I'm not as much of a synthetic brush connoisseur as some B&B members, but I have grown increasingly keen on them and now use a few from my growing collection much more than my old badgers.
So, I thought I would do a quick comparison between my top four synths, which are a Yaqi Sagrada Familia with a 24mm Tuxedo knot, a Simpsons Chubby 2 Synthetic Bristle, an Omega Evo and an Edwin Jagger with a 25mm Silvertip Fibre knot. I believe the last named incorporates the same fibres as the ones used by Muhle, although possibly set in a slightly different configuration.
Yaqi Sagrada Familia: Knot diameter 24mm, loft 53mm (needle poked in at centre goes in 49mm), weight 72g. The first I bought was the Yaqi and I have to say it offers by far the best value for money of the four. The handle is attractive to my eye, although the level of finish is not quite up to the level of the other three, or of high end badger brushes; there area couple of very slight flaws in the translucent part of the handle, but these are only just visible and I think rather add to its character. Some might think it a bit on the small side, but it feels fine and functional in my medium-sized hands.
The fibres in the Tuxedo knot feel finer than those in the other three synths, and a bit less densely packed. They have a slight spinginess when the knot is dry, and can fling the odd bit of lather about if my lathering action is too vigorous. However, violent movement is not required, since it generates loads of lather with ease, using less soap or cream than any of my badger brushes — including a Morris and Forndran Blonde and a Shavemac two band silvertip.
It feels marvellously soft on my face and splays easily, but does have comfortably enough backbone not to feel insubstantial or floppy.
Simpsons Chubby 2 Synthetic Bristle: Knot diameter 27mm, loft 51mm (57mm), weight 83g. The Chubby 2 shares the relatively small handle size with the Yaqi, but little else. The handle is very well finished and I find it comfortable to use, although some might find it a bit on the stubby side. One very slight irritation is the knowledge the Simpsons sticker could come off if caught on one of my nails or other sharp object. Some think of this an interesting quirk in Simpsons brushes, but to me it just feels like sloppy work.
The fibres in the knot feel firm, with just a little bit of spring, and are very densely packed. The loft is very low, and this makes the knot feel quite small, especially for the first few lather generating strokes on my face. However, with a few firm strokes on my chin the lather starts to build up and the knot seems to open out. It then splays nicely, contrary to my initial fears, and deposits plenty of lather on my face.
It's the only synth I've used which has improved with use, opening out a bit and feeling softer than it did at first. Even so, it retains a feel all of its own — soft but with loads of backbone. It's almost like a good two-band badger knot set very deep, but with a definite synthetic twist.
I think Simpsons deserve credit for this brush. Some reviewers have said it should have a higher loft and Simpsons could easily do this, since the knot is obviously set quite deep, but then it would be similar to other high end synths, only at a higher price point.
Omega Evo Marble Ego: Knot diameter 28mm, loft 55mm (50mm), weight 96g). The Evo feels and looks like a classy brush, with the handle looking very nice and feeling pleasingly substantial, without being too chunky. I like the engraving on it, although some have said there's too much contrast between the lettering styles — which is purely a matter of taste. It lacks the glossy look of the other three brushes, but I think this is appropriate given its marbled finish.
The fibres used feel quite similar to those in the Simpsons and Edwin Jagger brushes, especially the latter, being soft on the skin, quite firm and with just a bit of spring to them. This is not a lather flinger. The knot has what I would call a moderate loft, so it feels a nice size on the face, splays from the off and really whips up lather. It has very decent density, although not in the same league as the Duke 2 (but then what has?).
I would say the handle gives this brush its own personality, whereas with the Duke 2 the unique character comes from the knot. However, that doesn't mean the knot on the Omega is poor, just less unusual.
Edwin Jagger Synthetic Silvertip XL: Knot diameter 25mm, loft 57mm (54mm), weight 88g. The Edwin Jagger also looks like a classy brush, with a good finish, although the handle doesn't have quite the style or feel of the Evo, at least to me; it's more standard and conservative. It feels good in the hand and is easy to grip.
The fibres feel very similar to those in the Evo, which is to say lovely and soft with just a bit of spring to them. They're set with a decent level of density, and the high loft means they feel very luxurious on my face. Unsurprisingly it feels quite large in use, but nowhere near the level of, say, a Kent BK8. It's on the large side for a synthetic brush, but in a good way. It's the only one of the four synths discussed to lose a couple of fibres on first use.
Lather generation is excellent with soap of cream. If every second counts then this is the brush to go for, probably because of the loft. Like the others, it gives up the lather quite readily, and in any case there's plenty there for a three-pass shave, and more.
Conclusion: These are all excellent brushes, and the ideal solution for anybody looking for quality with a bit of variety would be to get them all. The Yaqi is a bargain, the Chubby 2 and Evo have some unique features and the Edwin Jagger is a great workhorse brush.
Note on measurements: I judged the knot lofts by eye, with the brushes stood against a steel tape measure, then poked a needle into the centre of each knot and measured how far in it went. The weights are according to my pretty accurate digital kitchen scales.
