REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (2025)

---G9 "Pur-Tech Pro"---

Ok, to start with, some of this review may seem like hyperbole but believe me when I say this has become my favourite synthetic fibre!

I was already a huge fan of the original FS Pur-tech from many years ago and the G9 has taken it to another level!

The fibres are fairly thick but come to a nice taper which gives it very good comfort but without feeling like a make-up brush.

The backbone allows for a beautiful massage in combination with the thicker fibres, but without any prickly sensation.
It does leave me longing for some more splay though. This brush is definitely got those who can't do without a robust backbone.

How they got a synth to give a two-band finest scrub without scritch, is very impressive!
It's a gorgeous face feel!

The splay is on the tighter side, no doubt about that, however the positive is there's zero discomfort on the face and the scrub feels great.

Lather generation occurs rapidly, which is another unique aspect the G9 has carried over from the Pur-tech. Just load up the brush and start adding water, you'll get a rich and creamy lather faster than pretty much any other brush out there.

This is also something I had found to be the case with the previous generation of the Muhle STF brush.

I find the G9 overall to be a uniquely developed fibre and is probably the most "advanced" of all fibres.

I've experienced premium synth fibres such as; Muhle STF (multiple versions), Pur-tech, G4, G5A/B/C, G7 "Lather Master", Simpson Platinum.
The G9 has become my favourite!

Second spot would go to the G7 Lather Master. That is also a lovely fibre with excellent performance characteristics.

I can definitely see myself gravitating towards the G9 a LOT!

REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (1)


REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (2)


REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (3)

---SBH (synthetic badger hair)---

Right out of the gate, I would say the SBH shares some of its DNA with the G5C. Although the SBH has higher backbone and less splay than the G5C.

The SBH is also a high backbone knot. Soft at the tips, slightly softer than the G9 and also slightly less tactile feedback due to this softness.

Splay is a tad more than the G9 although not by much. Personally, I do wish for more splay so that the brush has less resistance.
The fibre is once again superb and definitely an advancement over the previous generations. No doubt about that!

I remember when I was the first to review the G4 developed by FS and it took the shaving community by storm. Nearly every good brush artisan began offering the G4 in their handcrafted handles.

The G5A+G5C improved over the G4 by a decent margin. The FS G7 is a fibre that I actually prefer over the G5 series.
But these new SBH and G9 fibres have taken synth brushes to a whole new level.

When it comes down to user preference, these brushes will suit those that prefer a robust backbone and less splay. But the tactile feedback, face massage and lather generation are the key strengths of both these knots.

REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (4)


REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (5)

---BUTTERSCOTCH TWO-BAND FINEST---

Anyone familiar with Vulfix brushes will immediately recognize this handle shape which was used for the 223x badger brushes.
It's not only nostalgic but very ergonomic.
The butterscotch colour looks very nice and surprisingly similar to a handle that has naturally turned a light butterscotch over time.

The knot is a 21mm two band finest (I believe Manchurian).
I have a preference for 21/22mm knot size for badger brushes. I find I can generate lather faster and have enough creamy, rich lather for my 4 pass shave.

The loft is 47mm which suits this bulb knot perfectly. If it was a fan, I would have preferred 45mm.

The hair is quite scrunchy when dry, nearly like Velcro. But once soaked, it's soft and comfy on the skin, with great face feel. I enjoy the light scrub from this hair. I presume it's treated but not gel-tipped as it has zero slimy feel (which is what I really dislike about gel tips!).

The splay is beautiful. You'd think 21mm is a tiny knot but no, the splay is nice and I get good face coverage but controlled so the brush basically works the lather into the area to be shaved.

Backbone is a perfect blend of soft but without any floppy feel to it. Very light pressure allows it to splay optimally and provide the perfect face coverage as mentioned above.

Frank Shaving badger brushes seem to be underrated. I'm quite a fan of their badger brushes as the characteristics of splay, backbone, hair quality, amount of hair processing are all done with the end goal of producing a knot that's comfortable, optimal function and retaining the feel of a natural hair brush as close as possible.

REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (6)


REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (7)


REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (8)

REVIEW: The new Frank Shaving SBH and G9 synthetic brushes. Plus FS Butterscotch finest badger. (2025)

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