Moving from badger to synthetic

[wulfgar1976]

Anything I need to know in terms of what to expect and how to get the best from a synthetic when I am used to a badger brush? I always face-lather. From what I have read, it's unnecessary to soak a synthetic brush and you can just dip the tips in water to start off. When I add water to my lather, I do so by dropping a small amount onto the brush during the process of face-lathering.

I have already ordered a brush (RazoRock Monster). If it's too big (I only need lather for 3.5 passes) or I need more backbone, I can shop around for another.

 

[smudge]

Load damp and add water in small amounts to your liking. Load too wet and you'll redecorate your bathroom - it'll fling soap everywhere.

 

[emwolf]

Right now I only use badger, but the Monster has been my favourite out of all my synthetics.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

As above start with a barely damp brush and very slowly add water as the knot can suddenly release too much water in an uncontrolled way. Typically I use much less soap with my Chubby 2 synthetic than with my badger brushes - including the Wee Scot! A tiny amount of soap will go a long way with a synthetic.

 

[CarloMNL]

A tiny amount of soap will go a long way with a synthetic.

Pretty much what he said. I've been using badger more frequently these days and I notice that it seems to consume more cream than my identically sized synthetic.

 

[BradWorld]

No pre soaking. I run water on the brush, then flick out most of it. I load soft soaps for about 16 seconds. Hard soaps I load for about 25 seconds max. Then I face lather. During the lather I add very small amounts of water to the brush until I have the desired consistency. I find it takes half the time, and half the soap for a synth versus a badger.

 

[Chandu]

Shake all the water out of the synth and then bend it over at the base a bit just for good measure. Then make your lather adding a little water to the tips if necessary. Why? Nothing worse in the world of shave lathering than getting a nice head of lather on a synth taking it to the face and then when you press in have the brush take a leak on your hand. THAT Is the curse of most synths.

 

[gdawg55]

Get yourself a Rudy Vey 25mm STF synthetic and you won't miss your badger. Excellent brush.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I have a very fine Executive Shaving Co. Ultimate G4 synthetic, designed by Steve at Alpha Shaving. I gave my Vulfix Super Badger brush to our youngest son... the one who got me back into wet shaving.

 

[CTM]

Anything I need to know in terms of what to expect and how to get the best from a synthetic when I am used to a badger brush? I always face-lather. From what I have read, it's unnecessary to soak a synthetic brush and you can just dip the tips in water to start off. When I add water to my lather, I do so by dropping a small amount onto the brush during the process of face-lathering.

I have already ordered a brush (RazoRock Monster). If it's too big (I only need lather for 3.5 passes) or I need more backbone, I can shop around for another.

Treasonous behavior! Pure blasphemy!!!

 

[merovirginian]

As a fellow face latherer, I have yet to find 'that' synthetic brush to replace my natural hair brushes. I still soak my synthetics in warm water while I shower. Not for the hairs, but the temp. But yes, get the water out in a reasonable way and then load. Synthetics can sometimes hold onto lather and not release as well as natural hair. But you can adapt and be happy. Just know that synthetics and sometimes fling lather. Go a bit slower at first and you should be fine.

 

[Ron R]

I used synthetics for years and still very much enjoy them and 7 months ago started using badger brushes and the transition was easy because I still remove most of the water out of the badger like my synthetic brushes and I find the badger brushes very nice change up and also enjoy boar brushes. Synthetic brushes are heading to be the main stream of traditional shaving and will always be that way IMO because the quality of hair is awesome. 2band and silvertip badger brushes are always going to be around IMO and have a nice face feel that folks like. Boar brushes are a nice change up also and perform very well and can have a nice face feel when soaked prior to using.
Enjoy your Razorock monster Plissoft synthetic brush and you will have no problem after a few try's is my prediction.
If you find you do not have enough lather you can always bowl lather until you dial the brush in to your liking and soap needed to face lather.

 

[eezee]

As a fellow face latherer, I have yet to find 'that' synthetic brush to replace my natural hair brushes. I still soak my synthetics in warm water while I shower. Not for the hairs, but the temp. But yes, get the water out in a reasonable way and then load. Synthetics can sometimes hold onto lather and not release as well as natural hair. But you can adapt and be happy. Just know that synthetics and sometimes fling lather. Go a bit slower at first and you should be fine.

I soak all my synthetics for the temp as well. I personally think that if you are used to using a badger the transition will be minimal. I have the L'Occitane by Plisson and two Muhle synthetics, one with black fiber and one with silver tip fiber. All were quite easy to get used to using.

 

[Old Grump]

OP, it looks to me as though you're trying to apply the same care and attention that you use with a badger brush to synthetic brushes. In my experience, you don't need to.

I used to add water carefully, a little at a time. Now I just start with a soaking wet brush, and stir as though I'm lathering Mitchell's Wool Fat. At irregular intervals, I dump in liberal amounts of even more water. With any modern, tallow-based soap, before I know it the bowl is nearly overflowing with thick, shiny lather.

Synthetics lather very easily, compared to badgers, in my experience.

 

[njpaddy]

My brushes purchased (25+), since 2009, have been mostly 2 & 3 band badgers. I hated my first two synthetic brushes (2015 & 2017). They were like lathering with a porcupine. One I PIF'd to another member, the other I used to clean crumbs from my keyboard. It wasn't until a Razorock 24mm synth in 2018, that I found one that I liked as much as my badgers. I still use a couple of my 8 remaining ($100-165) badgers more than the synth, but probably more out of guilt than performance. If synthetics were as good as my RR when I started, I might have saved money.

 

[andromeda673]

I love my synthetic's I don't know if I would go back to be honest, however, I have been using my Simpson T1 for literally a year straight if not longer. I like my Simpson's I have a special pure badger that I used a ton until I took a shot at the synthetic market, and I think once you make the change, you'll like it too.

 

[shave/brush]

Synthetics are the best IMO. They make lather the easiest. I get my brush soaking wet and them give it one good snap of the wrist to get excess water out. Works great.
I like the RazoRock Big Bruce brush the best. I found the Monster brush handle uncomfortable.

 

[JWCowboy]

Shake all the water out of the synth and then bend it over at the base a bit just for good measure. Then make your lather adding a little water to the tips if necessary. Why? Nothing worse in the world of shave lathering than getting a nice head of lather on a synth taking it to the face and then when you press in have the brush take a leak on your hand. THAT Is the curse of most synths.

Just noticed your signature, love it

 

[wulfgar1976]

Thanks to everyone who replied. I have been trying a RazoRock Monster and a Simpsons Trafalgar T3. I'll recount my experiences so far.

For comparison, I have been using two identical "best" badger shaving brushes for about ten years. I would describe these brushes as all splay and no backbone - perfect for face lathering but I don't see how anyone would be able to load the brush directly from the soap. Indeed, I caused significant damage to one of them trying to force it to do so in my early days. As such, I only have one type of brush to compare to and it's not a type that everyone would prefer.

The synthetic brushes are easy to use and I find soaking them is best (for temperature - not sure it makes them softer) but I have to be careful not to shake too much water out of them otherwise they are hard work to get started. They have considerably more backbone than I am used to and don't splay the same but I can get used to that.

The only thing I find better with my badger brushes is that I have more control over the consistency of the lather. I can keep adding water with my badger brushes to get a wetter, slicker lather (which I prefer) whereas I get to the point with my synthetic brushes where adding more water just means I am throwing lather around the bathroom. I don't know whether this is due to being synthetic and having different water retention properties; there are many other factors such as knot size (by badgers are smaller), density, floppiness etc.

I did a bit of research and ordered the floppiest synthetic brush I could find in a smaller knot (Yaqi 24mm Cashmere) to compare to. If I can't get a wetter lather then I will just get used to what I am getting now, which actually has more cushioning but at the expense of glide.

In case anyone is wondering why I don't just get another badger brush, the reason is that I can't justify it on ethical grounds.

 

[wulfgar1976]

I tried the Yaqi 24mm Cashmere last night. This brush is just what I was looking for. It feels identical to my badger brushes and produces the same lather. Its tendency to fling water is offset by the fact that it lathers so much more quickly.

I have a 24mm Silver Wolf arriving soon.