Which synthetic knot for 2-band badger lover

Why not be the guinea pig Matsilainen?

Well, I honestly don’t need any new brushes, and don’t want a massive rotation, either, but … we’ll see.  

What's the TGN synthetic knots like?

I can't tell if they're really 'new' or if they never updated the descriptions since I never really paid much attention to them.

The reason I ask is that the 3 band version seems to look the most like real badger of any synthetic I've seen apart from the Mühle and EJ.

What's the TGN synthetic knots like?

I’d like to know, too. The “Nylon 3 Band” looks nice, and like you said, very similar to the Edwin Jagger and Mühle Silvertip Fibre. The TGN “Nylon Shave Knot NEW,” on the other hand, looks very similar to the very soft knot on my Whipped Dog synthetic 24 mm from September 2015. (Whipped Dog is not using the same knots anymore — Larry recently said that their new synthetics have a little more backbone than the old ones.)

It’s clear that synthetic knots are still undergoing a constant evolutionary process. It would be interesting to know what the landscape looks like in another 2–3 years.

I used the RR 400 for the first time this morning. The handle is a little smaller than expected, but the length is perfect. The tips of the fibers are very soft, but this is quite different than the plissoft. The fibers are stiffer and this has way more backbone than the plissoft. It seemed to hold quite a bit of water when I soaked it, and it really tore into the soap. I whipped up the soap in the bowl and then did a short face lather. I was used the plissoft being so soft, this thing has soft tips and more backbone. This was the first use, so I'm not sure if it will break in over time or not.

I used the RR 400 for the first time this morning. The handle is a little smaller than expected, but the length is perfect. The tips of the fibers are very soft, but this is quite different than the plissoft. The fibers are stiffer and this has way more backbone than the plissoft. It seemed to hold quite a bit of water when I soaked it, and it really tore into the soap. I whipped up the soap in the bowl and then did a short face lather. I was used the plissoft being so soft, this thing has soft tips and more backbone. This was the first use, so I'm not sure if it will break in over time or not.

And the stiffer fibres are not springy? They don't flick back at you, when bent?

I used the RR 400 for the first time this morning.  The handle is a little smaller than expected, but the length is perfect.  The tips of the fibers are very soft, but this is quite different than the plissoft.  The fibers are stiffer and this has way more backbone than the plissoft.   It seemed to hold quite a bit of water when I soaked it, and it really tore into the soap.  I whipped up the soap in the bowl and then did a short face lather.  I was used the plissoft being so soft, this thing has soft tips and more backbone.  This was the first use, so I'm not sure if it will break in over time or not.

And the stiffer fibres are not springy? They don't flick back at you, when bent?

I'd say that they are springy. I used it again this morning and I think I might like it better than the plissoft from RR.

I have a Tuxedo Knot in a tall Whipped Dog handle and love it. I would compare the feel with the TNG Finest Badger, but with softer tips. The feel of the Tuxedo knot will change depending upon the depth you set the knot. Mine is set at 55mm loft. I hope my experience is helpful.

Ok, just an update for those who are interested: a friend of mine borrowed me a Muhle/Boker with the black fibre knots...it was a smaller knot and I didn't like it bit. Long knot:loft ratio and very sparse knot IMO...the handle is very nice though.

Then I got last week from a very generous member on another forum a Muhle XL and I can certainly understand, why it came up so often in this thread.

Don''t get me wrong, it is not match for my lovely badgers, but is certainly the finest synthetic brush I have tried to date and will definitely be my next travel companion. I think the biggest difference (besides the knot being almost 26mm) is the density of the knot. It feels like a brush on my face and not a springy cloud. My suspicion would be, that many of the current synthetic knots could be improved significantly by simply adding more fibres to the knots.