SMF

My experience with brushes so far has been with a $35 Edwin Jagger Best Badger (rebranded as Crabtree and Evelyn) and a Kent BK4 silvertip. Both have served me well over the past 8+ years. This is my first synthetic.

First impressions: Not as cloud soft as the BK4 but more comfortable than the EJ. No difficulty picking up the DR Harris Marlborough hard soap. Face lathering was unproblematic although possibly more exfoliating than I'm used to. Not scritchy, just different. The brush easily held enough lather for 2.5 passes. Rinsed easily and when back resting on the window sill showed little sign of blooming. Not terribly surprising after only one use.

With this brush, soap, and a fresh 7 O'Clock Yellow in my '54 flare tip, I got a 99.9% BBS shave.

I hope it blooms a bit to provide a gentler experience on my face but so far I have no complaints.

Ed, don't hold your breath waiting for the synthetic brush to bloom much, if any, as can be expected with badgers and boars. They generally hold their original shape.

brothers wrote:Ed, don't hold your breath waiting for the synthetic brush to bloom much, if any, as can be expected with badgers and boars. They generally hold their original shape.

That's been my finding. Didn't actually expect it to bloom. Okay, maybe a little.