Are Synthetic Brushes the Way of the Future?

I have tried them all. Boar, Horse and Badger, Badger, Badger, etc.

The first two are now on display as rather odoriferous has beens along with my cheaper badgers.

I still use Finest and Silver Tip Badgers in my rotation for variety and to prove to myself how lucky I am.

But synthetics are the King and Queen of my brushes.
Long may they reign!

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"Royal" collection Mickey Oberman !

The Ubersoft II knot is a fan hybrid shape. Closest to a fan that I've seen.

Thanks Jerry, it's settled. Ubersoft II is in my must acquire list.

Satin tip is fan shaped i think. It's certainly not bulb snapped like my Plissoft brushes. It could be hybrid though as I don't know what a fan shap looks like besides it.

The ubersoft knots are more of a synthetic boar. They have a lot more backbone than the Plisson-style knots. The Satin Tip is a slightly older generation fiber, so it still has some of the springiness that was common in brushes like the Omega S brush.

I haven't yet seen a Plisson-Style fauxmere knot in anything other than bulb shape.

Synthetic boar? Hmm... I kinda liked the feeling of the Plissoft, I was just wondering if there was a fan shaped available. Thank you for letting me know what to expect about the Ubersoft, never had one before.

OK, I know nothing about synthetics other than the original Plisson sold by L'Occitane. So currently what is the best synthetic brush that is not a Chubby. I understand they don't bloom so, for example, 24 mm stays at 24.

So which one would you  buy?

grim & others, Stirling Soap Company just added some new synthetics to their store, I would definitely check those out. The 24 mm might be the best all-around size. I have their 26 mm “Kong,” and it is as magnificent as it is massive! I just ordered their new, slightly smaller 26 mm to compare with the mighty Kong.

Of course the other good recommendations already given also apply.

Matsilainen. All great points, I was coming to update or add the Animal Ethics point and price.  There is just no denying for a stock handle synthetic these days for $15-20, they are much more appealing to new shavers then looking at 10 grades of varying degrees of Badger quality that range from $60-300

As for the bloom, splay and look, I also agree.  But this is where I think science R&D will come in and eventually we will have a choice of synthetics that mimic natural hair.  For starters, I don't recall too many FAN synthetics, why?

I can easily see in a year or two, synthetic badger, synthetic boar, and they will look and feel just like Badger & Boar.

I for one enjoy the pillow soft, kitten feel of the current synthetics.

Really enjoying this thread, so many great points have been brought up.

@"Bruce", I truly hope that R&D will keep pushing the boundaries, so that they can take everything we know about natural hair brushes and incorporate it even more into synthetics. Maybe we’ll then have synthetics with the “soul” that some feel they are lacking.

One of the reasons why I enjoy traditional wet shaving is because of all the old school shave gear like vintage Gillettes, classic soaps and boar and badger brushes. Everyone is different, but for me buying a synthetic brush is like shopping in an upscale menswear store to buy a sport jacket and buying polyester instead of a Harris Tweed.. Boars and badgers are a natural fibre and in my opinion they just get better with more use. Of course...YMMV.

OK, I know nothing about synthetics other than the original Plisson sold by L'Occitane. So currently what is the best synthetic brush that is not a Chubby. I understand they don't bloom so, for example, 24 mm stays at 24.

So which one would you  buy?

grim & others, Stirling Soap Company just added some new synthetics to their store, I would definitely check those out. The 24 mm might be the best all-around size. I have their 26 mm “Kong,” and it is as magnificent as it is massive! I just ordered their new, slightly smaller 26 mm to compare with the mighty Kong.

Of course the other good recommendations already given also apply.

The Kong is my favorite brush ever, but I would like to have a smaller handle option. Do you recall what the loft is on the Kong? I can measure it later if not. The new Stirling 26mm has a 54mm loft, which I believe is a few mm shorter than the Kong but should still work great for my taste.

The Kong is my favorite brush ever, but I would like to have a smaller handle option. Do you recall what the loft is on the Kong? I can measure it later if not. The new Stirling 26mm has a 54mm loft, which I believe is a few mm shorter than the Kong but should still work great for my taste.

My thoughts too. I've been working on Joe and Rod to make it happen.

http://damnfineshave.com/thread-new-razo...2#pid53132

http://damnfineshave.com/thread-my-publi...6#pid50916

The Kong is my favorite brush ever, but I would like to have a smaller handle option. Do you recall what the loft is on the Kong? I can measure it later if not. The new Stirling 26mm has a 54mm loft, which I believe is a few mm shorter than the Kong but should still work great for my taste.

My thoughts too.   I've been working on Joe and Rod to make it happen.

http://damnfineshave.com/thread-new-razo...2#pid53132

http://damnfineshave.com/thread-my-publi...6#pid50916

I just realized the Kong dimensions are listed on Stirling's site. I thought they sold out and took it down. Anyway, it's 63mm loft, so it looks like I won't be buying the new versions. I don't like shorter lofts on synthetics. I realize a lot of people like the extra backbone, but to me the synthetics don't require it. I think Plisson knew exactly how the brush should perform, but they didn't offer a larger knot size unfortunately. I could go with maybe a 58mm loft on the Kong, but 54mm is too short I believe for my preferences.

I just realized the Kong dimensions are listed on Stirling's site. I thought they sold out and took it down. Anyway, it's 63mm loft, so it looks like I won't be buying the new versions. I don't like shorter lofts on synthetics. I realize a lot of people like the extra backbone, but to me the synthetics don't require it. I think Plisson knew exactly how the brush should perform, but they didn't offer a larger knot size unfortunately. I could go with maybe a 58mm loft on the Kong, but 54mm is too short I believe for my preferences.

Hobbyist, I happened to check my Kong some days ago, and the loft I got was 62 mm, so yes, quite a lot more than the new model with its 54 millimeters. I think Simpson took the “short loft cake,” though, with the 48 mm loft they had (at least at one point) on the Chubby 2 Synthetic.

It will be interesting to find out how the new Stirling 26 mm compares with the Kong, when it comes to backbone, splay, etc.