Simpson Synthetic

I bought a Simpson Commodore X2 badger brush in 2013 and shaved with it for ten years. This replaced the cheaper Vulfix Pure badger brush I mentioned 2008. In 2023 I decided that the Commodore had shed enough hairs and it was time to replace it. I bought the Simpson Trafalgar T2 synthetic brush, mostly just because it was cheap and I thought it would be worth trying for a bit before spending more on another fancy badger brush. I’ve been using that synthetic brush for 24 months now and have no complaints.

Using it is a bit different from using a badger brush. I always start by wetting my brush under a running faucet. With a badger brush, my habit was then to give the brush a few vigorous shakes. That resulted in the correct amount of moisture being left in the hairs to lather the soap. After that amount of shaking, the synthetic brush is practically dry. I had to retrain myself to only give it one or two gentle shakes to remove excess water.

When I circle a badger brush on my soap, I’m just picking up the soap. The lather doesn’t develop until I take the brush to my face. With the synthetic brush, the lather develops when circling the brush on the soap. I then use the brush to paint it on my face. It’s a slightly different action, requiring less pressure, which is better suited to the relatively stiffer hairs of the synthetic brush.

The quick drying nature of the synthetic brush probably makes it nice for travel. Personally I never bother packing a shaving brush. Instead I just use my scouring cloth to lather up when on the road.

Over these past two years I have not noticed any real disadvantages to the synthetic brush. Considering the price difference – I paid $75.39 for the Commodore badger brush (in 2013 dollars) and $27.40 for the Trafalgar synthetic brush (in 2023 dollars) – I’d say the synthetic was a good buy. I’ll stick with it.