Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

What kind of shaving brush do you use? Tell us all about it!
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Laage
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Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by Laage »

Hello gentlemen,

I recently found a vendor near me selling Kent brushes, which led me to the purchase of a BK4 - a brush I had been eyeing for quite some time and a Lea/Vie Long horse hair. (Un)fortunately this seems to have kicked off a new round of SBAD.

At almost the same time, an unfortunate accident left my alum block in a number of pieces at the bottom of my bathroom sink, so as I'm looking at ordering a new alum block, the shiny new brushes are getting harder to resist. So I turn to you.

I'm looking at a number of options:
Synthetics. My understanding is that the Silvertip synthetics are of a high quality today, and the aforementioned vendor has the Mühle line of these. I would probably be looking at the medium which is a 21mm knot with a 52mm loft. However, when I started wetshaving I purchased a Body Shop kit with their synthetic and a tub of their original cream and the fibres were so firm that you basically stabbed yourself in the face with the brush, there was no real splaying when face lathering and it was just not comfortable. This has made me mistrust synthetics this far.
One advantage of the Mühle brush is the price.

Simpsons badger. The same vendor offers a limited selection of Simpsons brushes, which is something I've been looking at on and off for a number of years. At the moment they have Commodore X1, X3 in stock and the X2 backordered as well as the Duke 2 all in their Best Badger within my price range - they have a Chubby 2, Polo 8 and 10 and a Tulip T2 as well but not within my price range at the moment. The thing is I would like something different in badger from what I already have in my BK4, EJ Best Badger and vendor branded Silvertip (bulb shape), and I don't know if any of these Simpsons would satisfy that.

So what do you gentlemen think?
Are the Mühle synthetics a worth while investment or should I go with one of the Simpsons Bests or should I just save my money for now and go for a Simpsons Super at a later time... or is there another option I've not listed that's worth hearing?

Do speak up!
Laage
kennethj
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by kennethj »

I love my Saville Row silver tip from QED. Fair prices and excellent service.
rsp1202
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by rsp1202 »

Simpson Best is a hit-or-miss proposition. It will either come with soft tips or scritchy ones, and you won't know which until you buy one and lather it up. A Savile Row SR2122 in Best badger would be a good alternative without the risk of getting scritch. If you want to give 2-band badger a try, Vintage Blades Finest 22mm is a good choice for under $50. (This 22mm knot runs large, like a 24mm.)

The Muhle synthetic in the size you're looking at will be a big improvement over the Body Shop brush, but the smaller Muhles don't splay easily. You'd have to go up in size to the XL for one that opens up without much fuss. For good backbone, soft tips and easy splay, look at the Whipped Dog 24mm synthetic for under $30. Have it set at 54mm loft. A very good brush at a very good price.
Ron
brothers
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by brothers »

I agree whole-heartedly with Ron regarding the Whipped Dog synthetic. You can communicate easily with the gent through his website. He's a great fellow.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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BPman
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by BPman »

Muehle uses Gen. 4 fibers. Whipped Dog uses older Gen. 3.5 from what I read. I just ordered a Muehle Silvertip synthetic & can't wait to try it as I have a Gen. 4 black fiber one by them and it shames all animal brushes in how well it works. I am sold on Gen. 4 synthetic. :wink:
CMur12
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by CMur12 »

Laage is saying that he wants to buy from his local vendor (in Sweden) and he outlined the choices available to him. I think to be helpful we need to stick to the choices he has with our advice.

Laage, it might be worth knowing how you use a brush. I lather in a bowl, so I prefer low-density brushes with little backbone for most efficient lathering. Face-latherers tend to want the exact opposite. Which are you?

I have very little experience with synthetics and Simpson brushes tend to be too densely filled for my purposes, so I can't offer you any advice, myself.

- Murray
brothers
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by brothers »

I have the Muhle synthetic, and can say it's an excellent brush. I got the XL version, but if you prefer the slightly shorter lofted brushes, I think you'll find the Muhle to be very good. And the fact you can get it locally is good news indeed. I will go on a limb and say that Muhle/Jagger gen 4 synthetics are top shelf, and they're serious brushes.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
ShadowsDad
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by ShadowsDad »

Laage, Simpsons also has synthetic brushes and they are excellent! Maybe you can look them over on the Simpsons website and have them order for you the next time they put an order in? Last I looked they were in the special brush section (I can't remember what it's called) and they made the CH2 and Classic. The Classic is a smaller synthetic, and the CH2 is a wall of fiber. Both have lots of backbone with gel like tips.
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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Laage
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by Laage »

I do appreciate all of the answers given, and with the information coming my way I was leaning towards just ordering the above mentioned alum block and an after shave or two (gotta get to the free shipping limit, you know!) and placing an order with Whipped Dog at a later date. But I hadn't gotten around to pulling the trigger.

But as Murray said, I was specifically looking at placing an order with this specific vendor as they have good prices and fast shipping... And my impression is that genuine badger brushes can potentially be a problem with customs.

I'll be skipping the Simpsons entirely for now as their best badger seems to be somewhat of a gamble.

With the information from BPman about the Gen. 4 fibers in the Mühle brushes, I'm back at looking at those and the question then becomes; what size am I looking for and is there a way to see what generation fibre is in a brush from the package in case they have some old stock?

My current in-use lineup looks like this: two Omega Boars (81054 and 10065), red handled Edwin Jagger Best, vendor branded silver tip badger (dense bulb shape) and the two new acquisitions Kent BK4 and Lea/Vie Long Horse Hair.

I use a scuttle. But with soaps I generally face lather and just let the brush rest in the scuttle between passes, while I tend to lather in the scuttle with creams.
Laage
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Squire
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by Squire »

Laage I would like to hear more about your use of the BK4.
Regards,
Squire
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Laage
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by Laage »

Thank you all for your input, it was invaluable!

And to just close the subject, I'll say that I ended up with the following stuff:
Mühle Silvertip Fibre in Large (my original plan was for M, but Gary's endorsement for the XL made me split the difference and go for the L :D )
TOBS Mr. Sidney Aftershave
TOBS Sandalwood Aftershave
Alum Block
Irish Moss moustache wax

I picked up the package today, and I'm looking forward to giving the Mühle its first spin tomorrow. I'm curious though, will it bloom any being a synthetic?

@Squire. I've only had the BK4 for little more than a week so this may change but I generally use it more or less as some of the other brushes in the rotation. For creams I either dip the tips in the tub or squeeze out a bit in the scuttle and whip up the lather there, adding water as I go. With soaps I'll load the brush and go directly to the face resting the brush in the scuttle while doing my passes. The biggest difference I find is that the floppyness of the brush encourages painting motions more than some of the brushes with more backbone which I tend to swirl more.
Laage
brothers
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Re: Synthetics or Simpsons... strange selections!?

Post by brothers »

Any mild post-shave bloom would be fleeting. These brushes dry quickly, and their appearance won't change when they're dry.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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