New Simfix synthetic

Cristobal

Forum GOD!
OK. clearly the same tariffs between UK and IOM posts.

You are quite correct: The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency. It is not part of the UK, Great Britain or the EU. Anything made there is not made in England or Great Britain, as Simpson likes to put on their lables. It would be correct for them to say ‘Made in the British Isles’, however.
What does it mean then, when "hand made Great Britain" or "made in England" is stated on their brushes? They've been made in some Simpson/Vulfix factory in Great Britain but not on the IOM?




 

Rufusdog

Forum GOD!
As far as I know, all Vulfix and Simpson brushes are made on the Isle of Man. In the pre-Vulfix days Simpson brushes were made in England. I think this labelling (mislabelling) has continued since moving production to the IoM, because of the perceived status it adds. I had heard that this matter was put forward to UK Trading and Standards, but they acquiesced. In the final analysis what matters is the quality of the product and the quality of the customer service; however, being quite AR, I find the labelling annoying even though I own 6 Vulfix and Simpson brushes.
 

halvor

a most elusive fish
I took a punt. Well aware that there are e.g. Chinese ones available for less, but somehow these haven’t enticed me. We’ll see if this one manages to change my opinion on synths.
 

Mr Bigmem

Forum GOD!
I took a punt. Well aware that there are e.g. Chinese ones available for less, but somehow these haven’t enticed me. We’ll see if this one manages to change my opinion on synths.
I got to admit the big names have not been doing the best when it comes to synths. So many artisan brush makers getting their knots from china seem to have cornered the market on the inexpensive brilliant 5th gen knots. There will be those who shoot me down as a heretic when I say Muhle and Plisson knots don't seem to hold their own in the current market. YMMV but to me you're near on paying for the name.
 

halvor

a most elusive fish
I got to admit the big names have not been doing the best when it comes to synths. So many artisan brush makers getting their knots from china seem to have cornered the market on the inexpensive brilliant 5th gen knots. There will be those who shoot me down as a heretic when I say Muhle and Plisson knots don't seem to hold their own in the current market. YMMV but to me you're near on paying for the name.
Oh, for sure! And that applies to more producers than Simpson, and more products than synthetic brushes. What I just paid doesn’t break the bank, though. Two micro brew pints when out in Oslo and you’re pretty much there.

Quite a few have been pleased with the Chubby synths, for the record. (Autocorrect just wanted to make that Chubby Cynthia — wonder what those Apple people are up to...)
 
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MrK1

Forum GOD!
Looks kind of like a Duke.
Isn't it the Vulvix 404 handle?


I haven't had much success with synthetics, they just don't feel right. I don't think I will be trying anymore.

Unless Semogue release one in a SOC handle....
 
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Cristobal

Forum GOD!
I got to admit the big names have not been doing the best when it comes to synths. So many artisan brush makers getting their knots from china seem to have cornered the market on the inexpensive brilliant 5th gen knots. There will be those who shoot me down as a heretic when I say Muhle and Plisson knots don't seem to hold their own in the current market. YMMV but to me you're near on paying for the name.
When the first synthetic fibres came out, the springy Kent Infinity Silvertex and the floppy Plisson pour L'Occitane were very good brushes back in the day (the reason why the Plisson cost £46 in the UK and about €30 in the rest of the world remain a mystery...) We're talking circa 2012, I think the Muhle black fibre was released at about the same time. Beside Chinese generic brushes, choices for synthetic brushes were quite limited at that time.
 

Cristobal

Forum GOD!
Oh, for sure! And that applies to more producers than Simpson, and more products than synthetic brushes. What I just paid doesn’t break the bank, though. Two micro brew pints when out in Oslo and you’re pretty much there.

Quite a few have been pleased with the Chubby synths, for the record. (Autocorrect just wanted to make that Chubby Cynthia — wonder what those Apple people are up to...)
I believe that in the end, big names failed to find good Chinese suppliers for their synthetic knots at that time or did not want to put enough money in their suppliers' R&D, to design a knot that could compete with established synthetic knots (VSheng, Plisson, Muhle. etc).
 

Mr Bigmem

Forum GOD!
I believe that in the end, big names failed to find good Chinese suppliers for their synthetic knots at that time or did not want to put enough money in their suppliers' R&D, to design a knot that could compete with established synthetic knots (VSheng, Plisson, Muhle. etc).
Yea you're right, if they threw some money behind the innovation and design of new synthetic knots it could turn in their favour.
 

Jacobite

Forum GOD!
I like synthetics. I've tried nearly all of them- from old school nylon brushes 30 years ago to Omega Simtex in the 90s and then their S and Hi brushes to Zenith synths to all of the repurposed makeup brushes like the Plisson and Plissoft to the Tuxedo and Cashmere and finally the Simpsons Chubby2 and Duke3. They all "work," in their way, but the Cashmere is really the best of the lot. The 2 Simpsons, especially the Chubby, are the most dense synths I have ever used, and can almost feel luxurious, but the Cashmere feels the best on my face. Backbone somewhat reminiscent of a broken in boar. I don't expect a synthetic to feel or behave like a natural brush- if you're looking to recreate the feeling of a fine badger or even a boar you will always be disappointed. The most disappointing synth to me is the Zenith, and sadly I own 4 of them. Beautiful handles but a glue knot set so high the bristles often feel like the teeth of a harrow when I attempt to splay it.
 

Iasonas

Guru
I ordered one the day they came out. I only own 3 older synth brushes (Kent Infinity, Plisson, Omega s brush) and I am also waiting on a tuxedo. I 'll post my impessions when it arrives.
 
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