A tale of 3 brushes

[bald as]

Our Adelaide meet up is always a great time.

This past Sunday was more expensive than I thought it would be going from I won't spend anything to buying the three brushes above previously owned by @alfredus.

Initial thoughts.

The Silver Tip badger - So soft and felt just right -- dry.
The White horse - Quite soft but a fair amount of spring back - dry
Synthetic - A girls makeup brush - dry.

Bowl lathering.

And the winner is the Horse by much more than a head and tail.
The badger will require me adapting my lathering technique. Still made a bowl of lather.
And a big surprise was the synthetic. It actually made a very good bowl of lather.

All three made beautiful rich lather which although from the same soap was ever so slightly different from each other.

Face lathering

The Horse and the badger were neck and neck for the face and when the horse is broken in I think the field will be littered with dead badgers. Does it mean I don't like the Silver tip? Absolutely not, it is a great brush I will learn how to use correctly.
I'm not too sure what to say about the synthetic. It makes great lather, it is soft and luxurious but I feel that compared to the others this was the fast food and the others represented a gourmet meal.

I look forward to breaking in the Horse as it is a brand new brush.

As fickle as I am, I will probably have a differing opinion next week.

But this week -- Horse, Badger and Greenie.

Steve

 

[Nick the Knife]

Great write up @bald as , very enjoyable whilst concise.

Just wondered - and full disclosure up front I'm a card carrying member of the fan club for synthetic brushes, particularly the Plisson pictured. So what specifically about it would lead you to feel that the synth is inferior to its two natural haired stablemates?

I've personally found it quicker, uses less soap and gives an end lather very devoid of larger bubbles than natural haired brushes - THOUGH the lathering experience with it is much more 'blase', featureless than the scritch & work natural ones need. But the end result is where the buck stops for me and I can't fault the synths on this.

So would be very interested to hear what criteria or element you felt the syth lacked in or the naturals had the advantage in.

 

[khun_diddy]

Lovely review.

 

[stillshunter]

Great review indeed!
Just to confirm that the badger is a WetDog Silvertip? Looks custom, I assume 24mm set low..maybe 48mm?

 

[bald as]

[QUOTE="stillshunter, post: 44748, member: 1194" ------
Just to confirm that the badger is a WetDog Silvertip? Looks custom, I assume 24mm set low..maybe 48mm?[/QUOTE]

I believe so. @alfredus can confirm exactly.

 

[bald as]

------------

So would be very interested to hear what criteria or element you felt the syth lacked in or the naturals had the advantage in.

I suppose I will warm to it but at present all I can compare it too is a member of the current "much" younger generation of males in our society that aren't quite certain of their place in the pecking order. Initially it had the connection of a wet handshake. Don't get me wrong it does make wonderful lather. I'm not really sure what is is other than the very off putting face feel. To me it just doesn't feel a man's brush. But I will use it for my next shave to prove myself wrong on all counts.


Edit - probably more perceptions than practicalities.

 

[alfredus]

Glad you enjoy the brushes and yes the Silvertip is a Whipped Dog 24mm knot set at 48mm.

Will not join the rest of the discussion - all very subjective and everybody should enjoy what they like best!

 

[Drubbing]

Synths just lack the same face feel as a natural brush. It's different and some people don't like that. The lather is superb though. So many people mention their lack of water retention as a bad thing. It's what makes them so good - Boar and badger retain way too much and work best when squeezed of it. Even then, their fibres still put more air in the lather.

 

[bald as]

I just want to clarify .. after reading my own posts. These are all exceptional brushes and as my main brushes are all boar I will need to re jig my expectations and of course learn the correct way to work each brush based on their individual characteristics.

 

[stillshunter]

I just want to clarify .. after reading my own posts. These are all exceptional brushes and as my main brushes are all boar I will need to re jig my expectations and of course learn the correct way to work each brush based on their individual characteristics.

...or you could just concede that boar are the better brush?

 

[bald as]

Nah -- that wouldn't be any fun on a forum !!

 

[Mark1966]

The only brushes worth considering a naturally butterscotched vintage badgers.

[We can close this thread now]

 

[bald as]

I think a White horse in a butterscotch handle is pretty good as well. Tomorrow - the synth will be my brush.
I'm so lucky !!

 

[Nick the Knife]

I suppose I will warm to it but at present all I can compare it too is a member of the current "much" younger generation of males in our society that aren't quite certain of their place in the pecking order. Initially it had the connection of a wet handshake. Don't get me wrong it does make wonderful lather. I'm not really sure what is is other than the very off putting face feel. To me it just doesn't feel a man's brush. But I will use it for my next shave to prove myself wrong on all counts.

Edit - probably more perceptions than practicalities.

Credit to you for adding the last line - as with all due respect to yourself I suspect this is what a lot of the bad first impressions with the latest generation of synths is stemming from. And rather than perceptions it's the user's preconceptions of what a shaving brush SHOULD BE, that being that anything that soft & non-scratchy couldn't be to use your words,"...a man's brush." - despite the fact it clearly is and on the vast majority of the specific attributes that a shaving brush can be quantitatively measured on it's widely regarded to best its natural haired cousins.

BUT personal preference is equally as important - as well as the intangibles - and I've complete understanding that a LOT of people just prefer the scritch and elements that natural haired brushes bring. Plus after many years or a lifetime of use changing to something SO different, regardless of the lather it puts out can be somewhat offputting.

As stated my hat is tipped to you for a concise and objective assessment.

 

[bald as]

Credit to you for adding the last line - as with all due respect to yourself I suspect this is what a lot of the bad first impressions with the latest generation of synths is stemming from. And rather than perceptions it's the user's preconceptions of what a shaving brush SHOULD BE, that being that anything that soft & non-scratchy couldn't be to use your words,"...a man's brush." - despite the fact it clearly is and on the vast majority of the specific attributes that a shaving brush can be quantitatively measured on it's widely regarded to best its natural haired cousins.

I couldn't agree more with your post. It [the Plisson] is not what most people preconceive a brush to be, me as well. That doesn't in the slightest make it a bad brush and in all fairness I need to spend time test lathering it to learn what is does and doesn't do. I also confess to be underwhelmed with the silver tip badger. Now in both cases that is not the brush it is my approaching it like my existing brushes and expecting it to be the same, which really is dumb thinking. A badger is not a boar, a horse, a synth or whatever brush I wish to compare to another brush. I am really thrilled I have these three brushes and they will teach me more about lather if I'm prepared to learn.

Steve

 

[bald as]

Wel, well, well - maybe the Plisson isn't so bad after all. Made excellent lather and actually face lathered really well. I did add a bit more water to the mix than I would normally but it worked very well. I will move to the badger tomorrow and do it correctly as well.