Synthetic knot purchasing

I am curious about how / if I can acquire some specific synthetic knots. The ones I’m interested in are the Muhle synthetics, razorock Bruce knot (I believe a pilson knot but where from), and PAA’s Starcraft knot (not sure if anywhere sells the knot alone or what kind it is). Anyone here tried shavemac’s synthetics? How they stackin up nowadays?

For the Razorock Bruce knot, yes, you definitely can buy it. Look for Plissoft. I forget the exact places right now. For the Shavemac synthetics, I have used it twice now. I would likely recommend getting it in a bulb knot. My fan is almost a flat top. just a slight bump in it to make it fan, but it's not much. Trying to face lather with a fan just a little under the auto configure spec is going to leave you with a brush that likes to bend back and forth. In terms of the hair it is very soft. Not much backbone, but mind I went with a fan knot so that's part of the problem there. It's not like Muhle Silvertip Fibres. I'd have to think about which one it is most like. Probably the synthetic hair in the Chubby 2 is the closest match. Out of what I've tried so far, the Omega Evo brush is quite nice. The water retention on that is better.

The muhle fiber knot is a tough one to get ahold of because its proprietary. Others mimic pretty well though. Great knot for me. Good backbone and soft tips. Good water retention. Bruce is a plissoft and Maggard sells a knot that will mimick it. The Starcraft knot I know absolutely,nothing about but PAA sells knots and I'd guess these will be the same knot they have in thier brushes.

So are muhle and omega evo knots the top of the heap currently but not available to purchase just the knot?

Just between you me and the wall, I believe DS cosmetics makes the muhle knot and they have a synth that sure acts like it. Available on aliexpress. Is that the pinnacle of synths? That depends. Everyone likes things a bit different. Nice thing about synthetics are you can try a bunch and still be less expensive than a premium badger.

I think it's pretty fair to say that overall that the Muhle and Omega are top of the crop in my opinion. I need to use my Evo more as I have only used it twice, but I was extremely surprised both times using it. Whatever it is the thing actually holds onto water. No other synthetic I've used as been able to be used without flinging water somewhere, even being extremely careful. I found with my Shavemac synthetic it is especially prone to getting water and lather everywhere with it being in a fan knot and being a set too high. My own fault as I should have asked Bernd to lower it a bit, but I actually managed to control it quite well in today's shave. I squeezed the water into my shave scuttle and took a bit more time in bowl lathering, and had much better control that time. 

The Evo I need not do anything special with it. The knot is sufficiently large enough for me at an estimated 28mm. My calipers aren't here beside me at the moment so I can't check the size and loft, but loft, handle height, all the specs work wonderfully on my Evo brush. It's closest cousin would likely be the Muhle STF 2.0. I used a 23mm before, but picked up a 25mm when I found out they were going by the wayside or so I had heard. My STF 1.0 loft was too high, the large STF were too small even after having buying 3 of them each time thinking I had a fluke. The STF 2.0 I have now was more reduced in loft with the same knot size or close to it. I got the Evo at about the same time and when I used it it seemed like it was even better than the STF brush I thought I always wanted.

When I buy synthetic shaving brushes, I'm expecting a brush that imitates badger as close as possible. 3-band badger has a resilient backbone with soft tips, but not so soft as to not being able to feel it on your face. I liken it to a massage of various types. You get a range of differences depending on if it is 3-band or 2-band, and you have harsher and softer variants in those grades as well. Then with some grades they exhibit more uniqueness from the other types. Anything past level 3 for Rooney back in its heyday was extremely unique, and there isn't many other grades out there as unique as it. Pre-2005 D01 2-band Hair is the closest from modern stuff. Then you can get into other grades. Vintage 3-band Plisson HMW was something truly extraordinary. I don't expect synthetic to reach these legendary hair types, but I want something that comes as close to that as possible. It's my favorite grade of hair, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the possibility of a manmade fiber that could equal or better badger.

For some people they feel synthetic outdoes badger, and that's great. Myself I don't feel that way. I think there's two camps of synthetic: true synthetics, and synthetic badger. True synthetics are the tuxedo synthetic knots and the like, the ones that go for sheer insane softness. They've got that down. That's not really my preference, but at the same time, brushes are my thing, and I can't really but help but to want to explore what it is that people like so much. I've had the same thing with 2-band badger, horse, boar, and all the other types. It's my AD.

My area where I like to focus more on is the synthetic badger side, and brushes that close the gap between synthetic and badger. I imagine the day will come when badger isn't available anymore, and if/when that happens I won't cry. I won't buy something I feel is inferior either however to use. There's something for each of the different synthetic knots. The Plissoft knots probably have the best type that feels close to badger to me in terms of tip feel when packed tight with a good glue bump. Water retention isn't the best however. Muhle/Evo for sure/Simpson Chubby synthetic/Ubersoft II/Plisson White Evolution/Shavemac any of those I have tried have better water retention. Plisson Evolution feels really good with softer tips that still retain good presence, but Plisson woefully underpacks their brushes. Ubersoft II fan has been a favorite. It feels sort of like a refined Plissoft with much better density and a bit better water retention. The Chubby 2 synthetic has hair that feels much like Muhle, but it feels uncrimped. It is crimped, but it's odd. The bulb knot is a bit finicky when lathering with as well. It's the one that puzzles me the most. The Shavemac has only seen 3 uses so far, and the fan knot could have been set 4mm deeper to promote face lathering right at the beginning better, but I found a modification that made it work. Just more lathering time in the bowl then face lathering. 

I have the other Simpson synthetics I want to get around to trying along with a Kent synthetic, and it seems like there was one other name brand. I have a number of synthetic knots from Milton that I plan to put in some knots and try those out too, but I suspect most of them won't be to my preference, but there are two particularly I am interested in trying and that is the Fullmoon synthetic, and the Silver synthetic he sells. I wonder if either of those will be close to what the Evo or Plisson Evolution is. In terms of where my interests lie in the synthetics right are it is:

1. Omega Evo
   
2. Plisson Evolution
   
3. Silver Synth
   
4. Full Moon Synth
   

The STF, Plissoft, and Ubersoft are some of my other well regarded synthetics. Thanks to Lipripper I might add a knot from DS Cosmetics. If there was a source for the Muhle STF brushes that would be a big deal as Plissoft and Muhle were both huge in setting off the popularity of synthetics, and still really good. The thing I really wish is GDCarrington was still around to do reviews on the synthetics. He had far more passion for synthetics, and was excellent at reviewing them as well. The individuals that reviewed the synthetics were even more integral in synthetics becoming popular, and it would be nice to see new or old blood or even both in reviewing them! I'm with Lipripper in that it depends on what it is you are looking for in a synthetic, but for me personally, both the muhle and omega evo are top of the heap with a nod to the Plissoft and Ubersoft II knots as well.



L to R:
Shavemac, Plisson Evolution, Plissoft (forgot company, but can look up if needed), DFS 16 LE Ubersoft


L to R: Chubby 2 Synthetic, Omega Evo, Muhle STF 1.0, Muhle STF 2.0

Sorry, my photo box is too small to fix all 8 at the same time.

Turn-N-Shave sells a bunch of different synth knots through their Etsy site, you don’t have to buy them with a handle.

Turn-N-Shave sells a bunch of different synth knots through their Etsy site, you don’t have to buy them with a handle.

Yes, I got mine from him as just the knots. I have handles coming from China to keep the cost down. Ordered a motherlode too since he didn't have that.

Just between you me and the wall, I believe DS cosmetics makes the muhle knot and they have a synth that sure acts like it.  Available on aliexpress.

To my knowledge, the Mühle knots are actually made in Germany, and are probably the only synthetics that are. The DScosmetic knot in question looks very similar, but (as so many things from that region) is probably just a copy of the real thing.

Frank Shaving sells Pur-Tech knots, which also resemble the Mühle knots very closely. The knots cost almost as much as ordering an entire Mühle or Edwin Jagger brush from Europe, though.

I wish that Mühle would realize they could cater to the market by selling just their Silvertip Fibre knots. I would readily pay 3–4 times the price of an average synthetic knot for the “real” thing.

Just between you me and the wall, I believe DS cosmetics makes the muhle knot and they have a synth that sure acts like it.  Available on aliexpress.

To my knowledge, the Mühle knots are actually made in Germany, and are probably the only synthetics that are. The DScosmetic knot in question looks very similar, but (as so many things from that region) is probably just a copy of the real thing.

Frank Shaving sells Pur-Tech knots, which also resemble the Mühle knots very closely. The knots cost almost as much as ordering an entire Mühle or Edwin Jagger brush from Europe, though.

I wish that Mühle would realize they could cater to the market by selling just their Silvertip Fibre knots. I would readily pay 3–4 times the price of an average synthetic knot for the “real” thing.

Rudy Vey indicates on his post for his store on B&B he has a dozen 25mm knots. That was February 13th I think it was. I made a mistake and thought it said STF knots. It just says the new 25mm knots.

Edit: Correction again. I was actually right. It was 25mm STF knots. Saw it in another thread and he just didn’t indicate it was STF knots in the post letting people know it was in.