Further Evidence of the Death of Civilization

[Squire]

Those who don't will watch.

[ShadowsDad]

I won't be happy until we convince Squire to try a synthetic. Once that happens can the TEOTWAWKI not be far behind?

[Squire]

Oh I've tried them, was sent one for evaluation and gave it a good workout. Wasn't moved to keep it though.

[Rufus]

Oh I've tried them, was sent one for evaluation and gave it a good workout. Wasn't moved to keep it though.

That was my initial assessment too. Earlier this year I bought a Muhle Sivertip fibre for travelling. I used it a few times at home, but wasn't sold at all on the brush. Nevertheless, I took it on my first overseas trip, which lasted 21/2 weeks, and found it quite acceptable although rather "soulless" in comparison with my badgers. On returning home I put the brush away and didn't use it again until my next foreign trip some 3 months later. This time I was away for 3 weeks and the Muhle was my only brush. By the end of the trip I had developed a better appreciation for the brush and now find it quite acceptable, but I still don't rate it on a par with my Simpson's Silvertip or best badgers. It will remain my travel brush and I have brought it into my monthly rotation of 25 brushes at home.

[Raze R. Blade]

Synthetic lofts in Plissons, or any other shaving brushes, don't signal the decline of civilization. Quite the opposite, in fact. Traditional wetshaving is becoming so popular that the demand for badger brushes will eventually exceed the supply. It therefore a good idea to develop synthetic alternatives. Very good synthetic lofts are now available, so it only makes sense for Plisson to cater to market demand along with the rest of the leading manufacturers.

I thought that the acetate horn imitation was quite pretty.

But - the knot of my Crabtree & Evelyn BBB just pulled out cleanly (it had started shedding and was out of the rotation anyway) - and that might be the best handle for a new knot for a travel brush.

Did you let Crabtree & Evelyn know about the problem? Even negative customer feedback is important, as it helps the vendor identify problems and implement solutions. Including pictures in an email would might be a good idea.

[KAV]

Midway Island is the relunctant host to a floating island of plastic the size of Texas. World currents converge bringing refuse from all lands. The seabirds feed their young plastic mistaken for food. The island is now covered with baby bird skeletons. Plastic is now the #1 particulate material after salt in seawater . I am happy my faux ivory brush handle didn't come from an elephant and use plastic when appropriate. Various animal materials are always more so; with the caveat of sustainability and humane care.

[Gene]

Raze, C&E, as near as I an tell, no longer offers this brush. Pretty sure it was an OEM anyway.

And it's a few years old. So I haven't told them about it.

[brothers]

Midway Island is the relunctant host to a floating island of plastic the size of Texas.

That's mind-numbing.

[Squire]

Hey, Midway is a U.S. Territory, somebody call President Obama.

[brothers]

Yeah, I think I heard that those cats in DC are pretty gung ho on recycling and such and fixing everything that's broken. Maybe they can get this handled.

[rsp1202]

It was in the memo: Nevada gets nuclear waste, Midway gets plastic.

[Squire]

Yeah but Nevada's got, like, lotsa space to store stuff (been there, trust me, the whole State is pretty much an empty closet) whereas Midway has beaches and is closer to Far East tourists.

[blantyre]

The supply of top quality badger is declining (no more finest, little or no HMW), the demand for shaving brushes in increasing (in part due to forums that promote wet shaving), the manufacturers of brushes want to stay in business. Synthetics are inevitable just as polyester has replaced cotton in many textiles. I already have plenty of brushes, so it's very unlikely that I'll ever try a synthetic but I wouldn't be at surprised if they work well enough.