I've just ordered my first setup and got the H.I.S. synthetic brush. I know animal hair brushes require a little bit of treatment prior to their first use to get rid of the nasty smells that they can harbor, but what about synthetics? Will I need to do anything to this magnitude prior to my first use? Or is there some other pre-usage ritual for synthetics?
Any necessary prep for synthetics?
- Thread starter neilz4
- Start date
I've never heard of a prep or break-in being necessary for synthetic knots ... if anything, just one or two test lathers should suffice.
Although synthetic brushes are not common around these parts, if it were necessary and needed, it would be known by now.
Although synthetic brushes are not common around these parts, if it were necessary and needed, it would be known by now.
- Thread starter
- #3
Yeah I figured they weren't too common. Just from my minor lurking I can see that everyone has really nice top-of-the-line badger brushes. Though I have the money and they are super sexy, I have to resist (for now). Once I am sufficient with a DE, I can justify 100+ on a brush 
You are wise to wait and develop your technique before you splurge on an expensive brush ... too many people think "If I get a better brush/razor/soap/etc my shaves will improve" ... but having high-end gear means nothing if you don't have the skills to use it properly.
What kind of synthetic do you have? My one and only synth is a BodyShop brush for $11. I used it for one pass and didn't like it. Nothing wrong with synthetics in general, though. This brush felt nice and soft on my hand, whipped up lather easily, but when I put it to my face, it didn't splay out right. There was something about the SHAPE of the knot that just didn't seem right, but I was fine with the material.
I've been looking at the Jack Black brush, which seems nice and hefty. The description on the box is rather vague about what material the knot is made from, but it seems like it might be colored nylon. At $85, though, its a bit pricey to buy just to answer this one question.
What kind of synthetic do you have? My one and only synth is a BodyShop brush for $11. I used it for one pass and didn't like it. Nothing wrong with synthetics in general, though. This brush felt nice and soft on my hand, whipped up lather easily, but when I put it to my face, it didn't splay out right. There was something about the SHAPE of the knot that just didn't seem right, but I was fine with the material.
I've been looking at the Jack Black brush, which seems nice and hefty. The description on the box is rather vague about what material the knot is made from, but it seems like it might be colored nylon. At $85, though, its a bit pricey to buy just to answer this one question.
- Thread starter
- #5
Yeah I figured as much. I got a pretty sweet setup for about 100 (cream, soap, blades, stand, aftershave, styptic, razor, brush). I'll run with it a while and get a better brush once I progress.
I ordered an H.I.S. by Beauty Strokes pretty much because Mantic59 gave it a solid review on his blog/site. It was $33 and he said it worked just as well and felt just as good as high higher quality badgers. I've never used a brush so I'm sure it'll be wonderful. I haven't heard anything about the Jack Black you mentioned, though. I've been doing research but never came across the name. That is a pretty hefty price tag to just try something out...though you could sell it if you don't like it, that's still a lot of work.
I ordered an H.I.S. by Beauty Strokes pretty much because Mantic59 gave it a solid review on his blog/site. It was $33 and he said it worked just as well and felt just as good as high higher quality badgers. I've never used a brush so I'm sure it'll be wonderful. I haven't heard anything about the Jack Black you mentioned, though. I've been doing research but never came across the name. That is a pretty hefty price tag to just try something out...though you could sell it if you don't like it, that's still a lot of work.
I ordered the H.I.S. brush by Beauty Strokes through Amazon last Friday; it arrived tonight. I haven't shaved with it yet, but I am already impressed. It is tall, almost as tall as the Omega Pro. But unlike the Omega, it is dense and very soft, not scritchy. On my face and in my hand, it feels a lot like my Simpson Colonel Best Badger. So far, it's everything I hoped it would be. The only thing that's missing is a nice logo on the handle. It's just plain. I can't wait to try it tomorrow.
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- #7
Very nice, Quigg! You just got me a million times more excited to get all my shaving gear! The wait is killing me 
