Yes - all three brushes were from the manufacturer outlets on AliExpress. Arguably, they're probably the biggest brush manufacturers and make the synthetic brushes for many of the Western brands.
Debatable - the fibres will be fine and the handles will most likely be fine. The overall package is where it sometimes fails - most notably in the size of the glue bump.
I've just remembered that I needed to update this thread.
Of the three brushes I started this thread with, only one remains in the den. That brush is the Yaqi 26mm tuxedo. I sold the Frank Shaving 26mm G4 as it just didn't do it for me. It's not a bad brush at all though. The dscosmetics brush was returned for a refund as I was bitterly disappointed in that brush.
This is a picture of my Frank Shaving 24mm G4. I initially thought the glue bump was a little high on this but it's mellowed in to a brilliant brush. Using it in my shave this morning was a joy. It looks great as well:
So I've had a shave using the DSCosmetic brush and actually really liked it, the knot is quite dense but splays very easily and the fibres are very soft on the face. There is a glue bump but it's not that high on mine and the overall loft of the knot means it isn't unpleasant for me, I'll try and add a picture later showing where the glue bump is.
So I've had a shave using the DSCosmetic brush and actually really liked it, the knot is quite dense but splays very easily and the fibres are very soft on the face. There is a glue bump but it's not that high on mine and the overall loft of the knot means it isn't unpleasant for me, I'll try and add a picture later showing where the glue bump is.