I started wet shaving in the early 1970's with a relatively inexpensive badger brush and an Old Spice mug and soap. For the better part of the next 45 years I used the same badger brush daily until it wore out and then replaced it with another similar brush. The last of those daily badger workhorses was a Simpsons Duke 2. I tried replacing that with another Duke 2, then Duke 3 but either I became pickier (quite possible) or the new brushes weren't as good as those old ones. In any event I began trying different brushes, some boar, some mixed, some synthetic in addition to a variety of badgers. Which brings me to today where I have a few of each, all of which do a very good job.
But none of them provides all of the attributes of this new Yaqi brown synthetic. I'm not sure what this knot is supposed to be - is it an imitation horse hair? I have never used a horse hair brush, so maybe it is. All I can say is that it does everything flawlessly. Like many synthetics it will lather a hard or soft soap faster than the natural hair brushes. It has great face feel, softer than the badgers and boars, and it does that while maintaining an ideal (for me) balance between backbone and natural splaying. It also completely dries by the next morning and requires no soaking. The only "limitation" I can see with this brush is that it is not what I would call a scrubby brush. For example, I have an older SOC Mistura that excels at that and if I'm in the mood for that kind of brush, the Yaqi is no match for the Mistura.
Finally, there is the handle. I have to confess that I have never owned a brush which had what I would consider an uncomfortable handle, so my opinion about the handle's ergonomics is probably not very helpful. In terms of appearance, I really like it. More importantly, perhaps, as I was considering different brushes, my wife saw this one in an online photo and said, "Oh, I like that one." When she offered to buy it for my birthday, I figured this was a no lose proposition.
The only real negative I can provide is that it now seems to be sold out, and I have no idea if it will be coming back in stock. Originally I tried to buy it on aliexpress, but when it was sold out there I was able to purchase it from West Coast Shaving. It is now sold out there as well. I don't know what other vendors might carry Yaqi brushes, or what other brushes use the same knot.
But none of them provides all of the attributes of this new Yaqi brown synthetic. I'm not sure what this knot is supposed to be - is it an imitation horse hair? I have never used a horse hair brush, so maybe it is. All I can say is that it does everything flawlessly. Like many synthetics it will lather a hard or soft soap faster than the natural hair brushes. It has great face feel, softer than the badgers and boars, and it does that while maintaining an ideal (for me) balance between backbone and natural splaying. It also completely dries by the next morning and requires no soaking. The only "limitation" I can see with this brush is that it is not what I would call a scrubby brush. For example, I have an older SOC Mistura that excels at that and if I'm in the mood for that kind of brush, the Yaqi is no match for the Mistura.
Finally, there is the handle. I have to confess that I have never owned a brush which had what I would consider an uncomfortable handle, so my opinion about the handle's ergonomics is probably not very helpful. In terms of appearance, I really like it. More importantly, perhaps, as I was considering different brushes, my wife saw this one in an online photo and said, "Oh, I like that one." When she offered to buy it for my birthday, I figured this was a no lose proposition.
The only real negative I can provide is that it now seems to be sold out, and I have no idea if it will be coming back in stock. Originally I tried to buy it on aliexpress, but when it was sold out there I was able to purchase it from West Coast Shaving. It is now sold out there as well. I don't know what other vendors might carry Yaqi brushes, or what other brushes use the same knot.
