Because a lot of forum members had queries and questions, Tony has made the ultimate Plissoft vs Tuxedo + comparison, and as a bonus he lists some tips with some of his custom work.
Presentation of the Tuxedo bristle at 24mm
In the two following photographs (which are the same) in one we see the bristle without and on the other with dimensions.
Typically the dimensions that we know are the length of the bristle (A) and the diameter (B), but there is also a third dimension the height of the glue (C).
It is worth mentioning that many manufacturers measure the total length of the bristle along with the glue (A) while others count the total without the glue (C) [plug] this creates some issues because the dimension (C) is standard and we can not circumvent it, in simple terms the overall dimension here is 68.41mm (A) A + C and for others 61.83mm, A–C.
The difference is C, as shown in the picture on the left, is 6.58mm so we have to ask the manufacturer how he measures the bristle,
so that we will not be surprised.
In the photo on the right, we see that the Knot (B) is just 24mm, and only at this point, if we try to measure the gusset with the handle, and at the end we exceed 24mm, is what we often refer to, and we call it ” tricky “.
Some brushes for comparison
From left to right, handmade handle by my – Kent Infinity Silvertex – Omega S10065 – RazorRock Plissoft – Handle DC Shaving (Daniel Clevenger) in The Abyss, just brushes to see the handles.
With the bristle, and the different Fan / Bulb shapes.
The handle
This handle was one of my first attempts of acrylic, blank was bought by a friend, and the design is somewhere in the web that he liked (not mine) it’s not great, but I said I’d give it a try.
Dimensions
The dimensions are for my friend’s taste, with a short / thick handle made for another bristle until he saw the Tuxedo, so a recess of 22 mm to 24 mm Knot and 10 to 12 mm inner depth was made, the handles were with a minor deviations in set-up.
Complete!
After tests were carried out by their respective owners, before gluing the bristle and for the final ok of the setup.
Modifying the DC handle
DC handle came with 10mm, I modified it from 10 to 11.41mm inner depth, my purpose was not to overcome the 57mm loft and the final setup to be the same as Plissoft, above 57mm I can not manage the bristle.
Daniel’s handle is made of highly condensed resins, and even superior to Wolf Whiskers, YMMV always, the photos above were taken in good lightning conditions during day.
DC is also Ready
This is mine…
and that of my friend, in both of them a lot of tests and measurements were made with a millimeter accuracy, a weight was added to the right brush (coin two euros) in this already heavy handle, thus increasing more its weight and its value by 2 € …: D
Above the Daniel logo, which is metallic and plasticized, no matter how I tried to find a defect in the handle, I did not find it, just great.
Both bristles side by side, with Plissoft as a reference.
Plissoft vs Tuxedo
Although it does not look good in the photo, you can “feel” it, with the same pressure Plissoft is done in the splay and can not open anymore, because of glue_bump * Tuxedo can go further.
Here you can see the “mushroom”, the (lower) part of Tuxedo, that it has a larger diameter.
Here we see the “umbrella”, the (top) of Tuxedo, it has literally swallowed Plissoft.
My two favorite brushes.
And a shot from above, the differences are not visually large. The white of Tuxedo fools the eye and note that so far it hasn’t got wet what so ever. In practice, however, the differences are many, with the Tuxedo being in front in all points, their comparison may not seem fair due to the low cost of Plissoft, but this VS is “incomplete”, the rest is when they get wet, then things change, always in favor of Tuxedo, clearly Plissoft is one of the cheapest and best synthetic brushes, I am glad and I use both more than my expensive brushes that patiently wait for an occasion but, it’s been said, best is the enemy of the good, always YMMV. 🙂
Glue_bump
It’s the glue of the bristle, but it protrudes much more than the handle, used in bristles that are very floppy and can not have a backbone.
In the following photo taken found in the web, we see the transversal incision of a bristle and the glue to rises more at the center of the bristle, thus enhancing the top. Plissoft does not have such a glue bump*, it is not triangular in shape but square.