So my new brushes just came in a day apart from each other and I had a chance to try them out. As with anything I will ever post, these are just my opinions, and they are very much worth what you pay for them! Excuse the pics, I just snapped them quickly this morning and may update tonight with better ones. Another caveat, these are the first synthetic brushes I've ever used, so definitely take that into account.
Maggard's Synth w/marble handle: Love the folks at Maggard's, great service and anytime I've ever had any issues they've jumped to fix them. I'm not in love with the resin this one. It looks like a mix of their purple handle resin colors and the brown marble colors mixed. Definite purple swirls with some yellow mixed in over the brownish base. Pic #2 shows what I'm talking about. Aesthetic nitpicking aside, it's a $12 brush with a substantial base, comfortable handle, and seems to be well made. I have lost probably between 10-15 fibers on this one through a test lather and shave this weekend. Insanely soft fibers, but a bit too much flop for me. Bowl lathered really well from a 15 second load on the soap, with enough left over for at least two more passes( I do two for a normal shave). Due to the higher loft, I got much more of a paintbrush effect when I was applying the lather
Shave Revolution Persian Jar Stubby: Second order from these guys, and they ship almost as quick as Maggard's, which is saying something. Love the look of this one, and the engraved logo is a nice touch. Now this one is twice as much as the Maggard, but I like the feel of it better. I think I'm so used to my Omega 10066 boar, that I prefer more backbone in a brush. This one isn't quite as soft as the other, but they're both crazy soft. Haven't lost any fibers out of this one yet, and it was used just like the Maggard, one shave and one test lather. Same basic results as far as lather, but the overall feel of the Shave Rev. I just like better so far.
My hands are on the bigger side, and both handles felt very comfortable for me. Weight felt very close on both, but I haven't thrown them on a scale yet to confirm specifics. We'll see after a couple more shaves which one stays and which one gets gifted out.
[Image: IMG_1653_zpsc9xxzpd1.jpg]
[Image: IMG_1654_zpsxfb7yxhg.jpg]
[Image: IMG_1655_zpsnjh6hi5b.jpg]
Maggard's Synth w/marble handle: Love the folks at Maggard's, great service and anytime I've ever had any issues they've jumped to fix them. I'm not in love with the resin this one. It looks like a mix of their purple handle resin colors and the brown marble colors mixed. Definite purple swirls with some yellow mixed in over the brownish base. Pic #2 shows what I'm talking about. Aesthetic nitpicking aside, it's a $12 brush with a substantial base, comfortable handle, and seems to be well made. I have lost probably between 10-15 fibers on this one through a test lather and shave this weekend. Insanely soft fibers, but a bit too much flop for me. Bowl lathered really well from a 15 second load on the soap, with enough left over for at least two more passes( I do two for a normal shave). Due to the higher loft, I got much more of a paintbrush effect when I was applying the lather
Shave Revolution Persian Jar Stubby: Second order from these guys, and they ship almost as quick as Maggard's, which is saying something. Love the look of this one, and the engraved logo is a nice touch. Now this one is twice as much as the Maggard, but I like the feel of it better. I think I'm so used to my Omega 10066 boar, that I prefer more backbone in a brush. This one isn't quite as soft as the other, but they're both crazy soft. Haven't lost any fibers out of this one yet, and it was used just like the Maggard, one shave and one test lather. Same basic results as far as lather, but the overall feel of the Shave Rev. I just like better so far.
My hands are on the bigger side, and both handles felt very comfortable for me. Weight felt very close on both, but I haven't thrown them on a scale yet to confirm specifics. We'll see after a couple more shaves which one stays and which one gets gifted out.
[Image: IMG_1653_zpsc9xxzpd1.jpg]
[Image: IMG_1654_zpsxfb7yxhg.jpg]
[Image: IMG_1655_zpsnjh6hi5b.jpg]
-dave