Lather like meringue and not like yogurt. What's wrong?

[Drubbing]

I'm using synthetic bush most of the time so technically it should be easy to dry it after soaking. I simply squeeze it in my fist to dry it and then load it. I found that it's much easier to load Mystic Water than Mike's. For Mike's it takes literally a minute of "hating it" and with MW I got lots of product after 30-45 seconds with medium pressure..

After years of using boars and badgers, I found synthetics a doddle, they work up a lather far quicker. It's virtually impossible to use it wet as they won't retain much water, so I don't know why you're getting bubbles - the learning curve with Synths should be much reduced over the other fibres.

Do you wet the top of the soap, because it's going to be hard to load if there isn't any moisture at the brush tips.

I have to agree, $ 4 $, a synth will outperform any other fibre, if the criteria is making top quality lather very quickly. I can get my badgers to work the same, it just takes longer, and more soap.

Badger is more expensive simply because of the cost of the raw material. Some people prefer the feel, and the intangibles of expensive handles and brand history, but on a performance level, the V2 fibre Synth, as in the Muhles, Epsilon and locally branded Aesops, are objectively better. The Plisson type fibre is a bit too floppy.

 

[dewynter]

@dewynter what ever works best for you just stick too it, and no hard feelings

Thanks, mate!

If you like synthetic,the Simpson Chubby 2 synthetic brush has very good reviews.
Shave Lounge in the U.K. has them for about £61 delivered.

I'm currently looking at it. Need to break my mental block.

 

[dewynter]

After years of using boars and badgers, I found synthetics a doddle, they work up a lather far quicker. It's virtually impossible to use it wet as they won't retain much water, so I don't know why you're getting bubbles - the learning curve with Synths should be much reduced over the other fibres.

Do you wet the top of the soap, because it's going to be hard to load if there isn't any moisture at the brush tips.

I have to agree, $ 4 $, a synth will outperform any other fibre, if the criteria is making top quality lather very quickly. I can get my badgers to work the same, it just takes longer, and more soap.

Badger is more expensive simply because of the cost of the raw material. Some people prefer the feel, and the intangibles of expensive handles and brand history, but on a performance level, the V2 fibre Synth, as in the Muhles, Epsilon and locally branded Aesops, are objectively better. The Plisson type fibre is a bit too floppy.

@bald as, advised me I could possibly loaded it too quickly, which was definitely the case for me. I was swirling like an electrical mixer in the kitchen. So I'll definitely try to do it slowly tomorrow.

 

[tullfan]

Heads up,just found out via Badger and Blade,Shave Lounge has discount,code is sr10

 

[dewynter]

Success!
Well.... almost. At least today I am much more closer to where I want to be than yesterday. Thanks a lot to you all, especially to @Drubbing and @bald as for pointing to two my mistakes:
1. My brush was too wet. Even if it was synthetic it was still too wet. So after my normal squeezing it I shook it as well a few times.
2. I was loading brush and building lather too fast. I paid special attention to do it very slowly and not making any bubbles (even micro-bubbles) at the very beginning. Previously I had lots of lather right from the beginning. Now I had almost none at the beginning (except protolather) and lather was growing slowly when I was adding water gradually.

Yet still need to practice, but I'm on the right track. Thanks a lot, guys!

 

[alfredus]

Success!
Well.... almost. At least today I am much more closer to where I want to be than yesterday. Thanks a lot to you all, especially to @Drubbing and @bald as for pointing to two my mistakes:
1. My brush was too wet. Even if it was synthetic it was still too wet. So after my normal squeezing it I shook it as well a few times.
2. I was loading brush and building lather too fast. I paid special attention to do it very slowly and not making any bubbles (even micro-bubbles) at the very beginning. Previously I had lots of lather right from the beginning. Now I had almost none at the beginning (except protolather) and lather was growing slowly when I was adding water gradually.

Yet still need to practice, but I'm on the right track. Thanks a lot, guys!

That's great news - congratulations!

Now if you want to have more/enough for subsequent passes: at the end of the loading process, the lather on the puck should already have the right hydration level to shave with. Then on your face/in your bowl you keep on hydrating the lather that is on the brush.

Hence I do not like the term proto-lather...

 

[Anthony Hunter]

Interesting posts, i finally got my new Savile Row Badger back on Warranty from QED, got all excited and squeezed some tabac into my scuttle; because i had not used such a good quality badger in a long time i had way to much water in the brush and the lather was shite, this brush takes on a bucket load of water, did a bit of work in the face to try and get it better, to no avail, luckily the quality of the soap came through and it was not as bad a shave as i thought it would be. It was good to have my Savile Row back in the rotation though. Will match it with the soap that never fails, GFT Sandalwood, will be a good shave Sunday.

 

[Drubbing]

It's easier to start with too little water. Water is easier to add, than take away. Too much at the start will just drown the soap in bubbles