My daughters would absolutely flip over that brush.Thanks for the kind words, I love eye candy when looking at shave gear and I'm kind of a weak even when I have lots of shave gear.
Recommended Yaqi Synthetic
- Thread starter vorpal
- Start date
In general the Yaqi knots are not stiff because they don't have much of a glue bump. Out of the 24 mm ones that I have, the Sagrada Familia Tuxedo has the most resistance to splay. The 26 mm Rainbow handle brown knot is the most interesting as far as splay. The top of the brush splays easily but the backbone kicks-in towards the middle of the fibers. There is nothing floppy about it. The Sagrada has a little less backbone than the Razorock Plissoft, and in my estimation the Rainbow has more backbone than the Plissoft.
The synthetic brush that I own with the most backbone is a 28 mm Frank Shaving G4 (Silvertip). The brush has extremely soft tips (softer than the tips on an EJ STF), but the 28 mm knot is about as wide as a Yaqi 24 mm knot. This is a consequence of the fact that the glue bump protrudes about 1 cm above the top of the handle. In other words, it is very densely packed and has a short loft. The brush has very soft tips and tremendous backbone; it makes fantastic lather, but it will not really splay much. Because of that limitation, I believe that most people would prefer the Rainbow Yaqi.
Others have mentioned the Omega S brush that was developed to replicate the characteristics of a boar brush. I don't have personal experience with that one, but I don't think that Omega is likely to make a poor brush.
Last edited:
Hi,
I almost purchased the 28 mm DSC G7, but decided that I needed to restrain myself. I saw some reviews saying that it replicated the feel of a 2-band badger and I saw other reviews saying that it had a plastic feel. Can you describe you experiences with it and compare it to a few other synthetics.
I can't compare it with any other synthetics because it's pretty unique. It has quite a nice backbone, my brush, a 26mm, has a very dense knot and doesn't splays very easily but it splays enough. It provides a gentle scrub unlike most synths and produces tons of lather in no time. It has already dubbed the Lather Master by Frank Shaving that was the brand that first introduced this knot and I can see why. It tries to mimic a two-bands badger, surely is the synth that get closer to the feel of a cheap two-bands but it's not the same.
For me nearly all synthetics are difficult to splay in comparison to boar and badger brushes. I can comfortably splay the Mew knot, cashmere knot and the Yaqi brown knot (partially), but my hand actually tires out when I am using the Plissoft or the Trafalgar. Even the densest boar knot splays relatively easily after hydration; the brush doesn’t push back like a spring. That’s why the Trafalgar initially burned my face. It was my first synthetic. Prior to that I was not aware of the concept of brush burn.
My Frank Shaving G4 effectively solves that problem by not splaying in response to more pressure. It’s a different way of using a brush, but the brush is so dense and soft that it still creates excellent lather. I kind of understand what you are describing with the G7.
Hmm. I've ordered a 24mm G7 knot from DS Cosmetic via Aliexpress, mostly as a lark, and a cheap one at that. The review above makes it sound somewhat similar to what I experienced with the Simpson Platinum fibre and now the OUMO Sparrow. Lack of easy splay, in my case, cancels out whatever benefits these other brushes offer in the way of lather release and softness. I've got a Synbad on hand, and also a MiG and STF on the way, so all is not lost.
You will spend a lot of money, but I can tell you that one of two synthetic brushes will stop your search. #1 would be the Rudy Vey with Muhle Silvertip Fiber, and probably a Muhle Silvertip Fiber brush, though I like Rudy's handles better. #2 is he Shavemac Fiber (your handle and knot size choice).
I have a few now but the first one and cheapest one I got was the black marble brush. Nothing fancy but the best performer out of the ones I have.
This thread renewed my interest in the synthetics. I just used the purple handled Yaqi Mink with some Artisan Shaving Soap. It really does a good job in creating lather and is unbelievably soft. Due to the density of the knot, it has a little bit of backbone and splays nicely. One thing about this brush is that it is so soft and plush that you will never mistake it for natural hair. It has its own unique feel.
Some of these Artisan soaps have very narrow tolerance windows for water to soap ratio. Despite the fact that I like natural hair brushes, synthetics make it a little easier to hit the window. When I understand the soap better, I might switch back to natural hair.
Some of these Artisan soaps have very narrow tolerance windows for water to soap ratio. Despite the fact that I like natural hair brushes, synthetics make it a little easier to hit the window. When I understand the soap better, I might switch back to natural hair.
The Yaqi Monster 30mm barber pole holds a huge amount of water, even after shaking.
