I recently acquired my first synthetic brush. I opted not to get a Muhle because I found the loft on them too high for my preference. For a variety of reasons I chose not to get the FS Pur Tech. I had decided to wait for the Simpson synthetic when I read that Rudy Vey had Muhle synthetic knots in stock. This settled the matter for me and I ordered one of his R7 handles with a 25mm knot. I had him set the knot at 53mm.
Rudy's R7 handle is one of my favorite designs. This one is called a tangerine/gold swirl. The handle is 60mm tall, with a diameter of 37mm at the base. The knot diameter measures 26mm at the top of the handle. Rudy set the loft at precisely the 53mm I requested. The quality of Rudy's handles and his level of service are well known in the shaving forums, and this custom project was no exception.
This is the brush immediately after I took it out of the box.
![[Image: mSTTLeE.jpg]]()
I usually face lather with creams. The one exception is that I keep a tub of green Proraso and use it occasionally. When I use the Proraso I load the brush and face lather. I decided to use the new synthetic brush on two successive days, once with cream and once with the Proraso soap.
Before lathering I rubbed the dry brush against my face and was amazed at how soft it was. This is softer than any dry silvertip, two-band, or Manchurian I have ever rubbed against my face.
The first day I used TOBS sandalwood cream in a Dirty Bird Bill Bowl. I wet the brush slightly immediately before lathering. There is a small learning curve in terms of the amount of water to use. The brush produced abundant lather very quickly. I didn't time it but I got the sense that I've never produced lather so fast.
![[Image: W0Qcvrl.jpg]]()
The next day it was the Proraso soap. I loaded the brush then took it to face lathering. Unlike bowl lathering with the cream, I didn't get the sense that I produced lather any faster. However, the brush certainly produced abundant lather.
![[Image: obP4QQs.jpg]]()
The brush has exceptionally soft tips, which I expected based on everything I had read. I did not feel any scritch. I was not sure what to expect in terms of backbone, and was pleasantly surprised. This brush has backbone. What qualifies as sufficient backbone is a subjective concept. At the present time all my brushes are either 2-bands or boar. I know what I like in backbone and this brush has enough of it to meet my criteria.
The 53mm loft works very well, and I don't see the need to set these as high as Muhle does. I believe the loft on this 25mm knot could possibly be set to 50mm without compromising performance.
The brush dries exceedingly fast. I never use the same brush two days in a row and have found that some brushes are not fully dry after a day. I used this brush on two consecutive days, with the first shave being on Thanksgiving Day. I was home all day and checked on the brush periodically. I didn't formally check the clock but this brush dries in less than a day. Under the right circumstances I can see it drying in hours.
After two shaves, there was no sign of splay and the knot looked the same as the day it came out of the box.
Over the years I've tried boars, most higher grades of badger from the major brush makers, and now a synthetic. After experiencing all these brushes, I can say that I've only had two "WOW" moments. One was the first time I tried a 2-band brush. The other is the first time I tried this synthetic. This new generation of synthetic is a definite game changer in my estimation. I don't see myself giving up on my boars and 2-bands, because part of the fun of this hobby is using different brushes. However synthetics will eventually assume an equal place in my rotation
Rudy's R7 handle is one of my favorite designs. This one is called a tangerine/gold swirl. The handle is 60mm tall, with a diameter of 37mm at the base. The knot diameter measures 26mm at the top of the handle. Rudy set the loft at precisely the 53mm I requested. The quality of Rudy's handles and his level of service are well known in the shaving forums, and this custom project was no exception.
This is the brush immediately after I took it out of the box.
![[Image: mSTTLeE.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/mSTTLeE.jpg)
I usually face lather with creams. The one exception is that I keep a tub of green Proraso and use it occasionally. When I use the Proraso I load the brush and face lather. I decided to use the new synthetic brush on two successive days, once with cream and once with the Proraso soap.
Before lathering I rubbed the dry brush against my face and was amazed at how soft it was. This is softer than any dry silvertip, two-band, or Manchurian I have ever rubbed against my face.
The first day I used TOBS sandalwood cream in a Dirty Bird Bill Bowl. I wet the brush slightly immediately before lathering. There is a small learning curve in terms of the amount of water to use. The brush produced abundant lather very quickly. I didn't time it but I got the sense that I've never produced lather so fast.
![[Image: W0Qcvrl.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/W0Qcvrl.jpg)
The next day it was the Proraso soap. I loaded the brush then took it to face lathering. Unlike bowl lathering with the cream, I didn't get the sense that I produced lather any faster. However, the brush certainly produced abundant lather.
![[Image: obP4QQs.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/obP4QQs.jpg)
The brush has exceptionally soft tips, which I expected based on everything I had read. I did not feel any scritch. I was not sure what to expect in terms of backbone, and was pleasantly surprised. This brush has backbone. What qualifies as sufficient backbone is a subjective concept. At the present time all my brushes are either 2-bands or boar. I know what I like in backbone and this brush has enough of it to meet my criteria.
The 53mm loft works very well, and I don't see the need to set these as high as Muhle does. I believe the loft on this 25mm knot could possibly be set to 50mm without compromising performance.
The brush dries exceedingly fast. I never use the same brush two days in a row and have found that some brushes are not fully dry after a day. I used this brush on two consecutive days, with the first shave being on Thanksgiving Day. I was home all day and checked on the brush periodically. I didn't formally check the clock but this brush dries in less than a day. Under the right circumstances I can see it drying in hours.
After two shaves, there was no sign of splay and the knot looked the same as the day it came out of the box.
Over the years I've tried boars, most higher grades of badger from the major brush makers, and now a synthetic. After experiencing all these brushes, I can say that I've only had two "WOW" moments. One was the first time I tried a 2-band brush. The other is the first time I tried this synthetic. This new generation of synthetic is a definite game changer in my estimation. I don't see myself giving up on my boars and 2-bands, because part of the fun of this hobby is using different brushes. However synthetics will eventually assume an equal place in my rotation