I've come to prefer synthetic brushes

My synthetic brushes are from Wolf Whiskers, Mervyn Cadman, Tony Forsyth - able to get a favorite handle shape, favorite color and probably higher quality knot. My experience might be different with a high volume low cost butterscotch synthetic brush.

I have more badger brushes than synthetic in my rotation. I do enjoy the change to a soft bristle quick lather synthetic brush. For me, synthetics seem to work better with some soaps and less well with creams and some (hard ?) soaps.

It will be great to hear what folks have to say.

I've come to prefer synthetic brushes.  Once I understood that the lathering process is different than natural hair or bristle, the benefits really started showing themselves.

Here are some things I really like:

• Synthetics don't absorb water, thus the lather is more consistent between passes.
  I don't feel like I need to handle them with kid gloves.
  They are soooooo soft
  They dry quickly
  

How about you?  What do you like best?  why?

When I first started wet shaving I had a pure badge brush that I used exclusively before I found shave forums and really started to get into the hobby. From there I switched over exclusively to synthetic brushes for the next 3 years up until this past Christmas for most of the reasons you stated above. Easy to care for, can lather up any soap with minimal effort and they are super soft. Recently I have gone back to badger brushes for a couple of reasons. 1. For some reason the natural hair looks just a little nicer to me then the synthetic but that is  a very minor reason. 2. The natural hair retains heat a lot better than synthetic and provides and overall warmer shave for me. 3. I don’t like a scritchy brush but I have come to realize that synthetics were too soft and I was missing that bit of scrub that results in exfoliation which is supposed to be one of the main reasons to lather with a brush. So currently I’m a big advocate for natural hair badger which is a big 180 from where I was just a couple of months ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I own probably every type of brush there is and I like them all for different reasons. I guess it just depends on what I am in the mood for. I've never understood the whole exfoliation arguement when it comes to brushes though. You are about to drag a razor sharp piece of steel across you face no matter what type of brush you use. Any exfoliation you need is going to happen anyway at that point.

+1 to that^^

There are some great comments here.  A lot of the folks posting feel the way about brushes that I feel about straight razors.  There are also comments that show differences in what we want/need from the products we use.  Example:  several folks commented about holding heat.  I'm warm natured and live in an area that doesn't get cold so that isn't as important for me.

There are also aspects where the advantage of a synthetic is a double edged sword.  Most of my synthetics are Maggard's brand.  The positive is the cost, thus I don't feel the need to handle them as carefully.  The other side, which someone pointed out, is that they don't have that special quality.  The custom brush makers will all put a synthetic knot in their product, though I will be the first to admit that a synthetic doesn't have the panache of a really nice badger.

Let's face it, almost everything about this hobby is highly subjective: what one loves, another wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. A few years ago, there was a lot of excitement over the Muhle/EJ STF brushes/knots. That lasted about six months before dying out. Now the pendulum seems to have swung back with Tuxedo, Maggard's et al. starting to gain (re-gain?) attention. Even Simpson has started to put their toe in the water; so it might be that synthetics are finally gaining real traction. But regardless, from where I sit anything that helps increase enjoyment in wet shaving is a good thing.

I have a plethora of brushes in everything from badger to boar to horsehair to blends and use them all. However, lately I find that I reach for my synthetics more than any others. Synthetics have come so far in the last few years and one can find softer, firmer, more backbone, less backbone, etc. with them. I get a kick out of the various colors and really think a tuxedo knot can smarten up a handle. I find lathering a joy and, as has been pointed out, the synthetics take a fraction of the time to dry as natural hair.

I enjoy, and use, all of my knot types but lately the synthetics have come to the fore. Ultimately, it's all good and there is no wrong answer as it comes down to simple personal preference.

I have never tried a synthetic brush, but after reading through this I might have to.

Synthetic brushes have come a long way.
I have a 30mm maggard black and white which is a lot of fun. It doesn't feel like a spring, which was my biggest issue with synthetics, and the splay is just "right".
I had a H.I.S brush 6 years ago, which was the complete opposite and it encompassed everything that could have been "wrong" about synthetic brushes.

My remaining small gripe about synthetic brushes is that the tips are very fine, and unlike badger or boar, you can feel Ithe individual fibers - it is just like a big wall-like cloud.

This is why I use it every now and then. It is a nice break for the sake of variation and it is excellent when traveling because it dries so fast, but not for every day use.

Synthetics have certainly come a long way and can now (imo) rival any high end badger knot in function but not necessarily form.  I’m really enjoying the newer Mother Lode synths at the moment.

I tried to like synthetics (kinda) but I always seemed to have an issue with the lather “fling factor”. Must be an issue with my technique. I will have to give them another try soon.

I completely agree with the OP. I can get better lathers every time with my synthetics. I can get hydration more dialed in as well. My skin also seems to appreciate the softness of the synthetic too.