New AP Shave Co. FlatTop

Thank you for your impression, Matthew.
I have had a few of the Muhle STF synthetics and I didn't not like them as much as I like the Chubby 2. I don't know what it is about the fibres in the latter brush, but they are very different to any other synthetic fibres I have tried, to date.

Well, I received the 28mm version of this brush and I have to say that it is a good brush, but not as good as the Chubby 2 synthetic, for me.
The knot has no glue-bump, to speak of, and the loft is quite high, causing it to splay similar to my boar brushes which I don't necessarily care for.
I much prefer the dense and compact knots of my 2-Band badger brushes, or the Chubby 2 synthetic.
The brush would benefit from a lower loft making it more compact and not as 'loose' as it is.
I also acquired two other AP Shaving Co. brushes, the Tuxedo and SynBad knots, both in 28mm, and I plan to try this, as well.
However, I doubt they will be as good as my Chubby 2 synthetics, which I find to be quite excellent.

Ironically, I just received and have been using a new one just made available at WCS:


https://www.westcoastshaving.com/collect...andle-24mm


I had always been lead to believe via reviews that the Cashmere was "floppy" and not that good. Well, perhaps I got lucky but mine is just absolutely perfect offering more "backbone" than the 24mm FlatTop. I could not be happier. It's the perfect face latherer. For bowl lathering the SynBad/Mew Brown knot is better IMO. As Celestino pointed out, the FlatTop has little if any "backbone" if that is important to you. Of course, as a confirmed face latherer I find that works perfect for some soaps and a brush with more resistance for yet other soaps.

FWIW, my SynBad/Mew Brown knot has a higher glue "bump" than the Cashmere which is higher than the FlatTop. Whether the first two are this way by intended design or randomness I know...….knot. Get it? Know knot?

Well, I received the 28mm version of this brush and I have to say that it is a good brush, but not as good as the Chubby 2 synthetic, for me.
The knot has no glue-bump, to speak of, and the loft is quite high, causing it to splay similar to my boar brushes which I don't necessarily care for.
I much prefer the dense and compact knots of my 2-Band badger brushes, or the Chubby 2 synthetic.
The brush would benefit from a lower loft making it more compact and not as 'loose' as it is.
I also acquired two other AP Shaving Co. brushes, the Tuxedo and SynBad knots, both in 28mm, and I plan to try this, as well.
However, I doubt they will be as good as my Chubby 2 synthetics, which I find to be quite excellent.

I've got a 28mm SynBad brush on the way. I've only ever had 24mm or smaller so I hope it's not too much.

I have tried the SynBad and Tuxedo knots, both 28 mm, and they are much better than the Flattop one, but I still greatly prefer my Chubby 2 synthetics. I don't know exactly how Simpsons does it, but the fibres they use are different than any synthetic fibre I have tried, even compared to the Muhle/EJ synthetics.
The Chubby synthetic fibres have a more 'natural' spring to them and their tips don't exhibit the ubiquitous minor 'prickle' I get with all other synthetic brushes/fibres.
Please, understand that this is a minor factor and that most newer synthetics are excellent brushes, but, for me, this does sway my preference for the Chubby 2 synthetic even though they are more expensive. I only wish the Chubby 2 knots were offered in a longer handle as I find the handle quite uncomfortable in use.

gregcss, I hope you enjoy the SynBad brush as it is quite nice for such a large synthetic brush. I would never advice anyone to go larger than the 28 mm knots as they are extremely dense making it quite larger than you would expect, and I greatly enjoy large 2-Band badger brushes.
I even find the 28 mm Tuxedo knot larger and a bit denser than the 28 mm SynBad that I have. I am glad I did not order the 30 mm knots that AP Co. has on offer as they would have been too large, even for me.

I have tried the SynBad and Tuxedo knots, both 28 mm, and they are much better than the Flattop one, but I still greatly prefer my Chubby 2 synthetics. I don't know exactly how Simpsons does it, but the fibres they use are different than any synthetic fibre I have tried, even compared to the Muhle/EJ synthetics.
The Chubby synthetic fibres have a more 'natural' spring to them and their tips don't exhibit the ubiquitous minor 'prickle' I get with all other synthetic brushes/fibres.
Please, understand that this is a minor factor and that most newer synthetics are excellent brushes, but, for me, this does sway my preference for the Chubby 2 synthetic even though they are more expensive. I only wish the Chubby 2 knots were offered in a longer handle as I find the handle quite uncomfortable in use.

gregcss, I hope you enjoy the SynBad brush as it is quite nice for such a large synthetic brush. I would never advice anyone to go larger than the 28 mm knots as they are extremely dense making it quite larger than you would expect, and I greatly enjoy large 2-Band badger brushes.
I even find the 28 mm Tuxedo knot larger and a bit denser than the 28 mm SynBad that I have. I am glad I did not order the 30 mm knots that AP Co. has on offer as they would have been too large, even for me.

I received the 28mm SynBad today and really enjoyed using it during this evening's shave. It's quite a beautiful brush. This might become my favorite brush. I'll need to look into the Chubby 2 synthetic and possibly give that a try.

Thank you for your impression, Matthew.
I have had a few of the Muhle STF synthetics and I didn't not like them as much as I like the Chubby 2. I don't know what it is about the fibres in the latter brush, but they are very different to any other synthetic fibres I have tried, to date.

I have tried the SynBad and Tuxedo knots, both 28 mm, and they are much better than the Flattop one, but I still greatly prefer my Chubby 2 synthetics. I don't know exactly how Simpsons does it, but the fibres they use are different than any synthetic fibre I have tried, even compared to the Muhle/EJ synthetics.

Sorry to have taken so long to reply! Thanks for sharing your impressions of the Chubby 2, it seems to be a well-liked brush and I hope to try one some day. I, too, wish they weren’t as expensive as they are (Edwin Jagger and Mühle, too), although I can understand at least some of the price difference compared to other synthetics.

I’ve been trying out a number of different knots, lately. The SynBad in 28 mm is indeed a dense knot with good backbone when set quite low. I had one temporarily set to 53 mm, then to 55 mm, and in both cases it was not very easy to splay (but it was comfortable to use, nevertheless).

The FlatTop knot also needs to be set relatively low, I think. It is so soft that a low loft will not hurt it in any way, and it’ll still splay well, once you get the bristles to splay from the middle instead of all to one side.

Here are a couple of pictures of the 28 mm FlatTop temporalily set to 49 mm. I may just set it permanently at this loft.

I just got a 28mm flat top, and just used it this morning. Wow is all I can say.