Synthetic bristle technology has in recent times progressed to the point where these knots provide 90% - 95% of the functionality of badger at a fraction of the cost. This is my second Asylum synthetic fiber shaving brush -- I bought the Scanlon with the cheery butterscotch handle when it first came out as a face latherer -- and it soon climbed my rotation of brushes, some of them $100+ badgers, to assume top-tier status. Recently I wanted a brush with a longer handle to use with a wide, shallow shaving bowl. After my positive experience with the Scanlon, I decided to try the BG7 and was not disappointed.
The knots of these Asylum brushes hit a sweet spot for me. I've come to favor smaller, more compact knots in brushes as they allow better precision when applying lather to my face. These synthetic fibers have an excellent backbone due to the density with which the fibers are packed in the knot but their ends are surprisingly soft. It doesn't really matter what format you're working from either: soaps, creams or croaps all whip into luxurious lathers with these Asylum brushes and they do so with a reliability which matches or exceeds the best badgers.
There is no break-in period or initial funky smell with synthetic knots. If you've never used a synthetic brush before, the ease with which they clean up and their fast drying time (with no retained odors) will definitely surprise you.
Phil has done a great job in bringing a very high quality synthetic brush to market at a disarmingly affordable price. If you're a lifelong devotee of badger or boar brushes, you owe it to yourself to try one of these synthetics -- I think you'll be be a convert, or at least have a new option which will find its way into your regular rotation or even as a travel brush.
There will always be a place for traditional badger or boar brushes but synthetics are steadily claiming an ever larger share of their territory and, in the case of these Asylum brushes, for a very good reason.
