These are two articles that I wrote last year on the subjects of Synthetic Brushes.
The First is Franks Shaving dated 6 August 2011 and the Second is a TGN reknot dated 7 October 2011.
All of these types of brushes have one thing in common. The hairs are supplied by animals. Here is where our world of shaving brushes will collide with the world of animal rights activists. A large number of animal rights activists have an extremely strong belief set that animals should never be used for any purpose by humans. These very vocal segments are campaigning to eliminate any animal product use to legislative bodies world wide. As their very vocal efforts continue, we may begin to see shortages sometime in the future in the amount of products that are made from animals due to legislation. We may very well begin to see a major impact upon the brush industry (both for shaving and cosmetics). This is not presented as a political argument. The validity of the viewpoints of animal rights activists is clearly not the focus of this discussion. This fact, which supplies of badger, boar and horse hairs to serve as a supply for brushes will be endangered, is a clear, simple and direct reality. This reality will have to be addressed by the industry now and in the future.
With that backdrop in mind, we have an additional alternative that may help to alleviate the supply issue for brushes in the future, depending upon how well the technology will be advanced. This alternative is the synthetic brush.
Most wet shavers view the synthetic brush with disdain because the fibers have not been made to match the characteristics of animal hair. Some, but not all the issues, that have been raised include the following:
I present to you a new synthetic brush from Frank Shaving Company sold on eBay through starshavingsupplies.
The specifications from starshavingsupplies are as follows:
This New Synthetic Hair Shaving Brush comes in a plastic resin handle, 4 7/16" overall height with 2 7/16" synthetic hair height and will create the richest lather. The synthetic hair will work for those with allergies against animal hair. The hair knot size is 24mm or .945" and this synthetic hair shaving brush will hold enough lather to do 3 passes on your face. This synthetic hair is soft yet the bristles are stiff enough to make a tough beard stand up, thick and tall compared to most shaving brushes. The densely filled brush head is ideal for holding and distributing water and lather and will help soften and raise your beard while exfoliating your skin for a close comfortable shave.
The price is currently $12.49 U.S.D. with $3.50 U.S.D. shipping charge. With that in mind, I decided to take the plunge to see whether or not the claims were true. The cost was low enough to give this brush a try. I chose the black resin handled model. It arrived a few days after it was ordered and I was ready to put my trusty Tweezerman down for a while to try another brush.
Attached are pictures of the brush and comparison photos with a Tweezerman badger and an Omega Syntex brush. The first thing that struck me was that the fit and finish are excellent for such a low priced brush. You can tell that it is a synthetic from the handle end of the brushes in thickness and coloration, but there is a striking difference from other synthetic brushes when you look at the tips of the brush. They flair and are soft, like a badger brush. The fibers have plenty of backbone, more like a boar than most badgers brushes. When I first applied this brush to water, the fibers sagged like a badger, unlike the fibers of the Omega Syntex which were rigid and harsh when wet as when dry. So here was one major difference that could be seen was that the brush behaved more like an animal than other synthetics.
Next was lathering test. Both lather testing with soap and creams proved to be excellent. The brush in an average puck of tallow soap could generate enough lather for 4 passes of the face and a complete head shave. I was impressed with the way it generated and held lather. It was almost as good as my Tweezerman at generating lots of lather in the mug with soap. The photos that show the brush and lather were generated with soap after approximately a 45 second whisking. The next test was the most critical of all. How does it feel? It was softer to the skin than my Tweezerman, but had slightly less backbone. The lather spread on smooth and easy, unlike the Syntex which was rigid and felt more like a boar that had never been broken in. The Syntex, although having a beautiful handle and a solid reputation due to being manufactured by Omega, was outclassed by the Frank synthetic in each and every way. The Frank held water better, generated richer lather, applied the lather more smoothly and evenly than the Syntex. In fact it was in operation so close to the Tweezerman, but softer which is an improvement.
In the area of brush quality, this brush has not lost a hair in the first two weeks of use. That is better than any other brush that I have used, except the Syntex which did not lose a hair in its testing.
Another area where synthetics trump animal hairs is in the drying process. They are quicker drying and are less likely to develop mold and fungus issues over time if less than adequate care is provided. The Frank brush when I use it in the morning is totally dry in the stand by my return at the end of the work day. My Tweezerman would still be slightly wet and would require the remainder of the evening before completely drying out on the same stand. Another facet that I appreciate is that I do not have to baby this brush like many high end brush owners seem to be compelled to do because of cost. This brush does not cost a lot, so I do not have to worry about using it to its maximum potential.
Now the question is, could I live with this brush as my only brush? The answer is that if I had to, this brush would provide me excellent shaves and my experience would not be diminished if this were my only brush. Are there better brushes? Without question there are better brushes. However, there may come a day when fewer of these better brushes are available at much higher prices. Synthetics do have an issue with needing more petroleum products to manufacture, but if it holds up longer than animal hair then that may not be a issue large enough to cause concern.
Is this an endorsement of the Frank Shaving Company Synthetic Brush? Yes it is. It provides a high level of value given its cost and its composition. You may or may not have a similar experience if you buy this. You may want a higher end natural brush, or this may become your go to brush. You will never know until you try.
In my shave den, the Frank Shaving Company Synthetic Brush now has a place all its own.
End of first review.
I enjoy this brush so much that I wanted a second copy but with supply issues, getting one is difficult at the moment at the extremely wonderful price point that Frank brushes offered. Naturally, I decided to search the web to see if there were any suitable substitutes. After some searching, not only did I find a suitable substitute, I believed I found the exact brush. I mean the exact same one, with one minor issue. I found the knot, and only the knot. OH, KNOTS!
Well the knot can be placed in a handle. So I go and order the knot. After receiving it, I realized this would work out well with the correct handle. I have many donor handles but the problem is that it must be able to accept the size of the knot. Again, OH, KNOTS!
Let's discuss the knot. It is made of nylon and its appears to be ground down, or maybe even burnt, at the tips to make the ends soft. It is 23.5mm at the knot itself and the loft is 60mm high. Measured against the Frank Synthetic it is exactly the same in every respect. These images provide a view from the side and the top for perspective. I propped up the knot to get it within a reasonable equality with the Frank Synthetic.
After measurement and inspection, I chose the only handle that I had available that was large enough to modify to fit the knot. It was a lowly Burma Shave brush, which I have two or three around. The other handles could not be "widened" to accept a knot 3 to 5 mm wider due to potential damage. The Burma Shave brush was cheap enough so that if I messed up, I would not be out much. So the project begins with the donor brush.
I cut off the hairs of the Burma Shave brush. The stiff cheap boar hairs handled cutting like a 5 year old child who hates barbers and scissors and does not want a burr haircut. After about six or seven minutes with some old scissors, because you don't use the good scissors on items like this or they will become bad scissors, the hair was cut away. Now to the old knot base. Since I do not have the luxury of a shop or a lathe, I used my trusty drill and small bit for pilot holes and the larger bit for getting down to business. Again, the knot was more than what I expected. I drilled with the small bit to make pilot holes for what seemed to be 15 minutes. That base was rock hard. The large bit was then used to drill out a large opening for another 15 minutes of circling and removing and to my surprise the base fell into the hollow handle part way. It seemed to have enough clearance for the knot. The hole was still 20mm and so more was needed. I got out the Dremel tool and the rubber sanding wheel and placed a sanding circle on it. Again, I slowly ground down the brush to try to keep an even circle until it reduced in height. By doing so, the shape of the handle allowed for the hole to become 23.5mm and with a little final sanding the handle was made ready.
Now it was time to go get some clear soft form glue to fill in a large section of the handle at the top and the base of the knot. I used a product called E6000 because it sets up clear, completely waterproof and can be easily removed during the first 5 minutes to clean up any excess around the handle. It takes 24 to 72 hours to harden and it leaves a solid ring around the brush handle and knot to keep the water out. After curing the finished product is ready to be viewed and compared to the original Burma Shave Brush and to the Frank Synthetic Brush.
Here is the finished brush.
Here is a comparison to a Burma Shave brush.
Here is a comparison to the Frank Synthetic.
Yes, the finished project looks like an old Ever ready with a bigger brush. It feels just like the Frank Synthetic only with an old fashion vibe.
End of second review.
Notes: The price of the FS has gone up slightly since the first article was written.
The First is Franks Shaving dated 6 August 2011 and the Second is a TGN reknot dated 7 October 2011.
A place all its own: Frank Shaving Company Synthetic Brush
We all seem to have favorites when it comes to brushes. Some enjoy the stiffness of a boar brush, some the softness of a badger brush, some like the horse hair brush as a compromise between the badger and the boar. Some even like combinations of badger, boar and horse that allow for a averaging of all the types, or the best of all worlds as some say. Some individuals like inexpensive brushes such as the Omega boars, Tweezerman badger, etc. Some individuals like more expensive brushes such as some of the Rooney, Simpson, and products from other higher end brush manufacturers.All of these types of brushes have one thing in common. The hairs are supplied by animals. Here is where our world of shaving brushes will collide with the world of animal rights activists. A large number of animal rights activists have an extremely strong belief set that animals should never be used for any purpose by humans. These very vocal segments are campaigning to eliminate any animal product use to legislative bodies world wide. As their very vocal efforts continue, we may begin to see shortages sometime in the future in the amount of products that are made from animals due to legislation. We may very well begin to see a major impact upon the brush industry (both for shaving and cosmetics). This is not presented as a political argument. The validity of the viewpoints of animal rights activists is clearly not the focus of this discussion. This fact, which supplies of badger, boar and horse hairs to serve as a supply for brushes will be endangered, is a clear, simple and direct reality. This reality will have to be addressed by the industry now and in the future.
With that backdrop in mind, we have an additional alternative that may help to alleviate the supply issue for brushes in the future, depending upon how well the technology will be advanced. This alternative is the synthetic brush.
Most wet shavers view the synthetic brush with disdain because the fibers have not been made to match the characteristics of animal hair. Some, but not all the issues, that have been raised include the following:
- The synthetic brushes do not hold water very well.
- The synthetic brush is always stiff and never breaks in like a boar or a badger brush.
- The synthetic brush does not capture the soap or cream in concert with the water to allow for a favorable lather to be developed.
- The synthetic brush does not allow for a soft / smooth application of lather to the skin.
- The synthetic brush simply does not have the quality feel against the skin of an animal brush.
I present to you a new synthetic brush from Frank Shaving Company sold on eBay through starshavingsupplies.
The specifications from starshavingsupplies are as follows:
This New Synthetic Hair Shaving Brush comes in a plastic resin handle, 4 7/16" overall height with 2 7/16" synthetic hair height and will create the richest lather. The synthetic hair will work for those with allergies against animal hair. The hair knot size is 24mm or .945" and this synthetic hair shaving brush will hold enough lather to do 3 passes on your face. This synthetic hair is soft yet the bristles are stiff enough to make a tough beard stand up, thick and tall compared to most shaving brushes. The densely filled brush head is ideal for holding and distributing water and lather and will help soften and raise your beard while exfoliating your skin for a close comfortable shave.
The price is currently $12.49 U.S.D. with $3.50 U.S.D. shipping charge. With that in mind, I decided to take the plunge to see whether or not the claims were true. The cost was low enough to give this brush a try. I chose the black resin handled model. It arrived a few days after it was ordered and I was ready to put my trusty Tweezerman down for a while to try another brush.
Attached are pictures of the brush and comparison photos with a Tweezerman badger and an Omega Syntex brush. The first thing that struck me was that the fit and finish are excellent for such a low priced brush. You can tell that it is a synthetic from the handle end of the brushes in thickness and coloration, but there is a striking difference from other synthetic brushes when you look at the tips of the brush. They flair and are soft, like a badger brush. The fibers have plenty of backbone, more like a boar than most badgers brushes. When I first applied this brush to water, the fibers sagged like a badger, unlike the fibers of the Omega Syntex which were rigid and harsh when wet as when dry. So here was one major difference that could be seen was that the brush behaved more like an animal than other synthetics.
Next was lathering test. Both lather testing with soap and creams proved to be excellent. The brush in an average puck of tallow soap could generate enough lather for 4 passes of the face and a complete head shave. I was impressed with the way it generated and held lather. It was almost as good as my Tweezerman at generating lots of lather in the mug with soap. The photos that show the brush and lather were generated with soap after approximately a 45 second whisking. The next test was the most critical of all. How does it feel? It was softer to the skin than my Tweezerman, but had slightly less backbone. The lather spread on smooth and easy, unlike the Syntex which was rigid and felt more like a boar that had never been broken in. The Syntex, although having a beautiful handle and a solid reputation due to being manufactured by Omega, was outclassed by the Frank synthetic in each and every way. The Frank held water better, generated richer lather, applied the lather more smoothly and evenly than the Syntex. In fact it was in operation so close to the Tweezerman, but softer which is an improvement.
In the area of brush quality, this brush has not lost a hair in the first two weeks of use. That is better than any other brush that I have used, except the Syntex which did not lose a hair in its testing.
Another area where synthetics trump animal hairs is in the drying process. They are quicker drying and are less likely to develop mold and fungus issues over time if less than adequate care is provided. The Frank brush when I use it in the morning is totally dry in the stand by my return at the end of the work day. My Tweezerman would still be slightly wet and would require the remainder of the evening before completely drying out on the same stand. Another facet that I appreciate is that I do not have to baby this brush like many high end brush owners seem to be compelled to do because of cost. This brush does not cost a lot, so I do not have to worry about using it to its maximum potential.
Now the question is, could I live with this brush as my only brush? The answer is that if I had to, this brush would provide me excellent shaves and my experience would not be diminished if this were my only brush. Are there better brushes? Without question there are better brushes. However, there may come a day when fewer of these better brushes are available at much higher prices. Synthetics do have an issue with needing more petroleum products to manufacture, but if it holds up longer than animal hair then that may not be a issue large enough to cause concern.
Is this an endorsement of the Frank Shaving Company Synthetic Brush? Yes it is. It provides a high level of value given its cost and its composition. You may or may not have a similar experience if you buy this. You may want a higher end natural brush, or this may become your go to brush. You will never know until you try.
In my shave den, the Frank Shaving Company Synthetic Brush now has a place all its own.
End of first review.
Where there is a will there is a way - Synthetic Redux
Many of you have expressed interest in the Frank Synthetic Shave brush in an earlier review.I enjoy this brush so much that I wanted a second copy but with supply issues, getting one is difficult at the moment at the extremely wonderful price point that Frank brushes offered. Naturally, I decided to search the web to see if there were any suitable substitutes. After some searching, not only did I find a suitable substitute, I believed I found the exact brush. I mean the exact same one, with one minor issue. I found the knot, and only the knot. OH, KNOTS!
Well the knot can be placed in a handle. So I go and order the knot. After receiving it, I realized this would work out well with the correct handle. I have many donor handles but the problem is that it must be able to accept the size of the knot. Again, OH, KNOTS!
Let's discuss the knot. It is made of nylon and its appears to be ground down, or maybe even burnt, at the tips to make the ends soft. It is 23.5mm at the knot itself and the loft is 60mm high. Measured against the Frank Synthetic it is exactly the same in every respect. These images provide a view from the side and the top for perspective. I propped up the knot to get it within a reasonable equality with the Frank Synthetic.
After measurement and inspection, I chose the only handle that I had available that was large enough to modify to fit the knot. It was a lowly Burma Shave brush, which I have two or three around. The other handles could not be "widened" to accept a knot 3 to 5 mm wider due to potential damage. The Burma Shave brush was cheap enough so that if I messed up, I would not be out much. So the project begins with the donor brush.
I cut off the hairs of the Burma Shave brush. The stiff cheap boar hairs handled cutting like a 5 year old child who hates barbers and scissors and does not want a burr haircut. After about six or seven minutes with some old scissors, because you don't use the good scissors on items like this or they will become bad scissors, the hair was cut away. Now to the old knot base. Since I do not have the luxury of a shop or a lathe, I used my trusty drill and small bit for pilot holes and the larger bit for getting down to business. Again, the knot was more than what I expected. I drilled with the small bit to make pilot holes for what seemed to be 15 minutes. That base was rock hard. The large bit was then used to drill out a large opening for another 15 minutes of circling and removing and to my surprise the base fell into the hollow handle part way. It seemed to have enough clearance for the knot. The hole was still 20mm and so more was needed. I got out the Dremel tool and the rubber sanding wheel and placed a sanding circle on it. Again, I slowly ground down the brush to try to keep an even circle until it reduced in height. By doing so, the shape of the handle allowed for the hole to become 23.5mm and with a little final sanding the handle was made ready.
Now it was time to go get some clear soft form glue to fill in a large section of the handle at the top and the base of the knot. I used a product called E6000 because it sets up clear, completely waterproof and can be easily removed during the first 5 minutes to clean up any excess around the handle. It takes 24 to 72 hours to harden and it leaves a solid ring around the brush handle and knot to keep the water out. After curing the finished product is ready to be viewed and compared to the original Burma Shave Brush and to the Frank Synthetic Brush.
Here is the finished brush.
Here is a comparison to a Burma Shave brush.
Here is a comparison to the Frank Synthetic.
Yes, the finished project looks like an old Ever ready with a bigger brush. It feels just like the Frank Synthetic only with an old fashion vibe.
End of second review.
Notes: The price of the FS has gone up slightly since the first article was written.
