Badger is far superior to synthetic for lather application

[LoveTheSlant]

IME, each of a badger, boar and synthetic can produce a very usable, and enjoyable, lather. Each has its process, which ultimately is to load the brush with the appropriate amounts of soap and water, in the right proportions. To do that right is simply a matter of trial and error; and gets easier with experience.

After that, it is a matter of preference. For me, I can describe each category as follows:

Boar has the feel of a paint brush.

Badger, especially a dense silvertip, has the feel of a perfect sponge.

Tux synthetic has the feel of a sponge too, though, as its name implies, a synthetic one.

I share the preference of the OP, but have to say the Yaqi tux is shockingly good.

 

[Borderboss]

@Borderboss

If your dropping lather off a synthetic brush you have way too much water in the brush. Try working it thicker to an almost yogurt type texture that will lay down some peaks and valley's. I switched over a year ago to an all synthetic line up and sold everything else off...

Nope, that's not the case. I use the same process for all brushes with all lathers. The synthetics are just incapable of holding lather during application to the face, in my experience. Blobs come off and fall to the counter. This never happens with my badger brushes.

 

[Mullen88]

If your dropping lather off a synthetic brush you have way too much water in the brush. Try working it thicker to an almost yogurt type texture that will lay down some peaks and valley's. I switched over a year ago to an all synthetic line up and sold everything else off...

This.

I soak my Synthetic in about a half inch of water and let the water seep into the rest of the brush. A few shakes and it’s ready to load and it doesn’t drop lather ever. Different types of brushes require different soaking techniques. I find that synthetics provide me with a superior face lathering experience because it does not ‘hog’ the lather meant for my skin. And for a fraction of the price. Badgers are nice but I would not be angry if I had to use Tuxedo’s, Timberwolf’s, or SilkSmoke synthetics for the rest of my days.

 

[muzichead]

Nope, that's not the case. I use the same process for all brushes with all lathers. The synthetics are just incapable of holding lather during application to the face, in my experience. Blobs come off and fall to the counter. This never happens with my badger brushes.

First off is you think that all brushes require the same process to produce lather so that alone would tell me that you are setting yourself up for failure from one to the other!! Maybe you haven't read enough to understand that lathering from Boar, Badger, Horse, & Synthetic takes a different technique altogether... Again, I would suggest using much less water and work the lather to get it right. It takes me all of about 2 minutes from water to face to produce a thick rich lather each morning with my synthetics and everything that doesn't stay on my face, stays in the brush!!

 

[muzichead]

This.

I soak my Synthetic in about a half inch of water and let the water seep into the rest of the brush. A few shakes and it’s ready to load and it doesn’t drop lather ever. Different types of brushes require different soaking techniques. I find that synthetics provide me with a superior face lathering experience because it does not ‘hog’ the lather meant for my skin. And for a fraction of the price. Badgers are nice but I would not be angry if I had to use Tuxedo’s, Timberwolf’s, or SilkSmoke synthetics for the rest of my days.

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Like the gentlemen above, my RR synthetic never throws off lather. It just perfectly builds (and builds, and builds) lather on my face. The key, I have found, is to shake the excess water off the brush, load it, then dip the tips in water during face lather — the paste transforms to a perfect lather and the brush holds it for several passes.

 

[Badgerstate36]

I'd take any of my Muhle synthetics over a Badger any day.

 

[kluber]

I'd take any of my Muhle synthetics over a Badger any day.

[emoji106]Muhle synthetics are awesome!!

 

[sarimento1]

my only synthetic is plisson's and never had a problem dropping lather.

 

[dfoulk]

I prefer badger brushes myself but it's hard not to be impressed with some of the better synthetic offerings, especially considering the price.

Some of the newer synthetic offerings are still garbage but there are some that are quite impressive. Some have nice backbone without being springy and they actually splay predictably like a higher quality badger brush does.

What synthetics lack for me is the ability to hold heat like badger brushes do.

I hadn't really noticed a difference in the ability to hold lather as I've never had any trouble getting three to four passes of lather from the synthetics that I've been impressed with. That being said I don't own any synthetic brushes, all that I currently own are badger.

 

[502 to Right]

I don't dislike badgers or synthetics (I have some of both) but I think a good boar brush is better than both.

 

[Pepin]

Still prefer my boar and horse hair brushes over my badger brush.

As always YMMV.

 

[RayClem]

I have a wide variety of brushes including badgers, boars, horse hair and synthetic. Of the lot, my favorites are two premium, densely-packed badgers that cost upwards of $150 and a synthetic brush with a gamechanger/boss style knot that cost me $15. I also have a Semogue SOC two-band badger and $15 Omega professional boar that rival the top three. Although I like the face feel of silver-tip badgers, unless they are densely-packed (and often expensive), they may not have sufficient backbone. Not everyone can afford an expensive premium badger brush, so it is goo you can get inexpensive boar and synthetic brushes that will do the job for those whose budgets are limited.

 

[Vineeze]

I was a badger man myself. Until I started using the Striling 2 band Tuxedo synthetic. Now I am using that brush 95% of the time and I feel that after mastering the brush that it outperforms badger (Pure Badger). In fact I like the tuxedo brush so much that I have ended my search for brushes completely, as in thats the last brush I am going to buy.

Thats about the best testimonial you will ever hear, when one of us shopping addicts says "My search has ended...."

I used the synthetic for 7 straight days and finally mastered it. My first 2 days resulted in lather than was Ho-Hum

But that is because I was trying to lather it like a badger. Badger needs alot more water "from the get-go" than a tuxedo synthetic. Now with experience I can lather a Stirling puck (face lather) in under 2 minutes. It takes me at least 3 minutes to do the same with badger.

 

[Gamma]

I know some will think my statement is sacrilege and I'll get some flaming for it, but this has been my experience.

I have 14 brushes in rotation. Ten are Silvertip Badger, three are synthetic, and one is Best Badger. Of the three synthetic, one is a Razorock Plisoft, one is a synthetic from Maggart's, and one is a vintage nylon Made Rite. All three synthetics drop lather when applying it to my face, while none of the badgers ever do this. Synthetics just can't hold on to lather when fully loaded.

This morning's shave was the last straw. I'm going to drill out the three synthetic brushes and replace them all with badger.

Cool. I totally support a command decsion based on getting their den in order.
Go for it - be happy! Be careful drilling out the knots.

 

[Badger in the Sun]

I have the opposite problem. I find that badgers, especially some of the dense, expensive ones, can hog lather, making it difficult to release it onto the face. Synthetics generally have better flow-through. I like badgers, and enjoy using them. But it's a different kind of lathering experience. I prefer synthetics.

 

[StillShaving]

First off is you think that all brushes require the same process to produce lather so that alone would tell me that you are setting yourself up for failure from one to the other.......

In defense of the OP statement about their synthetic brush dropping lather I would rephrase it a bit. With my new Yaqi as compared to a badger I found it relatively easy to push it to the point of dropping lather during the final stages of face lathering. This is when attempting to build a wet lather that could sit on the face for minutes without drying out. That the synthetic needed water droplets to be added in smaller amounts that could be mixed into the existing lather before adding the final droplets. Where in comparison the badger could withstand a larger addition of water in one go and get the same result a little easier.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Have pure badger, boar, synthetic; all require diffferent technique. All work well. Softer brushes and softer soaps match up; stiffer brushes and hard pucks play well together.

You can't use a synthetic just like a badger anymore than you can build the same with wood & brick.

Enjoy your shaves, folks.

 

[Adam18]

I like 'em all, but seem to go for the simplicity of a synthetic more than anything else. I can't deny the luxurious feeling of a dense silver-tip badger, though.

+1

 

[ReapersBlade]

I haven't experienced any issues with my synthetics. So far I'd rank it in order as Synthetic, Badger, Boar, Horse. If you are still having any troubles please send them my way.