Advice for choosing first synthetic brush

[horizon]

Thanks to everyone who joined the thread and gave me guidance.
I have already ordered the Muhle STF XL, knot - 25mm from the official Muhle representative for my country. The price was more than good (€60) and I also got an extra 10% discount as a new customer. To take full advantage of this opportunity, I also ordered a Mühle R41 GS (steel version) self-tiller at a price of around €115. I expect to receive the shipment at the beginning of next week.
Greetings!

 

[slyfox279]

You mention you’re looking for your first synthetic - have you used any other brushes in the past that were natural hair? If so, what qualities did you like from those brushes? What did you dislike?

Like the above user mentioned, there is a ton of different synthetics available, most here will let you know the few they’ve tried and liked. But if you have an idea of what you might like or dislike from a previous brush, folks here will be able to help guide you a litter better!

The T3 for example is a very short loft which leads to lot less splay and lots of backbone. Some hate it and can’t get it to splay. Others love it and enjoy the scrubbiness of it.

TL;DR If you give some sort of baseline we will be able to help better

just like to add that my T3 splays same as other synthetic and wouldn't say its scrubby. though I understand their handmade so perhaps that leads to varriances?

 

[musicman1951]

Thanks to everyone who joined the thread and gave me guidance.
I have already ordered the Muhle STF XL, knot - 25mm from the official Muhle representative for my country. The price was more than good (€60) and I also got an extra 10% discount as a new customer. To take full advantage of this opportunity, I also ordered a Mühle R41 GS (steel version) self-tiller at a price of around €115. I expect to receive the shipment at the beginning of next week.
Greetings!

Congratulations, that's a fine brush. It would be my favorite synthetic if I didn't own a Wald. The EVO has quite a bit more backbone - a little too much for my taste, but that seemed to be one of your concerns. If you find the SFT too soft you can try an EVO - then you'll be well on your way to far too many brushes (like the rest of us).

 

[Brutus]

I would like to ask the more experienced to direct me to a make and model that you think is the best fit.
For now, I only know that I want it to be large, or in the last case, medium sized (meaning a minimum knot of 26 mm). Also, I would like the back to not be too soft, like most budget brushes with synthetic fibers.

On the budget, if the brush is really worth it, I won't compromise. Within reason, of course.

Well, Mühle thinks that a 25mm kmot is XL and 23mm is L, so your “medium sized (meaning a minimum knot of 26 mm)” is like asking for a plain white zebra .

I don’t know how long you have been using shaving brushes, but to me it seems that many shavers go for huge (e.g. 28mm) brushes in the beginning and start scaling back on size as they gain more experience. For me the sweet spot was for a long time 24-26mm and now I am more happy with 23-24mm sizes, be that boar, badger or synthetic. Around 24mm, or maybe even 22mm, also appears to be a traditional size and I find that these sizes work quite nicely for me.

I consider Plisson style fibres a bad choice if you are looking for backbone, I find that even the (otherwise excellent) Mühle STF® brushes don’t have much backbone.

The synthetic ones with the highest degree of backbone that I have come across so far are the Shavemac ones and with the Shavemac “Configurator” (Shavemac - https://shavemac.com/en/customize/product/268#wrapper) you can specify handle shape and colour, hair type, and knot size (for synthetics ranging form 24 to 28mm).

The synthetic brushes that I tried so far:
Omega, Plisson, Mühle Silvertip Fibre (STF), Simpsons Platinum, Black Fendrihan “Tuxedo” Synthetics and some other Chinese made Fendrihan branded synthetic brushes.

Omega and Plisson were a disappointment at that time, among other factors because of their lack of backbone, the Mühle STF was the first synthetics IMO that came anywhere near badger and could be taken serious, Simpsons work ok for me but don’t have much backbone either, and the Fendrihan Tuxedos and other synthetics seem to have only slightly (if at all) more backbone than the Simpsons.

I can live with the relative low backbone of the Tuxedos, Fendrihans and Simpsons, because even with that level of backbone synthetics can whip up a rich, creamy lather within a wide range of shaving soaps and creams - more so than natural fibres. Another advantage of synthetics is the short time they take to dry and they are also less vulnerable to residual moisture than natural fibres, both distinct advantages when travelling.

I bought the Fendrihan Tuxedos other synthetics only recently for travel and did not expect much because of their low price, but was pleasantly surprised how good they turned out to be.


Hope this helps you choose the right synthetic brush…



B.

 

[horizon]

Thanks to the advice I received here, my new Muhle STF XL brush and Muhle R41 GS shaver are now here.
Super soft tips, mimicking a silver badger very accurately and a firm enough base similar to a pork brush. All in all, it seems like the best of both worlds. I haven't shaved with it yet because it just arrived, but I was able to test how it handles the lather. The result - unique! In practice, after only about 20-30 seconds, the cream literally boiled out of the bowl. For such, the pork needed at least a few minutes, and it was still not so much a sight and a thick foam.

 

[cvac]

Interesting info about the Shavemac synthetics. I have not had any SM brush in a very long time and didn't know they were doing synthetics now. Looks like they offer a few different types of synthetic bristles and lots of options.

RE: the Muhle STF, I was initially impressed with the one I got and used it for two shaves. Unfortunately mine shed about 6 hairs on the second shave after shedding zero on the initial wash and shave. I don't know if folks experience that as "normal" for Muhle STF but the other synthetic brushes I've had didn't really shed so I thought something was wrong. I contacted Muhle customer service and they said the brush was defective, so I'm returning it to the retailer.

My replacement already showed up but I haven't been able to use it yet. Hoping I don't have any issue with it. If it also turns out to have problems I am giving up on the retailer and will buy one direct from Muhle instead.

 

[muzichead]

RE: the Muhle STF, I was initially impressed with the one I got and used it for two shaves. Unfortunately mine shed about 6 hairs on the second shave after shedding zero on the initial wash and shave. I don't know if folks experience that as "normal" for Muhle STF but the other synthetic brushes I've had didn't really shed so I thought something was wrong. I contacted Muhle customer service and they said the brush was defective, so I'm returning it to the retailer.

Interesting you posted this as I posted over in an STF posting that my Shavemac/APShaveCo STF XL has been losing hairs over the last 1.5mos and although I'm not alarmed I am a little concerned because up until now I don't ever remember anyone posting about any shedding for this knot.

 

[cvac]

Interesting you posted this as I posted over in an STF posting that my Shavemac/APShaveCo STF XL has been losing hairs over the last 1.5mos and although I'm not alarmed I am a little concerned because up until now I don't ever remember anyone posting about any shedding for this knot.

What does AP say about it? That seems like a long time for a synth brush to be shedding.

 

[muzichead]

What does AP say about it? That seems like a long time for a synth brush to be shedding.

I've not brought it up to Andrew yet. I may in the near future though.

 

[cvac]

I've not brought it up to Andrew yet. I may in the near future though.

FWIW several years back I had a Simpsons Best brush that shed quite a bit when I first got it. The brush was very dense and at the time, word from the vendor and others was that Simpsons did not thoroughly comb out all of their Best brushes. "Some" shedding when new was expected. The shedding never really "calmed down" though and continued to shed for a few weeks of maybe twice a week normal use in rotation with other brushes. That brush ended up being defective and I had it replaced by the vendor. The replacement was fine.

Now synth brushes are a bit different than natural brushes and according to what Muhle CS told me they are not supposed to shed. So if your brush is still shedding weeks after purchase I would wonder if something is wrong with it.

 

[ak395341]

To be honest, if you’re just starting, the advice from these guys is quite good and I’d stick with that, but I’ve found in these things that so much personal preference is involved it’s best to just try some cheaper stuff and I finally settled on the omega evo. Give that a whack but this likely will just end up being trial and error till you find what you really like.

 

[frbock]

I've got 2 synth brushes.
One is a Maggard Tuxedo(24mm), around $20. It'll quickly whip soft peaks in lather. it's been moved to my travel kit. Losing a $20 brush is easier than losing a more pricey one. I still get a good shave while on vacation.
The other is a Muhle STF (L), I think I spent $66. It'll quickly whip stiff peaks.

 

[PaWell]

I've also read good things about Muhle, but I don't understand exactly which model it is.
My request is, if you can show me, which is the exact model with size XL - 25ml node?
Maybe this one?
View attachment 1742482

You can chek it yourself at Muhle webpage

BTW

 

[horizon]

You can chek it yourself at Muhle webpage View attachment 1787580
BTW
View attachment 1787581

I bought the brush almost four months ago, I am now fully aware…

 

[PaWell]

I bought the brush almost four months ago, I am now fully aware…

Yeah, I know but it is just for people who will search threads with same „issue” as yours .. so thought that it can be useful

 

[Mustard Seed]

The Synbad from AP Shave Co for about $21 is a really nice first synthetic.

 

[lingchi]

Is muhle STF better than G5C? How do they compare?

 

[rsp1202]

Is muhle STF better than G5C? How do they compare?

Different, not better or worse. STF is a soft-tipped bulb with thinner fibers. It offers a more luxurious lathering experience in comparison. The G5C is a fan, and while soft it also has some scrub.