Synthetic Brushes

Ids

Ids

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1,290
What's the general feeling of these around here? I've been very tempted by the men-u offering, but it's expensive for curiosity, body shop have an offering as do TGN (Knots).
 
Very kind Steve as always, but once all the postage is factored in I could of got SWMBO to get me one with her discount card!
 
IDS
Im at work at the mo, but somewhere have an Men-U brush you can have. I just hope daughter number 2 hasnt nicked off with it :?
A cheaper alternative is Asda do a Wilkinson Sword branded synthetic for £3 odd.
 
I think me may be getting confused between bristle and synthetic, a men-u premier synthetic retails at about £30.

Thanks for the offers but it's ok, I was just trying to get a discussion and comparison going
 
My everyday brush is the TOBS synthetic - it isn't cheap but it's comfortable and seems great for face-lathering and is effective with my shave bowl also. Haven't used a badger brush to compare (I am squeamish about how the country that commonly supplies badger hair kills animals) but it is, for example, miles better than my first brush, a Men-U boar brush from Boots that would barely lather creams in my hard water area. I also have a Body Shop brush, but haven't used it much. I don't think it was as good as the TOBS brush, but definitely better than the Men-U boar, which has now been relegted to ballast-spreading on my model railway layout in an attempt to find some use for the dratted thing!
 
I've got the men-u synthetic and just bought a TOBS synthetic (or imitation badger as they call it). I got the TOBS because the handle of the Men-U is so cheap feeling but both work well at creating lather. The TOBS does have the edge though but I would have been quite happy with the Men-u if the handle was better. I got the Men-u bristle at the same time as the synthetic intending to use it for travel and it is fine but not a patch on the 404.
 
I use the Omega 90065 syntex. The bristles are plain white but it lathers up well and retains it. It can go cold though, but just dip the very end of the brush into warm water and that rewarms the lather.

The Wilkinson Sword brush uses synthetic bristles as well - I contacted WS and they said they were, yet the bristles do absorb a lot though.
 
I am using a Franks Synthetic Brush and / or the same knot from TGN (23mm base) that I placed in an old Burma Shave brush handle after removing the original brush hairs. The brush as far as sensation is like a badger at the tips (soft) and a boar in terms of the ability of the fibers to remain stout and not go limp as some badger hair brushes do. This to me is the best of both worlds. These two inexpensive brushes are now my go to brushes and there are no performance differences between the two. I am rarely using any of my other brushes any more.

The one on the right is the Frank Synthetic and the one on the left is the same knot in the Burma Shave handle. Both cost less than $20USD (completed brush or parts to make the Burma Synthetic).

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I've tried and reviewed several synthetic brushes. By far the best I have used is this one:

http://fidosshavingbrushblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/another-new-brush-muhle-synthetic.html

Synthetic brushes are perfectly capable of producing excellent lather in a bowl or on your face. If comfort concerns you the lather is best applied with gentle to and fro painting motions. Anyone with scruples about the use of animal hair need have no worries about the effectiveness of synthetic brushes.
 
I have a Body Shop synthetic and to be brutally honest I don't rate it that much.
However, I do find it great when I'm traveling as it dries almost instantly.
Can I ask if you have any reason to look at synthetic brushes other than curiosity? Vegan diet maybe?
 
Dandy Highwayman said:
I have a Body Shop synthetic and to be brutally honest I don't rate it that much.
However, I do find it great when I'm traveling as it dries almost instantly.
Can I ask if you have any reason to look at synthetic brushes other than curiosity? Vegan diet maybe?
Click to expand...

I can answer for my self that it was curiosity and not any vegan issue that led me to the brushes that I use. I surprisingly, against the concept of those who believe that animal hair is the only way, chose the synthetic based upon what worked for me.

For note: I am a polar opposite of veganism that any human can possibly be. My purpose is not to insult vegans or to create any arguements over veganism, it is just that my viewpoints are 100% incompatible with veganism in every respect.
 
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