Stirling KONG & Crown King CheckMate Suave Synthetics

Yes, I did it - I finally have jumped on the Synthetics band wagon........again.........after 2 ½ years of absence, where my hate for synthetics got bigger and bigger by the day   

I promised myself, that I would never buy synthetics for other than travel purpose, until they started to come up with some quality brushes, that could almost rival my top high end prime badgers in my den.

Not saying they did that....yet......but the Stirling KONG 26 mm Plisson fibre brush is the best synthetic brush for face lathering, I have ever used.

I love the BIG handle, enjoy the heft and weight of the handle - even though the resin looks a bit cheap, it still is a solid quality handle, and the knot looks great. And for a price of $22.....holy cow, what can one complain over here.

The Plisson like knot actually has some backbone to it. It does not feel too large on my face. And it actually holds water, and in a way so I don't splay water all over the face, when I start to face lather with it.
It does not absorb water, but it actually holds a bit of water in the knot.

I still prefer my high end badgers, but the KONG is the first brush in well over 2 years, that for me actually can be a part of my den, and not just be a travel brush for me.

When I have the time for a LONGGGGG relaxing one hour shave, I actually like to use my badger brush for the first two passes face lathering, and then just for the fun of it, use the KONG for the third and final pass and touch up, just to feel the softness of the brush against my skin.
Sometimes face lathering with a manchurian or Shavemac D01 2-band over the course of 3 passes + touch up face lathering can be hard on the skin, so it's nice to test the KONG on the last pass, when I have the time to really relax and spend the extra time on my shave.

This made me specualte if there are other brushes out there with same knots as the Stirling KONG.

Of course there is the RazoRock brushes, but they are always sold out, because they are good and dead cheap, and I don't care for the way they come shipped in no protective paper inside the case.
Then I saw the Crown King synthetics, and saw they made two brush handles, that I like, so I blind bought one in CheckMate Suave 26 mm faux horn and one CheckMate Suave in 24 mm fax ivory.

Supposedly they are all assembled by hand by Dough himself, ofcourse knots and handles are all bought in Asia, as almost all synthetics are.

So anyone out there with Crown King experience   

And anyone else, who now can see the benefits of the synthetics, with the new and larger sized Plisson style knots ?

No photos, Claus?

No endorsement for synthetics on my part, except for traveling, camping, or dealing with extremely hard water.

(02-04-2016, 02:09 PM)celestino Wrote: No photos, Claus?

No endorsement for synthetics on my part, except for traveling, camping, or dealing with extremely hard water.

They don't photograh well, in my opinion, Celestino - badgers just look nicer, and still perform nicer also..........but the synthetics are coming 

I'm there with you Claus on the Stirling Kong. It's the only synthetic in my rotation. Excellent performer and was a very pleasant surprise! I do have a Plisson but it stays shelved and only used for travel.

I have been making a shift to face lathering from bowl lathering recently and I must admit, the Kong,when properly loaded, makes face lathering almost too easy.  I used it this morning. 30 secs loading RR XXX and had enough in the brush for four passes.  Even though I find the size a bit unwieldy I don't regret the purchase, especially since I got mine for $16 (no logo).

Has  anyone thought about the longterm forecast for ALL synthetics if we eliminate fossil fuel use as called for by climate change activists? I was
talking with a very bright PhD candidate out of CALTECH today. He was sadly ignorant of various 'synthetics' in common use previous to MR Robinson's  pronouncement of the future PLASTICS! I talked about cellulose, bakelite, gutta percha and wonder materials like BAMBOO that could
make a renewable comeback.
Enjoy your brush: It too, may become a highly sought after collectable in a generation.

I'm starting to notice some irritation after lathering with synths. Does the supreme softness of this fibre hide a dark secret?
Too early to tell if that's the culprit, but if it is then I can think of a lot worse things then having to revert to natural bristles for every shave.

I'm surprised and glad you found a synthetic you like Claus.  Now you need to try the Chubby 2 synthetic .

I thought you might have enjoyed it. I think the Kong was the best synthetic as well.

I haven't used a 26mm synthetic, and I know there are even 28mm out there, but Maggard's has a trio of very nice 24's.

http://www.maggardrazors.com/product-tag...ors-brush/

They also sell the knots separately ($7) and you can mate it to a custom handle if you want.

I'm a synthetic convert, though I've never used anything better than a Super Badger brush.  The Kong is probably my favorite brush right now.  My first synth was an S Brush.  I couldn't believe how soft it felt compared to my boars.  It gave up just a little of the backbone, but the difference in face/head feel was worth it for me.  Then I got a couple of ubersoft knots.  Again, better than the S Brush without sacrificing any backbone.  Then I moved into the Plisson style knots with a TGC, Plisson, and Kong.  Now that I've used them for a while, my Ubersoft brushes feel like boars to me.

I like the smaller Stirling synth brush quite a bit.  I tried the Kong brush, and while it works well, the ergonomics of the handle are a bit too clunky for my taste.

Just received the two Crown King's, one should be 24 mm, the other 26 mm - but to me they look like they both are 26 mm, but one has shorter loft than the other  


Definitely the same Plisson fibre as in the KONG brush..........

Do you know if those are the knots that come with the Switchback?

I have them both but haven't tried either yet.

I bought extra tops with that brush and put badger knots in them right away.

Same as the RR Plissoft? 
I didn't really like that and sold it. Which is why I didn't even bother trying the synthetics that came with the Switchback.

(02-09-2016, 05:02 PM)bakerbarber Wrote: Do you know if those are the knots that come with the Switchback?

I have them both but haven't tried either yet.

I bought extra tops with that brush and put badger knots in them right away.

Same as the RR Plissoft? 
I didn't really like that and sold it. Which is why I didn't even bother trying the synthetics that came with the Switchback.

It's sthe knot called suave, the softer of the two knots in the Switchback.

I have them in 24 mm and 26 mm........both Suave, ie the Plisson knot in larger size

I'm no synthetic fan at all, far prefer my Prime high end badgers, but these 3 works fine, when I need to rest my skin, they are cloud like soft, but with more feel than the 22 mm plisson Synth knot