There are many variations of synthetic brushes on the market.
The world is progressing, everything is progressing, shaving brushes are not left out. This text is an attempt to understand
to qualify, to find the difference in certain generations of synthetic fiber.
Question 1. Is the pile the same in all synthetic shaving brushes? The fibers from company A are exactly the same as those from company B. There is no difference.
Answer: This is incorrect. Generations of synthetics are categorized based on the development of fibers and the complexity of production technology. One or another synthetic pile has a given set of parameters, such as the feeling of this very fiber on wet / dry skin, elasticity, moisture retention, soap suds, wear resistance, etc.
Question 2: Do companies A and B produce their own synthetic fibers?
Answer: All manufacturers of synthetic shaving brushes purchase fibers from large fiber companies that supply fibers to the cosmetics industry.
Fiber production is a very capital intensive business requiring large chemical plants that small shaving brush companies would not be able to handle due to scale and technical challenges.
Question 3. What distinguishes each class of generations of synthetic pile from each other?
Answer: Today, there are four generations of synthetic fiber, which are mainly determined by the feeling of this very fiber on the skin. The best way to tell the difference between generations is with a dry fiber skin test so you can feel the fiber and not the foam.
First generation. 1940-1990s.
They were made on the basis of nylon fibers. Used for over 50 years (in early toothbrushes and fishing line)
Usually the color was white. The feeling on dry skin was very hard, on wet skin it was sharp and prickly.
Feels more like a wire brush than a shaving brush.
Still available in cheap disposable travel brushes and Omega White Syntex.
Second generation. Early 2000s.
Borrowed from the cosmetics industry, the fibers have been cut more at the ends for greater softness. Had some elemental structures and channels cut at the micro level to hold water. The tips were softer than the 1st generation shaving brushes, but the fibers were still quite stiff when tested on dry skin. You can draw a similarity with a mixture of horse and wild boar pile. These fibers were brittle and tended to cling to each other as moisture increased. Used in early versions of MenU, Body Shop and Parker.
Third generation. Mid 2000s.
The fibers for these brushes were still made in the cosmetic fiber industry, but were among the highest quality linear fibers available in the industry. The difference between these fibers is that they are very flexible and soft, both wet and dry. When wet, the fibers have improved channels and micro-patterns to retain more water, but not as much as natural bristles.
Painted for a more natural look. Feels closer to a badger. Due to the thinner fibers in the knots, the packing increased. Introduced in Omega S, TGN Nylon, early Frank Shaving.
Over time, the later generation 3 fibers were improved to be softer and allowed for more knot variation. Three Band TGN, Kent Silvertex, Simpsons, Razorock, Omega Hi, Stirling Soap, Plisson Synthetic and many other brands use this class of fiber to create high performance synthetic brushes.It is more than likely that they are using a knot maker, which is basically a source from Yaqi, Oumo, and Alibaba and AliExpress in general... (Most repetitive and common version) Each manufacturer/seller/artizan prefers to name their fiber type in my own way. The end user is unlikely to recognize the manufacturer of the node. Fortunately, this is a completely different topic for investigation.
Half a step ahead of the third generation was Muehle (generation 3.5)
Muehle took Generation 3 fibers as a base and began to crimp and adjust the length of the fibers, creating a brush that looks and feels as close to natural shaving brushes as possible. Released as version 1 of the Silvertip fiber: Muhle STF V1, Muehle Black Fiber V1.
The Generation 3 and 3.5 fiber classes have really allowed synthetic brushes to become more popular and accepted in the traditional shaving community.
Fourth generation. Early 2010.
A distinctive feature from the 3rd generation is the high definition of the tips. Generation 4 fibers are more blunt at the end for a more velvety feel. This velvety feel can be found both dry and wet and provides a super soft feel, almost like a velvet blanket, as opposed to the crisper feel of 3rd generation fibers.Thus, the hallmarks of 4th generation fibers are fibers that mimic natural hair much more than 1st or 2nd generation in terms of suppleness, better moisture control, but much more velvety or super-soft feel at the tips than 3rd generation.
Representatives: the H.I.S. brush, Omega EVO, Muhle Silvertip V2, Frank Shaving Pur-Tech, Shavemac, Alpha Synthetic, Marfin Italian Handmade, etc. (c)
The world is progressing, everything is progressing, shaving brushes are not left out. This text is an attempt to understand
to qualify, to find the difference in certain generations of synthetic fiber.
Question 1. Is the pile the same in all synthetic shaving brushes? The fibers from company A are exactly the same as those from company B. There is no difference.
Answer: This is incorrect. Generations of synthetics are categorized based on the development of fibers and the complexity of production technology. One or another synthetic pile has a given set of parameters, such as the feeling of this very fiber on wet / dry skin, elasticity, moisture retention, soap suds, wear resistance, etc.
Question 2: Do companies A and B produce their own synthetic fibers?
Answer: All manufacturers of synthetic shaving brushes purchase fibers from large fiber companies that supply fibers to the cosmetics industry.
Fiber production is a very capital intensive business requiring large chemical plants that small shaving brush companies would not be able to handle due to scale and technical challenges.
Question 3. What distinguishes each class of generations of synthetic pile from each other?
Answer: Today, there are four generations of synthetic fiber, which are mainly determined by the feeling of this very fiber on the skin. The best way to tell the difference between generations is with a dry fiber skin test so you can feel the fiber and not the foam.
First generation. 1940-1990s.
They were made on the basis of nylon fibers. Used for over 50 years (in early toothbrushes and fishing line)
Usually the color was white. The feeling on dry skin was very hard, on wet skin it was sharp and prickly.
Feels more like a wire brush than a shaving brush.
Still available in cheap disposable travel brushes and Omega White Syntex.
Second generation. Early 2000s.
Borrowed from the cosmetics industry, the fibers have been cut more at the ends for greater softness. Had some elemental structures and channels cut at the micro level to hold water. The tips were softer than the 1st generation shaving brushes, but the fibers were still quite stiff when tested on dry skin. You can draw a similarity with a mixture of horse and wild boar pile. These fibers were brittle and tended to cling to each other as moisture increased. Used in early versions of MenU, Body Shop and Parker.
Third generation. Mid 2000s.
The fibers for these brushes were still made in the cosmetic fiber industry, but were among the highest quality linear fibers available in the industry. The difference between these fibers is that they are very flexible and soft, both wet and dry. When wet, the fibers have improved channels and micro-patterns to retain more water, but not as much as natural bristles.
Painted for a more natural look. Feels closer to a badger. Due to the thinner fibers in the knots, the packing increased. Introduced in Omega S, TGN Nylon, early Frank Shaving.
Over time, the later generation 3 fibers were improved to be softer and allowed for more knot variation. Three Band TGN, Kent Silvertex, Simpsons, Razorock, Omega Hi, Stirling Soap, Plisson Synthetic and many other brands use this class of fiber to create high performance synthetic brushes.It is more than likely that they are using a knot maker, which is basically a source from Yaqi, Oumo, and Alibaba and AliExpress in general... (Most repetitive and common version) Each manufacturer/seller/artizan prefers to name their fiber type in my own way. The end user is unlikely to recognize the manufacturer of the node. Fortunately, this is a completely different topic for investigation.
Half a step ahead of the third generation was Muehle (generation 3.5)
Muehle took Generation 3 fibers as a base and began to crimp and adjust the length of the fibers, creating a brush that looks and feels as close to natural shaving brushes as possible. Released as version 1 of the Silvertip fiber: Muhle STF V1, Muehle Black Fiber V1.
The Generation 3 and 3.5 fiber classes have really allowed synthetic brushes to become more popular and accepted in the traditional shaving community.
Fourth generation. Early 2010.
A distinctive feature from the 3rd generation is the high definition of the tips. Generation 4 fibers are more blunt at the end for a more velvety feel. This velvety feel can be found both dry and wet and provides a super soft feel, almost like a velvet blanket, as opposed to the crisper feel of 3rd generation fibers.Thus, the hallmarks of 4th generation fibers are fibers that mimic natural hair much more than 1st or 2nd generation in terms of suppleness, better moisture control, but much more velvety or super-soft feel at the tips than 3rd generation.
Representatives: the H.I.S. brush, Omega EVO, Muhle Silvertip V2, Frank Shaving Pur-Tech, Shavemac, Alpha Synthetic, Marfin Italian Handmade, etc. (c)