Does anyone use one on a regular basis? I don't know if we have any Vegans around these parts or not. I'm a big fan of my Men-U premiere. It really is a lather machine when used properly.
synthetic brush?
- Thread starter John_Roger
- Start date
Here are two excellent brushes one in the modest price range:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/287195-H-I-S-Synthetic-Brush?highlight=
The other in the upscale price range:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ssic-Silvertip-Fibre-shaving-brush?highlight=
I have both and they are tied for my favorite brush, not just favorite synthetic.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/287195-H-I-S-Synthetic-Brush?highlight=
The other in the upscale price range:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ssic-Silvertip-Fibre-shaving-brush?highlight=
I have both and they are tied for my favorite brush, not just favorite synthetic.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks guys! I really jumped into the Men-U with very little research. But I do like it. I've never had anything great by the standard of what is out there. So I guess anything could have been a step up from my previous brushes. I would like to find an honest review of this brush by a fellow B&B member.
- Thread starter
- #5
It may not win any design award anytime soon. It does feel nice and soft on my face, and it seems like it holds a ton of lather. I'm sure I'll eventually step up and get another synthetic. You can't get away with just one nice brush, right?
I have a Parker Synthetic I got from Amazon and it is a regular in my rotation. Very good brush IMHO.
If you do a Google search you'll find helpful reviews of the Men-U Premier brush on other shave forum sites. I use a Men-U Premier, which is my only brush and which I purchased at the start of my DE shaving 6 months ago without researching the options. I do like it, and a very well respected vendor has told me he thinks it's a good brush and that no customer has ever returned one to him. Nonetheless, from what I've since learned it's probably a re-branded Omega which sells for $20-30 less than the Men-U Premier (and which has a better handle). The new Muhle synthetics, moreover, sell for considerably less at Connaught. In short, I like the Men-U brush and don't plan on purchasing another brush--but I do feel that I let myself get ripped off. (Okay, okay: if only a $20-30 loss was the worst financial screw-up of my life . . .)
I have just received one of the new Muhle Silvertip Fibre brushes and it is proving to be very nice, lathers well, dries really quickly, feels soft on my face with a degree of backbone I don't get in badger with a similar loft. I love it and will continue to use it along with my boar & badger brushes.
I have the parker from Amazon too, it's nice and soft (works great). I don't have any real complaint with it but I end up going with my boar brush more often than not. I'd definitely go with another synthetic if I didn't want to use an animal product for some reason. I feel pretty confidant recommending it to anyone looking for a synthetic.
That's the brush I've been using lately. I haven't tried it with hard soap yet, but it works just fine with creams and Arko stick. Dries quickly, no funky animal smell, and VERY SOFT. It doesn't retain water like a badger, but it's great for face lathering and painting.
I like mine a lot. Came with a stand too!
the only two brushes i currently own are a Muhle Silvertip Fibre and a Muhle Black Fibre. the Silvertip has a ton of backbone and is indeed quite soft at the tips, but the very stiff bristles in the middle basically force you to use only painting motions, swirling motions on your face are nearly impossible. so it's excellent for bowl lathering and performs great with any product, but probably borderline useless for face lathering. it's an excellent product and it's beautiful, i love it. the black fibre is INCREDIBLY soft and has absolutely ZERO scritch, but it has very little backbone as well. i have only used it about 5 times now so i don't know whether it'll easily lather hard soaps without a lot of help from soaking and/or grating, but it's an amazingly high-quality, EXTRAORDINARILY soft brush if you use soft soaps or creams.
The thing I love about B&B is that I can get to see other people's impressions and feedback about products and I can understand how they come to that position even when the experience is different to mine. I guess it is the fact that we are all different and can experience things differently.
I have the Muhle Silvertip Fibre and find it is a fantastic face latherer. I don't bowl lather very much at all and as I do this all the time with some stiffer boar brushes I don't seem to be bothered by the backbone of the Muhle even when using a swirling motion.
I suppose if you like a stiff face lathering type brush like I do then this Muhle is good, If you prefer a softer one then perhaps the Black Fibre brush may be better, thanks for letting us know how that brush feels.
I have absolutely no problem splaying the bristles on my 21mm Muhle Synthetic for face lathering either. As for the black fibre brush, I find that while it feels floppy to the touch, it has a surprising (albeit not a great) amount of backbone. I use all 3 (FS, MBF, MSS) with soaps and creams and they do a great job. I'm going on about 2 months or so since going all synthetic and don't miss the badgers or boars at all. I do miss the handle of my Simpsons Colonel though. For as good as the Muhle synthetics are, the handles leave a bit to be desired.
So, I have a Frank Shaving Synthetic brush that is driving me crazy. I get it wet and can load it with soaps/creams just fine. The problem is applying the said soaps/cremes to my face. I face lather and the darn brush will not splay out any, it just stays like a soft tipped candle and I just can't develop a good lather.
Anybody have some tips/hints to help a guy out?
Anybody have some tips/hints to help a guy out?
I have both a Muhle Silver tip fibre and a U-Men. I feel the Muhle is really better.
I own the omega syntex style, the one with the white hair. It's a lather machine!!! Especially with creams, but it also lathers soaps like Williams, cella, arko without problems either. Very underrated tools.
I ordered a Men-U brush a few months ago. And i hate it. Sorry - if any of you like it, good on ya, but mine comes to a point when it gets wet and feels like I am lathering my face with a pencil eraser. I am not a fan, but to each their own. The videos were very compelling and I loved that the bristles would not hold water. The perfect travel brush. But it just did not work for me. Anyone else?
Super Dave
You've just got to keep working it. Mine was like that at first, but now it splays very well. It's a very underrated brush for $12 honestly. It makes good lather
I have 7 brushes of various materials and price points and my favorite by a decent margin is my 23mm Muehle Silvertip Fibre. For me, there is nothing this brush can't do well, if not excellently. It's a good face latherer, my best brush for loading & lathering hard soaps and excellent with hard & soft creams.
Some of my other brushes are better at certain tasks. For example, my Simpsons Berkeley Best is the soap stick / face lathering champ, my 25mm Muehle Silvertip Fibre is my soft soap / hard cream champ, and my Omega 49 Pro boar is the best with soft creams. But when I am tired in the morning and I want an "automatic" lather, I grab the 23mm Muehle Silvertip Fibre and pair it with whatever I feel like that day. Truly a world-class brush IMO.
Some of my other brushes are better at certain tasks. For example, my Simpsons Berkeley Best is the soap stick / face lathering champ, my 25mm Muehle Silvertip Fibre is my soft soap / hard cream champ, and my Omega 49 Pro boar is the best with soft creams. But when I am tired in the morning and I want an "automatic" lather, I grab the 23mm Muehle Silvertip Fibre and pair it with whatever I feel like that day. Truly a world-class brush IMO.
The Muehle Black Fibre is my one synthetic and I concur with vitalMyth's observations, I will say it loads Hard Soaps like Tabac and Klar Siefen easily though it's difficult to see it in the Brush. The first time loading Tabac I didn't see any soap, loaded the brush for ~90 seconds and started to build a Bowl Lather. After a couple of minutes and adding a bit of water, I had enough Lather for ~6-7 passes, which overflowed my Bowl.
My one complaint would be a lack of stiffness/backbone to provide the Face Lathering Feel I like from my stiffer Horse, Black & Best Badger Brushes. This has me considering placing it on the B/S/T and contacting Muehle for a Custom Black Fibre @ ~40mm since I face lather for 90% of my shaves.
