Looking for the perfect synthetic!

My favorite now is a relatively new one from APShaveCo, it's their 2 Bed Fan shaped synthetic. Not as much backbone as the silksmoke and not as little as cashmere.. plus fan shapes are generally better performers than the bulbs, which typically have all their backbone in the middle

I just ordered their newest knot, the 26mm SilkSmoke Fan/Flat Top, in a brush made by him. I had a fan "quarter moon" Tuxedo two years ago and I really like the fan format.

Nice! Let me know what you think of the SilkSmoke! For me, it had a little too much backbone and I found myself moving the lather back and forth on my face as opposed to painting lather on lather haha. But then again, that might be b/c I had the bulb version. Since then I've been on team fan haha

Nice! Let me know what you think of the SilkSmoke! For me, it had a little too much backbone and I found myself moving the lather back and forth on my face as opposed to painting lather on lather haha. But then again, that might be b/c I had the bulb version. Since then I've been on team fan haha

This is a wonderful knot right on par with my favorite 26mm Tuxedo Fan brush. This is simply a marvelous synth knot that set a tad higher for a smidgen of splay just nestles dead nuts in the "Goldilocks" zone of backbone & splay. What a pleasure to use a synth that has 99% of the softness of a Cashmere knot, yet has just the right amount of backbone for face lathering. That is why I like the "fan" style synth knots.

It is IMO the best synthetic knot, along with the Tuxedo Fan (as sold by Turn 'N Shave), for face latherers. Period. 

The aforementioned two SxS. I have tried every gen. & type of synthetic pretty much since 2014 and these two are "the best of the best". There are no better synthetics to be had currently IMO. I rate the Cashmere style knot just a mere half rung below these only because it doesn't quite have as much "backbone". YMMV.

The aforementioned two SxS. I have tried every gen. & type of synthetic pretty much since 2014 and these two are "the best of the best". There are no better synthetics to be had currently IMO. I rate the Cashmere style knot just a mere half rung below these only because it doesn't quite have as much "backbone". YMMV.

Thanks for your post! I’m NOT a fan of synthetics.  However, you said “trying synths since 2014” so I’m going to give it one last shot.  Turn N Shave Hawk 28 was the one I liked most, when I say “liked” the most I’m using that loosely. Your Tux brush is spot on!

The aforementioned two SxS. I have tried every gen. & type of synthetic pretty much since 2014 and these two are "the best of the best". There are no better synthetics to be had currently IMO. I rate the Cashmere style knot just a mere half rung below these only because it doesn't quite have as much "backbone". YMMV.

Would you mind measuring the loft on these two brushes? In my limited experience the loft setting has much to do with how the knot performs. Thanks