ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Sept 10, 2014 10:56:53 GMT -6
IT ARRIVED! Just came in in fact... Mailed from the Isle of Mann on the 4th. (that was fast delivery!) Here it is next to it's big brother. And to give a sense of scale. Directly from my brush inventory sheet: Simpsons Classic1 Synthetic, 22 x 42mm, faux ivory Dry, the brush is quite soft, but with backbone. I just face lathered with it and it's quite nice. IMO it could use 5mm more loft, but is that a deal breaker for me? Not at this time- I like variety and this brush feels like no other synthetic I have. But a bit more loft would give more fiber action and reduce the feel of the backbone. I'll break into my brush rotation to better evaluate it against the competition; that is, other synthetics. I lathered with Dapper Dragon Lavender Lizard and it will definitely make a lush lather in a short time. More to follow after I shave tonight. One little sticking point with me... The brush claims to have "synthetic badger" fiber. I think that sets it up to be compared to natural badger. Any comparison to badger, IMO, should be avoided. It isn't badger and won't feel like badger and to compare it to badger is just wrong. So in keeping with that I won't compare it to badger. But I did need to mention that. OK, Simpsons made it look like faux badger as well. I would have preferred natural fibers; again, so as not to confuse the issue. I have no doubt an attractive brush can be made with monocolor fiber. But again, I'm an adult and know that even though it's made to look like faux badger, and carries "badger" on the handle, that it isn't badger.
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
|
Post by ShadowsDad on Sept 11, 2014 0:24:52 GMT -6
This mornings shave with the prototype brush proved out my earlier comment about loft. With these fibers I really think the loft could benefit from more; maybe 5-10mm. A little would make a huge difference. But with the fiber change the production brushes might be better at this loft.
Did I have any problems with the brush? No. Is the lower loft a deal breaker for me? Not at this time. It's certainly different. Do I like the brush? I think I do*. It's unlike any other brush I have, and I need to use it some more. It's also the smallest synthetic brush I have.
It fits the Simpsons travel tube perfectly with just a small amount of tube left. So possibly that's why the loft was kept down and the fiber changed. It would certainly make a very effective travel brush without the requirement to have it fully dry before packing it away.
I look forward to the production brush to see what the change in fibers make in the brush. I wish this one had been stamped somehow to differentiate it from the production brush. I hate to do it myself, but maybe a automatic center punch mark after the name would allow me to mark it without hugely defacing the brush. I welcome thoughts regarding this.
For a brush masher this brush definitely gives feedback for such a small synthetic brush. But don't take that to mean it's somehow stiff for a synthetic of this loft. I don't find it so for a synthetic. Neither is it scratchy or uncomfortable in use. It merely has backbone.
Still evaluating the brush against others. It'll happen again when final production with the softer fiber begins.
*I appear to have a wide range of what I like and can use in brushes. I suspect because I like a different experience with each shave. (I spent far too many years with BORING shaves!) It's not that I haven't rejected brushes; I have. But mostly I stay with quality and haven't been burned yet. The brushes I've ditched have been low grade from a certain Asian country and I got them without charge.
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Post by drumzalot on Sept 11, 2014 22:03:49 GMT -6
Thanks for the review Brian. I've been trying to find a synthetic that comes very close to badger in quality and performance. I have to keep hunting down the brush that comes closest. I own a Parker Safety Razor synthetic that's quite awful, my pinky finger holds more water then my Parker!
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Post by fram773 on Sept 11, 2014 22:37:56 GMT -6
Thanks for the review Brian. I've been trying to find a synthetic that comes very close to badger in quality and performance. I have to keep hunting down the brush that comes closest. I own a Parker Safety Razor synthetic that's quite awful, my pinky finger holds more water then my Parker! I had a Parker too. Awful. It almost scared me off synthetics completely but then I used a HIS, then a Black Fiber, and now a Muhle STF v2 and the difference is like night and day. I would say the HIS and STF are more badger like though but the BF is still an excellent brush. Shadowsdad, would you say this is a gen 4 or the beginning of Gen 5?
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Sept 11, 2014 23:03:35 GMT -6
I wouldn't hazard a guess as to what generation. But whatever it is, this fiber won't be in the production brush. Frankly I've given up on the "generations" thing. It's just gotten too confusing. That was begun by a gent on another forum and I think even he gave up on it when a manufacturer claimed their fiber was the next generation.
FWIW, a synthetic will never be like a badger. Badger holds water, synthetic holds it until the first chance to dump it. That's why I always suggest folks never pre-wet their synthetics. One must control the water that the syn' brush sees, and not allow it to have whatever it wants. Too, another gent on another forum stated that the syn' brushes have "no soul". All the fibers in a synthetic are the same. I'm sure that's what he meant. Natural fiber has fibers each with a different feel all mixed together. I've noticed the "no soul" characteristic myself, but I don't see it as a negative, just a characteristic of synthetic.
I think it was Sharpspine who, and I won't get this precise so maybe he'll come by and correct me, Plisson is the most badger like of all the synthetics. I don't have one so I don't know. Their site wouldn't take my money or I'd have one with a pearl grey handle. But I like to use different brushes in my routine, so I revel in the different feel of all my brushes. No, I'm not going to start singing "Kumba YA", and claim all the world should be one, but I do like to have and use enough different feeling brushes so that I have a different shave every day. I find the brush to be a huge part of my shave experience.
When the production Classic 1 is released I'll probably buy one of those as well. Just don't expect it to be like a badger. :-)
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Post by mjclark on Sept 12, 2014 0:02:57 GMT -6
I had one of the earlier generation (2?) Body Shop synthetics and it was appalling. After reading some reviews though, I got a Muhle HJM Black Fibre and have never looked back. It is an absolutely amazing brush with lots of backbone, supersoft tips and incredibly efficient at generating lather. I think a lot of the problem is that people expect these new synthetics to emulate naturals (this isn't helped by the dyed banding and calling them "silvertip"). In fact these brushes behave nothing like badger, boar or horse but are in a category all of their own. As has been pointed out, they don't absorb any water so technique with them involves regular addition of small amounts of water and the results are superb. This is an area of wetshaving where the new products are just getting better and better. So don't expect a badger from the new synthetics, just prepare to be amazed!
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Post by prometeo on Oct 1, 2014 15:52:39 GMT -6
I use synthetic Plisson brush and am very happy with it. Its softness and effectiveness to foam is wonderful.
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Nov 9, 2014 2:37:24 GMT -6
I dropped the hammer on the production version of the Classic 1 tonight as I suggested I would. Mark told me that it has softer fibers than the prototype that I have. That's good because I don't want a duplicate of what I already have (no complaints with the prototype). I like variety and the Classic 1 is a perfect size. It was a good choice for the 2nd Simpsons synthetic IMO.
I'll write a review/comparison in a bit. It'll take nearly 2 weeks to be delivered.
FWIW, shipped to the USA it's near 50 GBP.
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Nov 15, 2014 15:16:50 GMT -6
The new production version of the Simpsons Classic 1 Synthetic came into my hot little hands today. Not bad. I ordered it on the 9th and here it is, delivered on the 15th. Comparing the prototype to the new brush, true to Marks word, the production fiber is softer. I notice it mostly in the tips. More on that in a bit. Like the prototype brush, it shipped and fits in the travel tube. I plan to use mine in the shave den, but it's obvious use is as a travel brush. IMO, a synthetic brush is superb for travel; it simply is the best of all worlds for travel. Especially if one needs to put it in the tube while it's still wet. The knot appears to be denser than the prototype, so while the tips are softer, and possibly the fiber itself is softer as well, the brush still has a good amount of backbone. With a synthetic I like to call it "pushback" because that's exactly what is felt on the face while the brush is in use. I have not lathered it on the face yet, only hand lathered it. I strongly suspect that it's going to take a bit of pressure to get the brush to splay and without that splaying it simply won't work. I'll know more in a day or so though. OK, pix... The new production brush is on the left and the prototype brush is on the right. The production brush also has the lighter toned tips. It has been hand lathered and typical for synthetic, has no bloom.
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Post by mjclark on Nov 15, 2014 16:44:21 GMT -6
By all accounts these new synthetics are absolutely superb. I'd like to see a comparison between the Simpson, Plisson and Muhle.
The technology has already topped out as the softness of the Plisson and Muhles (STF and BF) surpasses silvertip badgers and the backbone and scrub is sufficient to match boars for hard soaps.
Couple this with the super efficiency in terms of lather making due to the fact that the fibres don't absorb any of the water they're holding, so that it is all available to the soap, and these contemporary synthetics clearly surpass the naturals in every aspect.
So choosing between them is just going to be about personal preferences in terms of softness and backbone.
I look forward to hearing what this new Simpson is like in practice... ...but I wish they wouldn't dye those bands in. It's NOT a badger! Like Syd Barrett said, you shouldn't try to be what you can't be...
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ShadowsDad
Gem Star
None boring shaver!!
"It's not the bow, it's the Indian"
Posts: 4,534
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Post by ShadowsDad on Nov 15, 2014 18:55:30 GMT -6
Marcus, that makes 2 of us wishing they'd do something different with the fiber color. It invites folks to compare them to badger. Some folks simply can't understand that it's just a color scheme and not badger.
I tried to buy an acetate handled Plisson, but when I went to pay for it the site didn't like my money so I can't make that comparison. I tried twice and couldn't make the purchase. I have heard that of all the synthetics it is the most (I hate this comparison) badger like. But of course I don't know from experience.
The Muhle I have (the latest fiber) isn't as dense as the Simpsons, not even close; and for the knot diameter has much higher loft. That makes it have less pushback on the face (easier to splay). The Muhle also has other characteristics that a knot with fewer fibers and more loft would get from that. It definitely doesn't feel as good to me as the Simpsons, but not everyone likes that density (of the Simpsons) since it requires one to actually make the brush work.
They all work, just differently. We're in agreement.
Basically if one wants density and a to feel pressure on the face, go with Simpsons. They also have the choice of a really large luxurious brush, the Ch2, or the smaller Classic 1. Both have absolutely soft tips.
My Muhle 20mm STF isn't nearly as soft at the tips. But it's plenty soft enough. I can't imagine anyone complaining about lack of softness. It's definitely a different fiber though as compared to Simpsons fiber.
For now my brush acquisition is done. I can't imagine brushes getting better than these. I have enough. All that's left is to compare the 2 Classic1 brushes.
There is another difference between the Muhle brush and the Classic1(production). Check out the shapes of the knots. There s no bloom with a synthetic knot so the "bloom" you see in the Muhle is built in through the geometry of the hole and the knot. Same with the Classic1. The Simpsons is a much tighter knot. That means it takes far more pressure against the skin to get it to splay. A fiber that is already angled to the side will bend much easier. There has to be words in engineering terms to explain this better but I don't know them.
Actual dimensions of the Classic1 knot as measured by my eye is 22mm x 45/46mm
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Post by mjclark on Nov 15, 2014 23:31:00 GMT -6
Very interesting Brian! From your description the Simpson sounds very similar to the Plisson.
I can't justify getting a Muhle STF since, although it is universally acknowledged to be a great brush, it only seems to come a close second in every category. My Muhle Black Fibre is beautifully soft but is very springy indeed so it's more like a super broken in boar and this makes for a good contrast with the floppier (but still great for soaps) Plisson. The Black Fibre doesn't seem to get as much love on the forums as the STF but it is gorgeous in its own right and great when your face just has to have a bit of luxurious scritch.
And I too can't see why I would ever want another brush when I have the choice of two amazing synthetics already, but I have a third coming so I'll let you know!
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Post by PJGH on Nov 16, 2014 5:41:24 GMT -6
Out of curiosity, I swung by the Simpsons shop (online) to find these brushes in the limited editions area ... with a note that they're coming into full production soon. Personally, I'm interested in the Chubby having had the large or extra-large Mühle in my sights as my next brush. The Chubby would appear to be more what I'm after, squat and so less messy in tubs when loading up and less whippy over the face when lathering.
Thanks for showing off these brushes, Brian. Interesting reading.
As a side-note, I'm half-Manx myself ... which means my third leg ... oh, never mind ... but yes, half-Manx.
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