Synthetic vs the others?

[sm29]

There are advantage to each type. For me:

• Synthetics dry quickest, don’t need to be soaked and are great for travel or when soaking is not a good option. Pricing is somewhere in the middle. My synths include an AP Shave Co Synbad (stays at a friend’s house and doesn’t get soaked pre-shave), AP Shave Co G5C, Muhle STF Turnback (for travel) and a Simpson Classic 1 platinum that I find almost worthless.
• Boar may be the best per price point. I only have one boar currently, an Omega 011842 (Connaught Jade) which for me is the best $30 some dollar brush available. The only caveat is that it took about 50 uses before I began to enjoy it and about 100 uses to become a superb brush.
• Badger is my favorite. Some are softer, some have more backbone, some release lather better than others but as a rule, I find badgers to be the most luxurious. My badger collection includes 3 Rudy Vey brushes (2 with Shavemac 2 band silvertip knots and 1 Manchurian), a 2band Paladin Chief, a custom (made with my lather bowl) Mugseco high mountain and 4Simpson brushes (Duke 3 in best, Chubby 1 in super, Major in Super and Wee Scot in best).

Other than the Simpson Classic 1 platinum synthetic, other than needing time to dry, all could be good to great daily brushes.

Because my collection including the brushes I no longer own is limited, I‘m sure there are other great brushes not mentioned.

 

[Spy Car]

Synthetic brushes are terrific for applying talc or other body powder. Perfect!

For shaving they are a backbone-free abomination AFAIC.

The claim that "synthetic brushes blow badger and boar brushes out of the water" is beyond absurd.

Boar is my choice.

Bill

 

[slyfox279]

Synthetic brushes are terrific for applying talc or other body powder. Perfect!

For shaving they are a backbone-free abomination AFAIC.

The claim that "synthetic brushes blow badger and boar brushes out of the water" is beyond absurd.

Boar is my choice.

Bill

it varies per person. its true for me that synthetics beat out boar or badger. softer the better for me. boar are too rough for my skin. you likely prefer the roughness of boar so dislike soft synthetics.

 

[PrincessMari]

Wanted to give an update on this topic. I ordered a Je&Co Luxury synthetic shaving brush at about $13 and ended up loving it! It feels way better on my skin compared to the badger hair I was using and it just lathers way better as well. I don't know if the reason behind this was because the badger hair brush was free with a stand and bowl set I bought and the brush itself was small... (Maybe travel size?) or if I just had the worse of luck with them.

 

[Ron R]

Howdy everyone, So I'm just curious when it comes to the types of shaving brushes are synthetic brushes any better than say a badger hair or boar hair brush when shaving when it comes to the one that builds up lather the quickest and uses the least amount of product? I heard different things from my boyfriend like him saying Synthetic only uses very very little soap to load it but badger hair and boar he claims eats the soap so I'll like run out of the soap a lot sooner than If I would have used the Synthetic..

I'm only asking here as I feel like I'd probably get more knowledge..

I started with synthetics and enjoy them a lot still but I also have badger and boar brushes. Brushes make shaving that much better and having a few of each will not break the bank.
-Synthetic brushes as stated by other folks already are ideal for a person who is in a hurry to get to work and my favorite sizes are 24-26mm knot size. They dry quicker and are a great overall general brush for my shaving needs.
- Badger brushes are excellent brushes and my favorite size is a 24mm 2band badger I bought from Yaqi on sale and they work OK and are great for my shaving needs.
- Boar Bristle brushes are great to excellent and give a nice scrub + are great lather painters. I have used boar brushes for many years and once you take a few minutes to soak them they are perfect and just as good or better than other types that seem common IMO.
Don't store any bush in a enclosed area until it is bone dry to prevent mildew or mold, just towel dry them and leave them in the open air standing up right or in a brush holder is the best way.
Don't over think brushes just enjoy that Zen moment they give for many years, I will use a brush over hand lathering any day has been my conclusion using last 6 years with different brushes after 35 years using hand lathering when I used cartridge razors . Both work but with a brush you receive a nice feeling for the face IMO!







bad

 

[Spy Car]

it varies per person. its true for me that synthetics beat out boar or badger. softer the better for me. boar are too rough for my skin. you likely prefer the roughness of boar so dislike soft synthetics.

LOL. No. Boar bristles are extremely soft once broken in. Much better than plastic IMO.

Bill

 

[SamplingNature]

Any way you cut it, a brush is a bundle of hairs...real or fake...that are tied or glued together, stuck to a handle and used to smear soap on your face (or elsewhere). They're nice to have if you don't overthink it...but can be skipped entirely if you so chose.

 

[Chandu]

For me badger is best, boar is good and synthetic are ok.

Synthetics can be nice because they build lather fast are frugal on soap use. If those were the only two qualities in a brush I looked for I think synthetics would be my choice.

My first brush was badger, so that sort of set the tone to how a brush should behave.

 

[slyfox279]

LOL. No. Boar bristles are extremely soft once broken in. Much better than plastic IMO.

Bill

mine never got soft. are you trying to say boar is as soft as softest badger and synthetic ?

 

[Spy Car]

mine never got soft. are you trying to say boar is as soft as softest badger and synthetic ?

I'm saying that boar may not have the highly unnatural plastic-feeling plushness of synthetics, but a properly broken-in boar brush is plenty soft.

If users are not willing to put in the time or effort to properly break-in a brush, then boar is not a great option. Otherwise, yes. When boar tips split (and they do, with use), the tips become very soft, while the brush maintains its backbone.

Are they ultra-plush, like a synthetic pom-pom? No.

People have varying tastes about such things. That's fair.

Bill

 

[Rico Suave]

A high end synth will cost you less than even a medium grade badger. I'd recommend you spend $25 on a synth before spending $200 on a badger. I'm not deep into brushes, but I do have three boars, two badgers, one horse, and six synths. If I could keep only one brush it would be one of the synths (a mother lode knot).

 

[cvac]

I'm saying that boar may not have the highly unnatural plastic-feeling plushness of synthetics, but a properly broken-in boar brush is plenty soft.

If users are not willing to put in the time or effort to properly break-in a brush, then boar is not a great option. Otherwise, yes. When boar tips split (and they do, with use), the tips become very soft, while the brush maintains its backbone.

Are they ultra-plush, like a synthetic pom-pom? No.

People have varying tastes about such things. That's fair.

Bill

The problem with boar is that they do not all break in the same way IME.

Semogue boar brushes are generally very easy to break in, especially something like the SOC. A high loft Omega is the polar opposite and will have a long break in time. I could never get along with the Omega boars I tried no matter what I did. Perhaps all the break in work I did was simply not enough or the hair was just never going to be to my liking the way the Semogue boars were.

At this point I've basically moved on from natural brushes and I'm firmly in the synth camp.

 

[Spy Car]

The problem with boar is that they do not all break in the same way IME.

Semogue boar brushes are generally very easy to break in, especially something like the SOC. A high loft Omega is the polar opposite and will have a long break in time. I could never get along with the Omega boars I tried no matter what I did. Perhaps all the break in work I did was simply not enough or the hair was just never going to be to my liking the way the Semogue boars were.

At this point I've basically moved on from natural brushes and I'm firmly in the synth camp.

Boar brushes certainly don't all break the same way. That's for sure.

Those with less dense knots, ones that have been chemically treated and/or dyed to approximate the look of badger (a practice that I find off-putting myself) may tend to break in faster. No arguments there.

I don't have any Semogue boars. By reputation the non-SOC models are often claimed to be on the floppy side, which is not to my taste. Is that your experience?

I prefer the good backbone one can expect with Omegas and Zeniths. But with these brands, the break-in process is more of a "process."

At the end of the process, and furthered by years (if not decades of use), such brushes get more and more luxurious. But it isn't "instant gratification."

People can like (and dislike) different things.

Bill

 

[cvac]

I don't have any Semogue boars. By reputation the non-SOC models are often claimed to be on the floppy side, which is not to my taste. Is that your experience?

The non-SOC ones I've had were dense enough, boar brushes that is.

The standard silvertip Semogue I had was not dense enough for my liking. Semogue responded to the market a couple of years later (this was a long time ago) by introducing "high density" silvertip brushes and the SOC 2 band badger brushes and others.

Of the ones I had I kept 3, my SOC "duo" and a boar with an acrylic handle. Forget the model number of that one.

Again I mostly use synth brushes these days and my badger and boar brushes are on backup duty now.

 

[Spy Car]

The non-SOC ones I've had were dense enough, boar brushes that is.

The standard silvertip Semogue I had was not dense enough for my liking. Semogue responded to the market a couple of years later (this was a long time ago) by introducing "high density" silvertip brushes and the SOC 2 band badger brushes and others.

Of the ones I had I kept 3, my SOC "duo" and a boar with an acrylic handle. Forget the model number of that one.

Again I mostly use synth brushes these days and my badger and boar brushes are on backup duty now.

I have discovered that my ultra-soft RazoRock plissoft beehive--while intolerable to me as shaving accessory--is a wonderfully luxurious pom-pom when applying body talc. Blood good for that purpose.

Bill

 

[cvac]

I have discovered that my ultra-soft RazoRock plissoft beehive--while intolerable to me as shaving accessory--is a wonderfully luxurious pom-pom when applying body talc. Blood good for that purpose.

Bill

Sorry you didn't like it. I have owned nice badgers that would cost $300+ if I were to buy them today and the synths hold their own in my book.

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

a practice that I find off-putting myself

That bothers me too. I don't need my boar brushes to masquerade as badger.

 

[Champion of Capua]

My problem with a synthetic brush is that a decade ago they were absolutely terrible and at this point I don’t feel a need to explore a product that is not filling a need. I personally don’t care how fast or slow a brush dries, or if it takes a few seconds faster to load, or if you need to soak it for a minute or two. All those are insignificant to how it feels and works, and for me I greatly prefer the feel of a quality badger and boar. I also don’t mind spending significantly more for those brushes either.

 

[Filudo]

Howdy everyone, So I'm just curious when it comes to the types of shaving brushes are synthetic brushes any better than say a badger hair or boar hair brush when shaving when it comes to the one that builds up lather the quickest and uses the least amount of product? I heard different things from my boyfriend like him saying Synthetic only uses very very little soap to load it but badger hair and boar he claims eats the soap so I'll like run out of the soap a lot sooner than If I would have used the Synthetic..

I'm only asking here as I feel like I'd probably get more knowledge..

Synthetics are really good now......you can buy a really good one for $10-14...... I would not advice to start with natural hair as it will be more expensive, add more variables to your lather mixture....... Can't go wrong w synthetic....then branch out and experiment with other type of brushes...

 

[GR5233]

Semogue boar brushes are generally very easy to break in, especially something like the SOC. A high loft Omega is the polar opposite and will have a long break in time

I haven’t tried a Semogue yet but I do have an omega 49. It could be just my particular brush but it’s breaking in rapidly and the tips feel super soft already

Synthetics are really good now......you can buy a really good one for $10-14...... I would not advice to start with natural hair as it will be more expensive, add more variables to your lather mixture....... Can't go wrong w synthetic....then branch out and experiment with other type of brushes...

Agree with you that synthetic brushes are good now. Plenty of options that will work well. But a good boar brush can be found for $10. Definitely agree with you about trying multiple brush types (boar, badger and synthetic)