Do synthetics lather better than badger brushes?

[Duggo]

For this mornings shave, I used my B&B Silvertip from 2006 that was really, really loaded with D.R. Harris Marlboro, that came out Okay, but fell short of my expectations.

After doing a very unscientific water test, I don't think it's the water. You may have heard of it: you put liquid soap in a clear plastic bottle and add water and shake it up. And if the foam reaches the top of the bottle, (which it did,) I figured the water can't be that hard.

So, having said that, now I'm wondering if it would make a difference if I used a synthetic brush or what I currently have - a Pure Badger brush that I bought from AOS back in 2006. Which by the way, I've used on all my other lathers, beginning on the 25th, and ended up with the similar results. One of which being, after I was done lathering, the brush would not become "saturated" with lather; lather you could use for 3 passes - easily.

Also, by the time I'm done applying the lather to my face, (I'm a bowl latherer,) all the lather is gone from the brush, and then I have to go back to the bowl to reload. It's just such a pain; and everyone seems to be able to do it. (On YT, anyway.) It's so infuriating.


So, I wonder...

Thanks in advance.

Duggo

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I'm really not sure I understand what you're asking.

To me, it makes little real difference, but I usually face lather. I heavily load a soaked, but not wet brush. Then, I apply like spackling the soap to my face and neck. Then, I dip the brush's tips in a little bloom water, and work the water into my beard. I repeat the tip dips until the lather suits me.

I also revisit the puck as necessary during subsequent passes and don't worry about it, but usually a few, like four or five, swirls is sufficient to refresh the brush's tips with soap.

Mostly I use badgers, but this method works for me with boars, and also with synthetics.

Obviously, different brushes and different soaps vary, but I insist on following my pattern. If something won't work the way I want to use it, I quit using it.

To me, bowl lathering is harder and less consistent, but I do enjoy whipping up a bunch of lather sometimes.

Maybe I should say that the soap is an important variable. I tend to mostly use soap and not creams, and most of my soaps are either fairly hard or triple milled, although some are more like croaps maybe.

I think the only way to answer your question is via your own experience, but maybe I totally missed what you were asking, so how could I know?

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Duggo]

Jim, Welcome to B&B!

In a nutshell...
I mentioned the water quality only to rule it out.
The second paragraph dealt with my inability to - at the end of the lathering process - have a brush that was totally saturated with lather, enough for 3 passes. Also, I noted that after applying the lather to my face, it was virtually all gone, and I had to either a) go back to the bowl to reload, or b) reload the brush with soap.

At this point, I'm just wondering, a) if it's my technique, or b) a change in brush might have an impact on the quality of the lather.

Hopefully, this will clarify my previous post.

Thanks for posting.

Duggo

 

[BigJ]

I prefer natural hair (especially badger) to synthetics. However, I don't like pure badger (too much scritch).

Others have different opinions, which is totally fine!

 

[joeyboy]

I am very impatient and cannot wait for a badger to "break in." My synthetics come already broken in. I can face lather or bowl lather and get marvelous lather. I prefer face but bowl two soaps at the moment. I also don't like scritch.

I have two 24mm synthetics I love. I have one 22mm I hate. I would only recommend that you go large enough if you try synthetic. I got the sterling two band synthetic and that has become my favorite, and it's affordable.

 

[mmsantos]

For me it is the same whether it be badger, synthetic or boar and made in the bowl or face lather anyway works well if it is well made, I think it is more important the soap or the cream that is used and how it works the soap or cream in your type of skin than the brush, is more a matter of personal taste and sensations that each brush gives when passing through the face than really the difference that makes the brush that is used.

 

[Badgerstate36]

I dont know if a badger lathers any better or worse than a synthetic. Typically, badgers are more of a lather hog than a synthetic, in that more of the water and lather sets sucked up into the knot and held by the hairs but thats easy to work around simply by loaded the brushes heavier.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

I can tell you on vacation in FL where the water is really soft, any brush can whip up great lather from any soap. In MI my water is hard! I get best results with a synthetic and D R Harris. But I have learned to make do.

 

[Duggo]

I am very impatient and cannot wait for a badger to "break in." My synthetics come already broken in. I can face lather or bowl lather and get marvelous lather. I prefer face but bowl two soaps at the moment. I also don't like scritch.

I have two 24mm synthetics I love. I have one 22mm I hate. I would only recommend that you go large enough if you try synthetic. I got the sterling two band synthetic and that has become my favorite, and it's affordable.

Years ago, when I first started with B&B, I had no idea there was a break-in period. On the first shave, I can't remember if I soaked my brush or not. Don't forget, I was fresh off the truck, where I had been using cartridge razors all my life, so who knew? So when you said it had too much "scritch" I remember thinking that brush definitely was not soft, or comfortable to use on day one.

Why would you reccomend getting a larger synthetic than what I have now? My AOS I've heard is 19 mm knot, and that's my goto brush, as my B&B Silvertip from 2006 looses hairs from the knot.

Duggo

 

[Johnnynroy]

For this mornings shave, I used my B&B Silvertip from 2006 that was really, really loaded with D.R. Harris Marlboro, that came out Okay, but fell short of my expectations.

After doing a very unscientific water test, I don't think it's the water. You may have heard of it: you put liquid soap in a clear plastic bottle and add water and shake it up. And if the foam reaches the top of the bottle, (which it did,) I figured the water can't be that hard.

So, having said that, now I'm wondering if it would make a difference if I used a synthetic brush or what I currently have - a Pure Badger brush that I bought from AOS back in 2006. Which by the way, I've used on all my other lathers, beginning on the 25th, and ended up with the similar results. One of which being, after I was done lathering, the brush would not become "saturated" with lather; lather you could use for 3 passes - easily.

Also, by the time I'm done applying the lather to my face, (I'm a bowl latherer,) all the lather is gone from the brush, and then I have to go back to the bowl to reload. It's just such a pain; and everyone seems to be able to do it. (On YT, anyway.) It's so infuriating.


So, I wonder...

Thanks in advance.

Duggo

So I don’t bowl lather, just face lather. For me, a good badger brush beats my plisson style synthetics. Hands down. I don’t have high priced badgers: I use a stirling fan shaped badger and a captain’s Choice Silvertip. Total cost for both is under $120. My synthetics lose too much water as I face lather and I constantly have to add more on subsequent passes. My Stirling requires a slight addition of water between passes to the bristles to get the lather wet enough again. My Captain’s Choice badger usually doesn’t need any extra water between passes. I do use a thirsty soap (stirling) so my extra water needs might not apply to you.

A good synthetic will get you great lather though. Better than what a poor quality badger brush will get you. I tend to prefer knots larger than what you mention yours being (19 mm I think?). I think 24 or 26mm is my preferred size, but that is very much YMMV. I find that the larger knot size allows my brush to hold more lather.

Also, don’t pay attention to what the youtubers get for lather. Make the lather how YOU want it. If you prefer cushion, make it thicker. If you prefer slickness and glide, make it wetter. Experiment with your lathers, especially since you bowl lather as you can control your water additions better. Most important thing: enjoy your shaves. If you aren’t enjoying them, make the changes you need to to get to enjoyment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[joeyboy]

Years ago, when I first started with B&B, I had no idea there was a break-in period. On the first shave, I can't remember if I soaked my brush or not. Don't forget, I was fresh off the truck, where I had been using cartridge razors all my life, so who knew? So when you said it had too much "scritch" I remember thinking that brush definitely was not soft, or comfortable to use on day one.

Why would you reccomend getting a larger synthetic than what I have now? My AOS I've heard is 19 mm knot, and that's my goto brush, as my B&B Silvertip from 2006 looses hairs from the knot.

Duggo

I guess it's user dependent but smaller knots don't give enough splay or normally have enough length to be efficient. I use a Maggard 24 and the previously mentioned Stirling two band 24. They both have sufficient height to splay and paint, if that is what you want. The 22 I have does nothing. It is a whipped dog, his older version. All it does is move around. Paints fine but no splay. None of these lose hairs.

Brushes are personal. Hated the Semogue 620 and really worked to break it in.

 

[Try em all]

After doing a very unscientific water test, I don't think it's the water. You may have heard of it: you put liquid soap in a clear plastic bottle and add water and shake it up. And if the foam reaches the top of the bottle, (which it did,) I figured the water can't be that hard.

I don't think this test actually works.
Liquid soap like handwash soap, shampoos, shower gels etc are based on SLS/SLES & are fairly immune to hard water.
Shaving soap is not.

 

[ching86]

For face lathering, I personally feel nothing beats the muhle silvertip v2 25mm or the tuxedo knots @26mm. The bigger knots seems to eradicate even the slightest bit of scritch from plisson style knots in smaller sizes and that thick cloudy feel is just pure luxurious.


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[HMan]

For face lathering, I personally feel nothing beats the muhle silvertip v2 25mm or the tuxedo knots @26mm. The bigger knots seems to eradicate even the slightest bit of scritch from plisson style knots in smaller sizes and that thick cloudy feel is just pure luxurious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's good to know, I have a Muhle STF v2 21mm, and it's too prickly for me to face lather. It's just fine using a bowl and paint technique, albeit a bit short.
Thankfully I have 26mm Zenith 707 in their Dark synthetic on the way. Once it arrives and I've used it a bit I'm sure to post a comparison review.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I prefer badger to synthetics, but I find that my synthetic brushes do produce more lather more quickly than my badger brushes. I also think too many people obsess over whether they can get X number of passes without having to go back to the puck for more soap. Anytime you need more soap, or water, just add some. They are both inexpensive and readily available.

 

[Ad Astra]

Would more bristles/hairs per inch translate into more lather bubbles? Then a finer/higher count synthetic might.


AA

 

[emwolf]

I find synthetic easier to load as a rule but badgers feel better on my face. Both produce tons of lather enough for all the passes I might choose to take

 

[imcnok]

I just got a synthetic a few days ago.

If I had to choose between my silvertip badger vs the synthetic...no doubt would choose the badger.

But....I do like the synthetic and it does whip up lather quickly...I just have to keep adding more water than I am accustomed.


I have a 26mm synthetic monster.

 

[njpaddy]

I find synthetic easier to load as a rule but badgers feel better on my face.

Same here. The 2 synthetics, I had, loaded easily enough but I wasn't able to use them to face-lather using circular motions. I don't mind painting on lather for later passes, but I want a brush I can use in circular motions for at least the 1st pass or two. Synthetics failed here. Either they won't splay or they feel prickly when they do. As such, one of my synths was pif'd, the other is my keyboard cleaner.

 

[Bbb34]

It's been a while since I used synthetic, but in terms of ease of lathering, I can't say I recall major difference.
Also, I just don't get "difficult to load" thing, I used many soaps and creams and never had issues loading the brush and getting a great lather.

Face feel, for me, no contest, badger wins every time.