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My favorite brush

After trying endless brushes, expensive, medium price range and cheap ... badgder, boar, synthetic, I end up with a clear winner.

What kind of brush have I been looking for?
- Dense bristle
- Soft brush with a backbone, but not rigid
- A knot that generates lather quickly with face lathering, and a brush that does not absorb too much.
- A handle that fits in the hand nicely.

And the brush is Yaqi Chianti's 24mm Synthetic!
What surprises me with this brush is that it dominates the expensive brushes in most areas.

Although synthetic brushes are of good quality, I still find it difficult to find the brush that is soft but at the same time provides resistance (backbone), and when it comes to yaqi brushes in general, my experience is that many of them are too soft, with the exception of a few, (Yaqi Chianti's 24mm Synthetic).
With other brands, I think the brushes almost gets too stiff (rigid).

If you have sensitive skin, this may be the brush you are looking for.
 
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Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
That doesn't surprise me at all. I feel the same way about my Simpson T2 synthetic.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
After trying endless brushes, expensive, medium price range and cheap ... badgder, boar, synthetic, I end up with a clear winner.

What kind of brush have I been looking for?
- Dense bristle
- Soft brush with a backbone, but not rigid
- A knot that generates lather quickly with face lathering, and a brush that does not absorb too much.
- A handle that fits in the hand nicely.

And the brush is Yaqi Chianti's 24mm Synthetic!
What surprises me with this brush is that it dominates the expensive brushes in most areas.

Although synthetic brushes are of good quality, I still find it difficult to find the brush that is soft but at the same time provides resistance (backbone), and when it comes to yaqi brushes in general, my experience is that many of them are too soft, with the exception of a few, (Yaqi Chianti's 24mm Synthetic).
With other brands, I think the brushes almost gets too stiff (rigid).

If you have sensitive skin, this may be the brush you are looking for.
I just bought a Yaqi 24mm Chianti's and should be here by the end of the week. Yaqi had their 11.11 sale and bought 3 new brushes with different knots. I found their tuxedo knot very good one and will have 9 different knots and brush sizes. If you want soft tips and a brush with backbone get the Tuxedo knot or the Rainbow with brown whiskers knot in the 26mm because you get a lot more whiskers packed in so you will naturally get more scrub and backbone and it will splay if needed and soft painting with those soft tips.
Great brushes Yaqi has IMO and affordable for the budget minded. When you can buy a brush for the price of a Big Mac and enjoy it more it's a no brainer. One thing I should mention when you sometimes get a bigger knot it can be a little soap hoggish.
I enjoy all my Yaqi brushes and have some Razorock Plissofts also that are good ones to use. A lot of the shaving suppliers get their knots made off shore from different manufactures but we might not think about that aspect of a brush purchase.
 
I just bought a Yaqi 24mm Chianti's and should be here by the end of the week. Yaqi had their 11.11 sale and bought 3 new brushes with different knots. I found their tuxedo knot very good one and will have 9 different knots and brush sizes. If you want soft tips and a brush with backbone get the Tuxedo knot or the Rainbow with brown whiskers knot in the 26mm because you get a lot more whiskers packed in so you will naturally get more scrub and backbone and it will splay if needed and soft painting with those soft tips.
Great brushes Yaqi has IMO and affordable for the budget minded. When you can buy a brush for the price of a Big Mac and enjoy it more it's a no brainer. One thing I should mention when you sometimes get a bigger knot it can be a little soap hoggish.
I enjoy all my Yaqi brushes and have some Razorock Plissofts also that are good ones to use. A lot of the shaving suppliers get their knots made off shore from different manufactures but we might not think about that aspect of a brush purchase.
Thanks for the input. I have tried many tuxedos but I think Yaqi Chianti's stand out because it has a perfect backbone, not too much and not too little. And when it comes to the size of the brushes, I find that 24mm is perfect as long as the bristles are dense. The only downside to 24mm is that it can get too thin and too stiff, but Yaqi 24mm Chianti's is for me absolutely perfect.

With 26mm, I have to spend a little more time to make the perfect lather because there is more soap in the bristles, but I will anyway order the rainbow :)
 
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I only own three brushes, an Edwin Jagger Super Badger, West Coast Shaving Ancient Stone and Razorock 400 aluminum handle with Plissoft knot. The Razorock is without a doubt my favorite.
8013F898-3DA0-4D2A-9AF4-C85737CD21CF.jpeg
 
The synthetics of today are light years away of the old nylon knots. I bought a Yaqi Tuxedo a couple of years ago and I do like it. I have 3 nylons in my rotation, but only because I like the handles.

-jim
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
After trying endless brushes, expensive, medium price range and cheap ... badgder, boar, synthetic, I end up with a clear winner.

What kind of brush have I been looking for?
- Dense bristle
- Soft brush with a backbone, but not rigid
- A knot that generates lather quickly with face lathering, and a brush that does not absorb too much.
- A handle that fits in the hand nicely.

And the brush is Yaqi Chianti's 24mm Synthetic!
What surprises me with this brush is that it dominates the expensive brushes in most areas.

Although synthetic brushes are of good quality, I still find it difficult to find the brush that is soft but at the same time provides resistance (backbone), and when it comes to yaqi brushes in general, my experience is that many of them are too soft, with the exception of a few, (Yaqi Chianti's 24mm Synthetic).
With other brands, I think the brushes almost gets too stiff (rigid).

If you have sensitive skin, this may be the brush you are looking for.
SE SOTD, Thur, Dec3rd 2020

Razor: Star Bar #4 lather catcher(Kampfe brothers Brooklyn Ny)- Mfg- 1920, excellent lather catcher, Excellent daily driver, mid range< , One of the best razors of all my razors vintage & modern. Star brand=Kampfe brothers first safety razor Mfg in USA.
Brush: Yaqi Chianti's 24mm- 1st use. Excellent knot for myself, gentle scrub with heavenly cloud like soft tips. It is a nice brush for a daily shaver like myself IMO.
Yup, good brush @Harald , if you like a gentle scrub and nice painter of lather it works for me also.
SE SOTD, Thur, Dec3rd 2020.jpg
Yaqi Chianti's 24mm synthetic.jpg


Have some great shaves! Stay & think safe in these times!
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
SE SOTD, Thur, Dec3rd 2020

Razor: Star Bar #4 lather catcher(Kampfe brothers Brooklyn Ny)- Mfg- 1920, excellent lather catcher, Excellent daily driver, mid range< , One of the best razors of all my razors vintage & modern. Star brand=Kampfe brothers first safety razor Mfg in USA.
Brush: Yaqi Chianti's 24mm- 1st use. Excellent knot for myself, gentle scrub with heavenly cloud like soft tips. It is a nice brush for a daily shaver like myself IMO.
Yup, good brush @Harald , if you like a gentle scrub and nice painter of lather it works for me also.
SE SOTD, Thur, Dec3rd 2020.jpg
View attachment 1190004

Have some great shaves! Stay & think safe in these times!
Looks great- is this the same knot?
 
Razor: Star Bar #4 lather catcher(Kampfe brothers Brooklyn Ny)- Mfg- 1920, excellent lather catcher, Excellent daily driver, mid range< , One of the best razors of all my razors vintage & modern. Star brand=Kampfe brothers first safety razor Mfg in USA.
Lovely razor!
 
My favorite brush so far is my Zenith 505AK Manchurian brush my other brushes are:
Simpson’s Chubby 2 Super
Simpson’s Chubby 2 Synthetic
Simpson’s T3
Simpson’s Chubby 1 Best
Zenith B2 Boar
Zenith Chubby Scrubby Boar

On the way I have:
Zenith Horse Hair
Simpson’s Duke 3 Best
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
After trying endless brushes, expensive, medium price range and cheap ... badgder, boar, synthetic, I end up with a clear winner.

What kind of brush have I been looking for?
- Dense bristle
- Soft brush with a backbone, but not rigid
- A knot that generates lather quickly with face lathering, and a brush that does not absorb too much.
- A handle that fits in the hand nicely.

And the brush is Yaqi Chianti's 24mm Synthetic!
What surprises me with this brush is that it dominates the expensive brushes in most areas.

Although synthetic brushes are of good quality, I still find it difficult to find the brush that is soft but at the same time provides resistance (backbone), and when it comes to yaqi brushes in general, my experience is that many of them are too soft, with the exception of a few, (Yaqi Chianti's 24mm Synthetic).
With other brands, I think the brushes almost gets too stiff (rigid).
If you have sensitive skin, this may be the brush you are looking for.

Where's the picture?
 
I am pretty entirely a boar brush shaver these days. As of now, I guess my Zenith B2 (B03-A26) would be my favorite but I love all of my boar brushes. My Simpson's and the synthetic brushes remain in storage.
 
Any synthetic that can shine as a face latherer is a welcome addition to anyone's den. Happy lathering!
My APShaveCo synthetic tuxedo brush with the faux marble handle does that. When I first bought it a year or more ago, I didn't like it as much as my badger, and later my boar. The synthetic was too soft somehow.

Early this year I began to use it more and fell in love with it. It's bigger, for one thing, and projects more lather onto my face. This morning I used the badger for the first time in a while, and it was okay, but kind of floppy and not as smooth for my taste now.
 
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