I'm Thinking of Buying One and Only One Synthetic | Which One Should I Buy?

[BigJ]

I have not much experience with synthetics, but I use a Muehle as my travel brush and also have a Shavemac and a Simpson CH2 syn these are very close to real badger brushes. These would be my recommendations: Muehle, Shavemac and Simpson.

Great advice (based on the reviews)!

(But I am mostly a badger guy, so what do I know about synthetics?)

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Great advice (based on the reviews)!

(But I am mostly a badger guy, so what do I know about synthetics?)

 

[never-stop-learning]

Do I smell lilac vegetal synthetic cat pee.

Do I detect the lamentations of those not chosen?

What I, and everyone around me smells, is a wonderful lilac scent with a fresh, powder finish.

It's all about body chemistry.

Just my opinion and YMMV.

 

[never-stop-learning]

I've been reading about the Simpson Trafalgar.

I know I said Simpsons were out of my league, but these are budget Simpsons, and certainly within my price range going by the price for the T2 at Superior Shave.

Here's a link to a B&B thread on the Simpson Trafalgar. Some gentlemen like it. Some don't. Fancy that.

On a related note, I've tried a couple of the brushes mentioned in this thread and found them not to my liking. Springy! Makes me wonder if all synthetic are springy?

Happy shaves,

Jim

The Trafalgar is not bad, but I prefer the STF.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

The Trafalgar is not bad, but I orefer the STF.

Could I ask why?

It's far more helpful to me as I attempt to learn the answer to my question of which synthetic to buy if I'm only going to buy one to know what causes everyone to prefer their favorite synthetic as well as how it compares with the others they've used.

Also do you have the Omega Evo? There are many reviews in Italian. I like watching them and love listening to the spoken Italian, but those reviews are all Greek to me. I suppose more reviews of the brush, in English, will surface over time. Most of what I've read about the brush sounds pretty good. They say the fibers are either the same as or very close to the Muhle STF. I find the handle selection appealing and I like the larger knot size.

The Muhle knot sizes currently available don't appeal to me nor do the handles I can find, but the performance reviews are great.

I'd love to hear about the Zenith synthetics mostly because every Zenith I've purchased has been a great brush (I have no Zenith silvertips or synthetics, and all my Zenith boars are probably bleached).

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Rustyshackelford]

Out of left field here, but among the assorted synthetics on my shelf, this is hands down my favorite face lathering synthetic brush. 22mm but is just perfect.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Could I ask why?

It's far more helpful to me as I attempt to learn the answer to my question of which synthetic to buy if I'm only going to buy one to know what causes everyone to prefer their favorite synthetic as well as how it compares with the others they've used.

Also do you have the Omega Evo? There are many reviews in Italian. I like watching them and love listening to the spoken Italian, but those reviews are all Greek to me. I suppose more reviews of the brush, in English, will surface over time. Most of what I've read about the brush sounds pretty good. They say the fibers are either the same as or very close to the Muhle STF. I find the handle selection appealing and I like the larger knot size.

The Muhle knot sizes currently available don't appeal to me nor do the handles I can find, but the performance reviews are great.

I'd love to hear about the Zenith synthetics mostly because every Zenith I've purchased has been a great brush (I have no Zenith silvertips or synthetics, and all my Zenith boars are probably bleached).

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

Both the Trafalgar 2 and the 25mm STF are good synthetic brushes. In my opinion, the STF just feel a bit better on my face.

I mostly bowl lather with the occasional face lather when I need to save a couple of minutes.

I've face lathered with both but I feel that the "Chubby" 26mm Full Moon that @Graydog made and the 26mm Shavemac Fan are better face lathering brushes. Better mix of backbone and controlled splay.

 

[MntnMan62]

I am a big fan of all things RazoRock these days. Especially their brushes. I have several of theirs and love them all. The regular Plissoft, Bruce (regular size), Monster, Beehive, 400 with butterscotch handle and noir knot. There may be another but can't remember off the top of my head. Three of them are in my regular rotation and the regular Plissoft is my dedicated travel brush. And all of them are cheap cheap cheap. Prices range between $10 and $15. What's not to like?

 

[JoeLr]

^^ My favorite Razorock synth is the BC Silvertip (been out of stock for quite a while, I think, so maybe out of production?); I also have the heavy aluminum, Rubberset 400 clone with NOIR knot....those demanding backbone need not apply, LOL. But, for guys like me who hate skritch, it is a dream to use.

 

[J-MN]

The Muhle knot sizes currently available don't appeal to me nor do the handles I can find, but the performance reviews are great.

I prefer the Edwin Jagger handles over the Muhle handles, so perhaps check those out if you haven't already. It's the same STF knot material either way. I've used the 23mm version and it seemed pretty full on my face, so it's hard for me to image the 25mm seeming too small for anyone since they fan out pretty wide at the tips. I'd like to try a 25mm someday since it gets the lion's share of the positive reviews.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

A couple of things...

First, a post lifted from another thread. Good information on some of the knots.

#1 24mm APShaveCo Synbad / Shore Shave/Turned Timber by Bill handle
#2 26mm TurnNShave Timberwolf fan / DC Shaving handle
#3 25mm TurnNShave Angel Hair fan / DC Shaving handle
#4 25mm TurnNShave Quartermoon / DC Shaving handle
#5 24mm APShaveCo Cashmere / Wild West handle

I face lather with all of my synthetic brushes. I also have set all my knots myself in custom handles from various sellers as I never liked the original handles they were being offered in. That being said, a good middle of the road knot would be the APShaveCo SynBad as already mentioned. It has just a little more backbone than the APShaveCo Cashmere, but the knot that has even softer tips and better overall feel is the TurnNShave Angel Hair knot. I'd also give good mention to TurnNShave's Quartermoon knot if you are looking for a really good tuxedo knot and don't want the heavy backbone of your everyday tuxedo that is offered by most sellers and also their Timberwolf knot. That is probably the densest knot with the softest tips that I have...

(Photo moved to above this post; paragraphs rearranged.)

I lifted this chart. Not sure I can give the link, but search for understanding synthetic knots|d l and you'll find it. There's more information there than just what's on the chart below, information on some knots not on the chart.

Here's a photo (below) of Yaqi's synthetics.

Hope this is of interest to others.

I know it's incomplete.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Mark Brandon Read]

My favourite synthetic is the Yaqi Moka Express with the weirdly named mew brown knot.

 

[godek]

Don't bother getting another synthetic. While they are great, I use them exclusively, they cannot provide what you seek. Only badger will exactly feel like badger. You are looking for this, not for a good brush. So save your money for something else.
Same problem Claus had some years ago. Synths are great, but they are not badger.

br
godek

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

A review in English of the Omega Evo?

The reviews covers most of the things I'm interested in as related to this brush.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Don't bother getting another synthetic. While they are great, I use them exclusively, they cannot provide what you seek. Only badger will exactly feel like badger. You are looking for this, not for a good brush. So save your money for something else.
Same problem Claus had some years ago. Synths are great, but they are not badger.

br
godek

You might be right. Especially advice on this coming from a gentleman who uses only synthetics carries weight.

I also like boars and my one Zenith horse.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[chillybase]

I recently bought the Yaqi White handle Tuxedo knot as pictured in an above post. It arrived a few days ago and I think it is a nice brush. I don't have a lot of clout in this area since I'm still fairly new to all of this. But I thought I'd throw that in.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

I recently bought the Yaqi White handle Tuxedo knot as pictured in an above post. It arrived a few days ago and I think it is a nice brush. I don't have a lot of clout in this area since I'm still fairly new to all of this. But I thought I'd throw that in.

I bought these as holiday gifts and had an extra. I decided to give it a shot and absolutely love it. It’s a less is more situation.

 

[EB Newfarm]

I keep trying different synthetics and end up disappointed. I make sure I like the handle, so later when I replace the knot with a badger I still consider it a success. A lot of really nice handles available...

 

[never-stop-learning]

Out of left field here, but among the assorted synthetics on my shelf, this is hands down my favorite face lathering synthetic brush. 22mm but is just perfect.
View attachment 1068533

The 22mm Tuxedo is my travel brush.

 

[peltz]

Definitely the APShave SilkSmoke - perfect balance of backbone and softness for me.

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