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REVIEW: Frank Shaving develops in-house synthetic fibre!!!

I bought a synthetic brush from Maggard’s and found it too soft for me. I gave it to my wife. I would hate to buy another and find it the same. My Franks badger brush knot is great, but the handle is too short for bowl use. I like a handle on both razors and brushes!


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The FS synthetic is also very soft so if you don't want a very soft brush, I don't think synthetics are for you.

FS badger brushes are wonderful too, I really enjoy my silvertip and two band finest from them.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
IMG_20190302_081721.jpg


Not sure the smudged handle is apparent but heres a pic
 
@Rhody if your interested I'd trade you brushes (my Polar for yours). I'm just interested in the knot anyway. I can make handles so it's not a big deal to me. I just took a knot out of a Simpsons Chubby 2 synthetic a few days ago and relofted it in a homemade handle. Use your brush a couple more times and see if it quits shedding and contact me if your interested. My son wanted me to make a "Indianapolis Colts" handle so I made up this handle out of cast acrylic a couple of days ago and stuck an Angel Hair knot in it but the knot isn't glued I just stuck it in for the pic. I'm guessing this handle would work for these knots. I don't sell handles, however.

 
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Not sure the smudged handle is apparent but heres a pic

Hmmm that's not right IMO. I wasn't sure what you originally meant but seeing this pic, they shouldn't have sent this piece out.

@Rhody if your interested I'd trade you brushes (my Polar for yours). I'm just interested in the knot anyway. I can make handles so it's not a big deal to me. I just took a knot out of a Simpsons Chubby 2 synthetic a few days ago and relofted it in a homemade handle. Use your brush a couple more times and see if it quits shedding and contact me if your interested. My son wanted me to make a "Indianapolis Colts" handle so I made up this handle out of cast acrylic a couple of days ago and stuck an Angel Hair knot in it but the knot isn't glued I just stuck it in for the pic. I'm guessing this handle would work for these knots. I don't sell handles, however.


What a generous offer!!
 
The glue bump is there on the FS but both my muhle and ej don't have one, however, the muhle STF v2 has a much shorter loft so even without the glue bump, it feels less substantial and holds less lather than the FS fibre.

Despite the glue bump, I much prefer the FS fibre brush. I have basically every synthetic knot on the market and this is now my favorite brush overall.

The finish is very good...perfect on the handle, just a few small glue dots at the base of the knot. Nothing major at all, just something I mentioned for the sake of comparison. The muhle is hand made and flawless quality but at more than triple the price!

I used to always recommend the muhle/ej for the most premium synthetic but I can't in good conscience recommend them over the new FS fibre brush any longer.

Just re-read. Actually, I think the Muhle loft is higher.
 
So I received this one last week, got it from the bay, the seller is heisheng1983

It was listed as :

「FS」 shaving brush,G3 synthetic hair shaving brush,knot size 24mm

IMG_20190311_183430.jpg IMG_20190311_183444.jpg

First impressions were good, nice heavy handle, perfectly machined and polished.

The loft is 53mm, but a large glue bump can be felt at the base of the knot, after some measuring it is around 10/11mm, limiting the "free loft" to 42mm.

After a quick wash I tried it, face lathering, and oh my... This thing is stiff, wont splay a bit, the tips are prickly and it scratches beyond belief, I thought I was lathering with my toothbrush... The only redeeming quality is that it loads soap in a breeze.

I contacted the seller, told him that I thought the glue bump was preventing the brush from splaying and making it very stiff and uncomfortable, he answered that it was not a defect it was a "feature" : synthetic brushes have to be made like this to prevent hair loss with use....

After a few more mails, and explaining to him I have several synthetic brushes, maggardds, Yaki, Semogue that dont behave a bit like this, they are a million times better, he finally said that If I cant use it, just send it back.....

So, now, my question, Is this normal in this FS brushes ? From the comments above I dont´t think so, was this a rejected brush? Manufacturing defect ? I really dont know what to think, but for the same price, around $17, I could have had another Yaki which is miles away in quality and face feel
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
So I received this one last week, got it from the bay, the seller is heisheng1983

It was listed as :

「FS」 shaving brush,G3 synthetic hair shaving brush,knot size 24mm

View attachment 961771 View attachment 961772

First impressions were good, nice heavy handle, perfectly machined and polished.

The loft is 53mm, but a large glue bump can be felt at the base of the knot, after some measuring it is around 10/11mm, limiting the "free loft" to 42mm.

After a quick wash I tried it, face lathering, and oh my... This thing is stiff, wont splay a bit, the tips are prickly and it scratches beyond belief, I thought I was lathering with my toothbrush... The only redeeming quality is that it loads soap in a breeze.

I contacted the seller, told him that I thought the glue bump was preventing the brush from splaying and making it very stiff and uncomfortable, he answered that it was not a defect it was a "feature" : synthetic brushes have to be made like this to prevent hair loss with use....

After a few more mails, and explaining to him I have several synthetic brushes, maggardds, Yaki, Semogue that dont behave a bit like this, they are a million times better, he finally said that If I cant use it, just send it back.....

So, now, my question, Is this normal in this FS brushes ? From the comments above I dont´t think so, was this a rejected brush? Manufacturing defect ? I really dont know what to think, but for the same price, around $17, I could have had another Yaki which is miles away in quality and face feel
Just by the eye that knot doesn't look like the fs new fiber. You got a bum brush sort of like i did with a bad handle frim a different seller. For an under $20 brush the idea of sending it back and paying postage getting a little box going to ups etc is way too much of a hassle i just stew in my grievance! Hopefully your situation works out.
 
So I received this one last week, got it from the bay, the seller is heisheng1983

It was listed as :

「FS」 shaving brush,G3 synthetic hair shaving brush,knot size 24mm

View attachment 961771 View attachment 961772

First impressions were good, nice heavy handle, perfectly machined and polished.

The loft is 53mm, but a large glue bump can be felt at the base of the knot, after some measuring it is around 10/11mm, limiting the "free loft" to 42mm.

After a quick wash I tried it, face lathering, and oh my... This thing is stiff, wont splay a bit, the tips are prickly and it scratches beyond belief, I thought I was lathering with my toothbrush... The only redeeming quality is that it loads soap in a breeze.

I contacted the seller, told him that I thought the glue bump was preventing the brush from splaying and making it very stiff and uncomfortable, he answered that it was not a defect it was a "feature" : synthetic brushes have to be made like this to prevent hair loss with use....

After a few more mails, and explaining to him I have several synthetic brushes, maggardds, Yaki, Semogue that dont behave a bit like this, they are a million times better, he finally said that If I cant use it, just send it back.....

So, now, my question, Is this normal in this FS brushes ? From the comments above I dont´t think so, was this a rejected brush? Manufacturing defect ? I really dont know what to think, but for the same price, around $17, I could have had another Yaki which is miles away in quality and face feel

Unfortunately, the G3 knot from FS is really not one that I would recommend due to the reasons you've stated.

The G4 is the one that gets two thumbs up from me.

I'd suggest you get a refund for this one and grab the G4. I'm confident you'll be pleased with it.
 

Graydog

Biblical Innards
I am waiting for my 26 mm G4 to arrive
When it comes I will post my thoughts.
I have a special handle waiting .
The OP was commenting on the G4 right?
 
I am waiting for my 26 mm G4 to arrive
When it comes I will post my thoughts.
I have a special handle waiting .
The OP was commenting on the G4 right?

Yup, the G4. It's excellent!
Did you get just the knot?

@nav thank you for providing so much info.
Do you know if there are more FS brushes with the G4 fibre? Is it only the one you link?

The one in my review is the only one available from FS directly.
If you're in the US, you could get the polar shaving group brush which is a G4 in a different handle.

Does anybody know if/where the Frank Shaving G4 knot can be purchased without a handle?

As far as I'm aware, they only offer the pur-tech knot only, not the G4.
But the pur-tech is the fibre supplied by muhle so you can't go wrong with that either.
 
As far as I'm aware, they only offer the pur-tech knot only, not the G4.
But the pur-tech is the fibre supplied by muhle so you can't go wrong with that either.

Thanks! I do have the Pur-Tech. It's a good knot. But I'd like to try the G4 as well. And I prefer to set the knot myself so I can adjust the loft to my liking.
 
I finally received my Franks Shaving synthetic fiber brush. I will continue to try it for a time, but I'm not impressed so far. I'm comparing it to a Whipped Dog synthetic, which is my favorite that I use daily. Larry has done a wonderful job with his synthetic brush and compared to the Franks brush, the Whipped Dog's knot appears to contain more fibers. When rinsed under a water flow, the Whipped dog holds its shape, but the Franks brush's fibers seem to pack into clumps leaving gaps in the surface. Is this important? I'm not sure, but the Whipped dog loads better (I lather in a bowl) and creates a lot more lather than the Franks brush. Both feel soft, but the Whipped Dog knot is definitely fuller. I do like the handle on the Franks brush, but unless something changes in the next few weeks, I'm definitely going to go back to the Whipped Dog brush.
 
I finally received my Franks Shaving synthetic fiber brush. I will continue to try it for a time, but I'm not impressed so far. I'm comparing it to a Whipped Dog synthetic, which is my favorite that I use daily. Larry has done a wonderful job with his synthetic brush and compared to the Franks brush, the Whipped Dog's knot appears to contain more fibers. When rinsed under a water flow, the Whipped dog holds its shape, but the Franks brush's fibers seem to pack into clumps leaving gaps in the surface. Is this important? I'm not sure, but the Whipped dog loads better (I lather in a bowl) and creates a lot more lather than the Franks brush. Both feel soft, but the Whipped Dog knot is definitely fuller. I do like the handle on the Franks brush, but unless something changes in the next few weeks, I'm definitely going to go back to the Whipped Dog brush.

Fair enough.
Perhaps it's a matter of getting used to it if you've been using the WD for a long while.
Or perhaps it just doesn't suit your preference.

I had a 30mm WD synth but sold it due to lather hogging and lack of splay but I've never tried one of their 24mm synthetics.

The FS G4 has a natural splay that few synthetics can match and that's what I really like about it.
 
I finally received my Franks Shaving synthetic fiber brush. I will continue to try it for a time, but I'm not impressed so far. I'm comparing it to a Whipped Dog synthetic, which is my favorite that I use daily. Larry has done a wonderful job with his synthetic brush and compared to the Franks brush, the Whipped Dog's knot appears to contain more fibers. When rinsed under a water flow, the Whipped dog holds its shape, but the Franks brush's fibers seem to pack into clumps leaving gaps in the surface. Is this important? I'm not sure, but the Whipped dog loads better (I lather in a bowl) and creates a lot more lather than the Franks brush. Both feel soft, but the Whipped Dog knot is definitely fuller. I do like the handle on the Franks brush, but unless something changes in the next few weeks, I'm definitely going to go back to the Whipped Dog brush.
I was a little underwhelmed myself. It has a good feeling, but the Yaqi and the SynBad both feel great. It is also a tad small for my liking, but those who like smaller brushes should love this one.

- Karve Diem, M. BOSC
 
What could have been a great brush if only...

A few days ago I have received a Dscosmetic brush with the G4 fibers. It is what they call the
"Dscosmetic 26mm soft synthetic hair amber resin handle" and it sports the very same stubby handle WCS resells as the "Stone Torch" model.

...The China QC was at least decent
At first I was a little disappointed looking at the handle. It looks like, in the process of making the resin cylinder, they dip some layered yellow material in clear resin and leave it to harden. Eventually, in my case, the cylinder felt off and hardened in a laying position. As a result the bright deep yellow material condensed on one side leaving the opposite side clear. You can actually see the glue of the knot through the clear resin.
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This minor flaw is nothing compared to the catastrophic shedding. During the first cleaning process with neutral shampoo, the brush lost 27 fibers. Since then I used the brush three times and it lost at least a dozen fibers at every shave. I have some experience with synthetic brushes. I own or I owned several from Yaqi (7), Maggard (2), Razorock (2), Omega (2), Noberu (1) and none of them have lost a fiber ever! I thought syntetics were immune from shedding, well Dscosmetic proved me wrong.

The G4 fibers...
Are absolutely awesome! If the brush had the same Yaqi quality we would be talking of my favorite synthetic knot ever. Even better than my current favorite, the Mew Brown/Synbad, by a good margin. I was expecting a good knot after reading the praises but it exceeded every expectation. If it wasn't that good I would have binned the brush already. I wish it will eventually stop shedding but I don't have many hopes.

Conclusion:
If You want to try your luck, $15 wouldn't be a great loss. Chances are You will receive a great brush without the flaws I've experienced. The fibers are stellar, the knot could be a tad denser.

 
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