Review - AP Shave Co Brushes
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:40 pm
I’ve had the pleasure of using AP Shave Co.’s[1] synthetic brushes for a few months now, so I think that it’s time I submitted a review. Note that I have no affiliation whatsoever with this company.
My first purchase was the Tuxedo knot with the ‘Emerald Green’ handle. When stroked dry against the cheek it feels as smooth as a light bulb; it’s far smoother, in fact, than my boar or horse hair brushes. It has terrific lathering power (especially on hard soaps) and unlike my Semogue 1305 it doesn’t hang onto the scent of the soap after rinsing. It has tons of backbone, so as a result it doesn’t splay very well; if I want to use my Moss scuttle then I revert back to the naturals.
The next one was the synthetic badger (“SynBad”) knot with the ‘Blue Lagoon’ handle. I don’t have an authentic badger brush so I can’t compare it to these knots but I must say, they are very, very nice. It feels even softer than the Tuxedo knot, and it has somewhat less backbone to it. Like its bigger Emerald Green sibling, it produces great lather with little effort; unfortunately, the handle is a bit short for my taste – I prefer something with a little meat to it – so I don’t use it a lot. It does make for a good travel brush, though.
My next purchases were the Cashmere and SynBad knots in the Jet Black and Ruby Ripple handles, respectively. The Cashmere knot certainly lives up to its name: it’s really soft and has noticeably less backbone than the Tuxedo and SynBad knots. Thumbs up for its great lathering ability and wonderful face feel.
Overall, I’d say that the synthetic brushes stack up very well against my natural hair brushes. They’re good-looking brushes that stand out from the crowd. They’re certainly softer than the naturals – zero scritch – and they don’t require any soaking before use, although I like to soak them anyway just to warm them up a bit. If I’m using harder soaps, these are the ones I consider using first.
Plus, how can you argue with the price? For $25 - $27 CDN (about $18 - $20 USD) plus taxes and shipping, you a terrific brush! If you buy two or more then the shipping cost per brush is less.
The “cons” are: (1) they don’t seem to hold heat as well as naturals; (2) their stronger backbone means they won’t see much use when I get out my Moss scuttle; and, (3) as Michael Freedberg points out[2], they just don’t have any soul.
If you’re considering the purchase of a synthetic brush, I recommend that you give AP Shave Co. a try. I’m certain you won’t be disappointed.
[1] https://apshaveco.com/
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG0KKaq-Qyw (10:40 to 11:35)