New H.I.S. Synthetic brushes arrived!

[Fatboy]

Just got 3 of the H.I.S. synthetic brushes from their new line. I already had a clear handle original, so I got the 2 black handles and the travel brush shown in the photos today. I haven't shaved yet, so I will have to report back with a review. They appear to be the same fibers as the larger cousin that was released last year, so they are very soft to the touch and at least as soft as the Muhle line IMO. The handle is very solid just like the original, and has some heft to it. They all have 67mm handles and it feels great in the hand, but like the original it creates distance between the hand and face that some may need to get used to. With the lower lofts I think they have solved the flop problem that many experienced with the original brush. I put a couple of other brushes in the photo for reference, and the entire lineup can be viewed on their webpage HERE

Left to right (knot, loft, handle): Muhle 31k256 (21mm, 52mm, 47mm), FS synthetic (24mm, 55mm, 52mm), HIS 1962 (23mm, 50mm, 67mm), HIS 1918 (25mm, 54mm, 67mm), Original HIS (28mm, 62mm, 67mm)



The 3 HIS brushes side by side



The other H.I.S. I ordered was their Traveler brush. I am totally impressed. It has a 21mm knot with 45mm loft, and the entire casing is metal. The cool thing is that when you are ready to put the top back on, the handle extends out to compress the brush, put the lid on, and compact it back to normal size. There is also a vent hole in the top for drying.

Closed



Open



Slide out to compress knot and re-attach the cap



Anyway, I am totally stoked that these showed up, and will report back with the first lather results later. These may be SBAD killers for me, and now the only question is which one to use first.

And a special thanks to GDCarrington (and others who were involved), as they have been communicating with the vendor during their design process to iron out the kinks from the first brush, and bring what I think is a great product to the market.

 

[GDCarrington]

Well, it appears that FM Brush / Artist Brushstrokes did the 50 / 50 on my advice.

I advised that they provide a choice of lofts and knot sizes. That they have accomplished. It is interesting the timing since Muhle has recently introduced their STF in a variety of sizes and lofts.

I also advised them that they should adopt shorter / smaller handles to accommodate the preferences of the majority of traditional shavers. It appears that they chose not to accept this advice.

As to the Traveler, I have tested it out some time ago, but I am under a confidentiality agreement not to discuss the results of that testing and any changes that would develop from said testing.

 

[AABCDS]

I have one of the originals and just ordered a 25/54 yesterday. I can't wait to try it out. I like it much more than the Muhle Silvertip Fibre.

 

[oscar11]

Please do a review on the brushes.

 

[celestino]

Excellent to see they finally brought out the brushes that were being requested.

 

[Oscroft]

These look very interesting, and I'd be keen to try one - but the thing that puts me off is those enormous handles.

 

[Fatboy]

After further inspection, and a shave with the 23/50 I wanted to update my findings.

The Good:

• The bristles are very soft and dense. Packed denser than the Muhle and just as soft on the face.
• Generates great lather with less product than natural brushes.
• Very easy to generate a water/product ratio that creates perfect lather.
• Handles are very solid and have a nice design.
• Good price for a solid brush.

The Bad:

• The handles are large and put some distance between the hand and face.
• The handles on mine are not beveled perfectly flat on the bottom, so they wobble very slightly when sitting upright.
• The knot hole on the handles are all drilled the same size for all brush/loft combos. On the 23/50 loft it is fine, but on the 25/54, there is a gap between the knot and the edge of the drilled hold, creating a pocket where water could collect. And aesthetically, it bugs me. I doubt the 28mm knot would have this gap, but the hole should be drilled for the knot size, not just leave the gap.
• The handles are large at 67mm, so that may turn some people off. The 50mm knot seems very out of balance on the larger handle, but it works well. It may be a plus however for some that have larger hands.

The Shave:

• I used the 23/50 mm version with Tabac in a bowl. Generated excellent lather for 3.5 passes, and had enough left over for another pass if needed.
• Very soft. No brush burn even pressing down hard to splay the bristles.
• Has much better backbone than the 62mm original brush. Very little flop to this one.
• The larger handle feels really ergonomic in the hand.

Summary:

• I will say that the knot and performance are outstanding. The feel of the brush is one of the best I have ever used, and it generates lather effortlessly. The aesthetics is where things fall off for me. The gap in the 25/54 is unacceptable from a purist standpoint. The hole should be drilled/molded to the proper dimensions for the knot being glued in. As well, the 23/50 version looks a little silly like a long pole with a Q-Tip stuck on the top. The balance of the handle height to knot height is just strange looking. And that they don't sit flat on the counter due to the base being uneven bugs me too. I got the old Original 28/62 HIS out, and it sits perfectly flat on the surface. When I think about the price, they are about half of what a comparable Muhle would cost, and personally I like the knot on the HIS brushes just a little better than the Muhle. But the Muhle is impeccable from a quality standpoint. Then I think my FS Synthetic does the job almost as well as the HIS (not as soft, a little more flop, knot is a little crooked), and even with the QC flaws the FS has it was less than half the price of the HIS. So for me the HIS is an enigma; does it want to be a really good budget conscious brush, or does it want to compete in the high end space? If they are competing with Lijun and FS, drop the price by at least $10. If you want to compete against Muhle, the QC needs to be better and the handle needs to be sized appropriately for the given knot that is inserted. I think they are on the right track by adding the knot sizes they did, but I would be hard pressed to recommend these to someone unless they are a die hard HIS fan, or if budget concerns swayed the person one way or the other toward an FS or Muhle.

Of the 3 synthetics I own, do I have a recommendation?

• If you're on a budget, the FS Synthetic is hard to beat. Usually under $20 shipped on the 'bay, although I would stick to a 54mm loft or higher as I have owned a 50mm that was so prickly I got rid of it. And understand there are some QC issues with FS you may have to overlook because of price like slightly crooked knots, glue showing around the handle, etc.
• If you want total luxury and quality, the Muhle brushes are the top of the line synthetics right now, but a little overpriced for what they are IMO. If I want to pay entry level badger prices, I'll get a badger. Synthetics are the new kids on the block, and have lower manufacturing costs, so the pricing should reflect that. I also question the longevity of the brush due to the lack of density in the knot.
• As for the HIS, they look like they want to play in this sandbox, but I feel like they are still learning the ropes of what the wet shaving community is looking for, so maybe the version 3 brushes will have some learning curve fixes from what they just released. The knot is perfect, so don't mess with that. But the QC issues from version 1 to version 2 are a step backward, and the handles need to be sized appropriately to the knot.

UPDATE: Sorry, I neglected to mention the Traveler. I'm definitely keeping it. Perfect design for traveling, and albeit that the knot is a little small, it will do the job while on the road. And the container is perfect, although I think a high impact plastic would have been better than aluminum for the case to keep it from getting dented.

 

[Oscroft]

Thanks Fatboy, that's a great review and much appreciated!

 

[GDCarrington]

• As for the HIS, they look like they want to play in this sandbox, but I feel like they are still learning the ropes of what the wet shaving community is looking for, so maybe the version 3 brushes will have some learning curve fixes from what they just released. The knot is perfect, so don't mess with that. But the QC issues from version 1 to version 2 are a step backward.

I am glad that you stated this both accurately and elegantly. Sadly, some time ago, I came to that conclusion that FM Brush / Artistbrushstrokes are just trying to play around and not be a serious shaving brush maker. I sent photos of handles, with dimensions that would be more acceptable to the traditional shaving community, but it is obvious that they want to keep selling the handles that is used on the original Kabuki brush that the original H.I.S. was converted from.

The knots and the 4th generation fibers are great, but to get the H.I.S. version in a reasonable handle requires that either the buyer do a removal of the knot and use a better handle, or have someone do that for you as a custom, which does have it own merits. You can also buy the Version 2 STF Muhle which uses this same fiber material if you want a brush from a real player in the shaving brush business.

I hope that you place your excellent review in the Amazon page as well. It will serve future potential buyers well.

Thanks again for the follow-up.

 

[oscar11]

Thanks, appreciate the review. I think I'll try the 25mm brush and make a new handle for it.

 

[kentclark]

Thanks very much for the review! I'm one of those who prefers the original HIS to any other currently available synthetic...but now you have me thinking about the 28/58mm version. Slightly lower loft might be even better.