What's new

Plisson synthetic

A member tested the new synthetic Plisson sold at L'Occitane ?



proxy.php


More info http://usa.loccitane.com/cade-shaving-brush-plisson,82,1,29434,388683.htm
 
There are plenty of folks who prefer synthetic brushes for a variety of reasons. Even though I'm not one of them, I think more choice in this area is a good thing.

I'd be curious to know if this is a new fiber Plisson's brought to market or just a rebrand of something we've already seen.
 
The fibers look like the kind that Larry uses over at WD; but that doesn't say much as all synthetic fibers i've seen generally look similar.

I love my WD synthetic, but I find the body a tad too firm for my liking; if the loft was a little shorter and less firm I would turn my back on Badger/Boar hairs. Synthetics (to me) feel like the softness from a badger but the body of a boar (specifically the Omega 48).
 
The Plisson synthetic brush has become one of my favorites because it's soft on the face, splays easily for face lathering with very soft painting strokes. It's slightly floppy but it builds super lather while feeling very soft. It excels at face lathering. Frankly, the days of viable synthetics are here. My expensive badgers are nice but this Plisson is surprising. I hope Plisson and other brands continue to improve their designs of both fibers and knots.
 
The Plisson Synthetic has become one of my favorite brushes because it easily makes rich lather. It splays easily with soft painting motions for good face lathering. Synthetics have become their own category with it's own characteristics, different from badger or boar. I hope the synthetics continue improving because they make great lather.
 
I ordered several of these at the recent firesale price of $30 - largely because I never envisaged owning a Plisson.

I do think they've somewhat damaged their brand and alienated existing owners who paid significant sums for a Plisson branded product. It's one thing to have their product(which is clearly below their normal standards-lines) selling for $100, but then when it's dumped at $30 brands get damaged.
 
I ordered several of these at the recent firesale price of $30 - largely because I never envisaged owning a Plisson.

I do think they've somewhat damaged their brand and alienated existing owners who paid significant sums for a Plisson branded product. It's one thing to have their product(which is clearly below their normal standards-lines) selling for $100, but then when it's dumped at $30 brands get damaged.

Other than the price, in what way is the Cade brush below the Plisson standard? The knots appear identical and the wood on the Cade has held-up well for most. Except for some very rare and minor issues that occur in all brands and brushes, there have been no notable complaints.

I also think you may vastly overestimate the potential effect on the Plisson brand. Wet shavers active on forums and related groups are a small subset of an already niche market. Those interested in synthetics and/or knowledgeable about Plisson represent even smaller groups. L'Occitane is primarily a women's skin care and beauty boutique, and I imagine that despite our levels of interest, the majority of their sales are to women buying gifts for their husbands, boyfriends, fathers and sons. I believe the crossover is minimal, and probably was a boon in revenue for Plisson. It's not like extremely expensive French shaving brushes are in incredibly high demand in a world of Simpsons and Shavemac, no less Gillette and Schick.
 
As RayJ37 says, it's an excellent synthetic brush--especially at $30. I've now tested it (face lathering) on a variety of hard soaps (Tabac, Pre de Provence, MWF, DRH, etc.), and it's performed great. If you like a very soft synthetic brush that nonetheless does well with hard soaps, the Plisson is a terrific purchase.
 
I got the brush yesterday. The price was around 550 Norwegian Kroners (1$=6,5kr) so it was relatively expensive.
But man, what a brush. My first synthetic, and a new experience for me. It seemed to make more lather out of my Trumper's Rose than any of my other quality brushes ever has made. And the softness was unbelievable. A nice edition to any collection. Especially if you can get it for 30 dollars
 
Seems like this is the one for my travel kit, and that's a great price. Its impossible for me to get a brush dry when I'm away and I'm not a fan of small "travel" brushes, so this may be the compromise.
 
I received mine last night, and today wasn't a shaving day but I gave it a palm lather with a Honeybee glycerin soap to get some initial impressions (my first synthetic brush).
Handle has a nice shape and feel but is very light. This makes is seem less sturdy than a lot of other brushes but I guess heft and weight do not a great brush make.
The knot seems pretty floppy so I'll be interested to see how it works out for me as I'm primarily a face-latherer. Tips are extremely soft, it almost feels sexy as I was lathering in my palm (is that weird? ;-)
With them being so soft I was impressed with how efficiently I was able to load and lather. Looking forward to trying out soaps and creams of various consistencies.
I did notice that a large portion of the knot seemed to clump together as I was lathering, and again I'll be interested to see how this plays out when face-lathering. Definitely giving it a run for tomorrow morning's shave!
 
I ordered one today because I liked the idea of a quick-drying travel brush.

Is there anything special to break in a synthetic brush?
 
I read this thread with great interest. Initially, I switched from badger to synthetic because I worried a badger brush would not dry out as I traveled. When I travel, I face-lather with sticks. However, I discovered there is a huge difference in lathering technique between a badger and a synthetic. I started out with a Kent, then the Muehle gen. 4, and recently the $30 Plisson, which seemed to be a bargain for what I've seen of the positive reviews. I've only used the Plisson a couple of shaves so far, but I've discovered it is different than the other two synthetic brushes I own. The Plisson seems to be denser than the other two, but has hardly any backbone. It is much, much softer than the other two synthetic brushes. So, I am face-lathering at home with all three synthetic brushes as I struggle to learn the best technique for these brushes. Meanwhile, I shall follow the developments of this thread. Thanks to all for sharing your experiences and expertise.
 
Top Bottom