Synthetics, they're all kind of similar or is it me?

[blade08]

It's been a few years since I last bought a brush with animal hair. I think synthetic brushes have so many advantages, that I can no longer justify buying something other than synthetics these days.

I do find with synthetics, that they're all kind of similar. I tried many: original Plisson, Plissoft, Simpson synthetic, Mühle STF, Omega Hi-brush fibers etc. etc. Because of this, I now focus more on handle design than the fibers the knot is made from. Am I alone in this? Am I overlooking something?

 

[musicman1951]

I find a great many of the cheaper synthetics are very similar. I find the EVO, Mühle STF and Wald worlds apart from the clones and worlds apart from each other. The EVO has tons of backbone - a bit too much for me, the STF is lovely, but mine could use a little more backbone and the Wald is like no other synthetic with billions and billions of thin "hairs" and handles that look like artwork - producing very rich lather.

There are really a great many choices out there for every wallet. My favorite brushes are badger, but the Wald is in my top 5 (along with a boar). The STF is my travel brush, and it's a great one. Find some you like and enjoy your shaves.

 

[shaveSymptomatic]

The omega evo and the simpson platinum are special and feel different than all other synths out ther.

 

[Eben Stone]

Paladin and Mühle STF are nothing alike.

Vikings Blade White Knight may be a synthetic, but it feels more like a unbloomed boar than a synthetic. It's in it's own ballpark.

My favorite is the RazoRock 400 Noir. It took me a few years to fully accept that this the only brush I really want/need. It's the only brush I've tried where both the handle and knot are perfect, IMO. It's very different than any of the other brushes I've mentioned. The Noir knot is nothing like the regular 400.

The RazoRock BC Silvertip is an odd one. I'm undecided. It's either the best brush I've ever tried or the worst. It's kinda average at everything: backbone, density, scritch, floppiness/springiness, release. I wouldn't be surprised if it has some similarities to a lot of other synthetics. But it's not at all like any of the ones I've mentioned.

 

[blade08]

The omega evo and the simpson platinum are special and feel different than all other synths out ther.

I was in fact looking at an Evo 2.0. What makes it special for you?

 

[horizon]

Evo 2.0 has the behavior of a real badger, but with a lot more backbone. This brush has extra soft tips that create a silky feel, a very tight knot and a strong backbone. Basically, everything we could ask for in a brush. What's more, it even bends and develops like a natural bristle brush. After a few months of use, the tuft dissolved and doubled its volume compared to the original diameter. Here's how it looks now, against a few other synthetic brushes.

 

[Wgg2017]

I wish they made the Evo 2.0 in something smaller than a 28mm knot. The largest synthetic I own is 25mm and my preference is something in the 21-23mm range. I just have no use for 28mm brushes. Ymmv.

Edited to add: To answer the original question, my experience says that badgers have a wider overall range of characteristics than synthetics, but even still, all synthetics are not the same.

 

[shaveSymptomatic]

I was in fact looking at an Evo 2.0. What makes it special for you?

Hard to describe, you have to feel it. It feels a lot a Mozingo ZT2 brush I had.

 

[blade08]

Contrary to only a couple of years ago, little money buys a very good Chinese made synthetic brush these days. Brands such as Razorock, Good Fellas' Smile and Yaqi are just amazing I think. With synthetics there is no real need to spend lots of money in order to get a great brush.

 

[Bsamps]

I have a shavemac synth that absolutely feels like a badger. It’s amazing!

 

[Mr Konrad Dundee]

I have a shavemac synth that absolutely feels like a badger. It’s amazing!

Shavemac Synthetic Fibers? or Ap shave?

 

[Barney14]

Dscosmetic A2S on Aliexpress, fantastic brushes, much much softer than Yaqi, ideal for face lathering, feels like a badger brush.

There are also GDMG & Boti brushes on Aliexpress that look interesting, I haven't tried these though

 

[Bsamps]

Shavemac Synthetic Fibers? or Ap shave?

Shavemac.

 

[blade08]

I recently bought 'The Deep' brush from Good Fellas' Smile. It has a very dense 24mm knot with 'wavy' BASF ptb fibers. A very nice brush for just 25 euros shipped. (Pics not mine).

 

[anoop]

I have tried a couple of synthetics and they are different. I like soft feel of Plisson blond fiber. From what I gather it is softer and has less "scritch" than the current white fiber synthetic. I found the Acqua Di Parma travel brush synthetic unusably harsh. I prefer the feel of the Plisson to the badger brush that it replaced, so I'm not looking to imitate badger at all.

 

[VerbaVolant]

In my limited experience, the only similarity between all synthetic brushes that I have tried is the fact that they cannot compare to a badger hair knot. In the sense that the synthetics are way, way, below badger when it comes to performance. Ok, they are a disappointment, and that is so I stay polite.

 

[anoop]

In my limited experience, the only similarity between all synthetic brushes that I have tried is the fact that they cannot compare to a badger hair knot. In the sense that the synthetics are way, way, below badger when it comes to performance. Ok, they are a disappointment, and that is so I stay polite.

Which synthetics have you tried and what type of badger are you comparing to?

There are good and bad synthetics, there's low end and high end badger. I only tried "super badger" from Vulfix and compared to that, I definitely prefer the Plisson blond synthetic. Of course, there's probably higher end badger like super soft silver tips but I never tried those because by the time I could afford them, I already made the switch to synthetic.

 

[njpaddy]

Synthetics may be similar now, but that was not always the case. My first was an Asylum in 2015/6. It wouldn't splay and I couldn't get a good lather, so I PIF'd it to another member. My second was a WCS synth in 2017. I spoke to a rep who swore it was soft, but it was prickly, like shaving with a porcupine. It did make for a good (but expensive) keyboard cleaner at the time. It's probably in a box of my misfit (shaving) toys in the basement. Bored, or maybe on a whim, I ordered a RazoRock chrome-handled, 24mm Plissoft in 2018. A great brush, but with me favoring badgers, I use it mostly for conserving discontinued soaps. Brushes were my biggest rabbit hole since 2019. I wish synthetics were this good when I started, I might have saved money.

 

[IMightBeWrong]

There’s definitely a lot of similarity. The Plisson was a great brush but didn’t have the backbone I wanted, but most other synthetics were very similar. The exception would be Wald’s A1 Synthetic. This feels noticeably different from others to me. Holds water like badger, a bit more flop and absurdly soft. I really like it, despite the flop.

 

[anoop]

There’s definitely a lot of similarity. The Plisson was a great brush but didn’t have the backbone I wanted, but most other synthetics were very similar. The exception would be Wald’s A1 Synthetic. This feels noticeably different from others to me. Holds water like badger, a bit more flop and absurdly soft. I really like it, despite the flop.

Plisson has a different synthetic since the last 2-3 years. Previously they had a softer, floppier blond fiber which I own. Now they have a white fiber which I don't own and from what I understand has a bit more backbone but also has more scritch than the blond fiber. Which did you try?

https://www.plisson1808.com/5719-thickbox_default/anthracite-gray-access-shaving-brush-with-blonde-synthetic-fibers.jpg

https://www.plisson1808.com/4676-thickbox_default/original-lazuli-shaving-brush-high-mountain-white-fibre.jpg

As for Wald's -- the description of the knot is awesome, but I'm just not warming up to the available handle shapes. I would have preferred a more traditional handle like the Plisson Original or the Muhle Classic. I would have preferred a wood handle, but could probably live with an acrylic one in a single color in ivory or butterscotch.