Now, the numbers;
Price - $50. Not bad for a really nice brush. More than a boar - even a very good one. A fraction of the price of a good badger. Still, some may balk at paying that much for a "fake" hair brush.
Quality - top notch. The handle is well made, the knot tightly packed and even, printing well done, even the little gold ring is pretty. Good job on a classic looking brush.
Density - tight. Well packed. Good backbone.
Stiffness of tips - this brush is stiffer than a badger, less stiff than a boar. A nice all around level of stiff. It works well for both soaps and creams.
Softness of tips - just a slight amount of prickliness - about what you would expect of a mid level badger. A broken in boar is never prickly though. So I gave it points off for that.
Ergonomic - the handle works well in the hand, and the bristles are long enough to reach into a mug no problem. Good size, good grip, good job
Latherability - this thing makes a lather like crazy on soap! Also on creams but that's a lot easier. It had my IK overflowing the mug in no time at all.
The only problem with the brush is that it doesn't hold a lot of lather in it's bristles. Two passes and it's empty. Even my Omega boar does better. But still, if you want a really good all around brush that won't break the bank, looks beautiful, and oh yeah it dries fast - this is your brush. Plus no badger or boar funk!
I am an experimenter though, so I read all the reviews and bought this bad boy. The ad copy calls it top of the line, luxurious, and all the marketing speak that will give you diabetes if you read too much of it. But it looked pretty, I could afford it so I bought it.
It came nicely packed - OVER packed imho - from Shoebox Shave Shop. I got the usual excellent service from them by the way. They included a full sized tube of Arko regular cream, for which I have no use but it was a nice thing to get for free. Free is good
. The brush was as pretty as I expected, and felt nice dry. No funk of any kind of course. I didn't expect any.Now, the numbers;
Price - $50. Not bad for a really nice brush. More than a boar - even a very good one. A fraction of the price of a good badger. Still, some may balk at paying that much for a "fake" hair brush.
Quality - top notch. The handle is well made, the knot tightly packed and even, printing well done, even the little gold ring is pretty. Good job on a classic looking brush.
Density - tight. Well packed. Good backbone.
Stiffness of tips - this brush is stiffer than a badger, less stiff than a boar. A nice all around level of stiff. It works well for both soaps and creams.
Softness of tips - just a slight amount of prickliness - about what you would expect of a mid level badger. A broken in boar is never prickly though. So I gave it points off for that.
Ergonomic - the handle works well in the hand, and the bristles are long enough to reach into a mug no problem. Good size, good grip, good job
Latherability - this thing makes a lather like crazy on soap! Also on creams but that's a lot easier. It had my IK overflowing the mug in no time at all.
The only problem with the brush is that it doesn't hold a lot of lather in it's bristles. Two passes and it's empty. Even my Omega boar does better. But still, if you want a really good all around brush that won't break the bank, looks beautiful, and oh yeah it dries fast - this is your brush. Plus no badger or boar funk!
