Is Muhle black fibre *too* soft?

[awa54]

I just got a Muhle "Basic 1" and while I have only one shave with it so far, it almost feels too soft... don't get me wrong, I like soft on the face brushes, but this may be over the line. It isn't floppy either, the bristles have nice springiness, no flop here. As far as soap pick-up and lathering it also seems improbably good for such a subjectively soft brush, I used it with Mike's Peppermint and Rosemary and the lather was pretty awesome.

One thing I'm sure of though is that I'd like the metal base of the handle to be just a bit lighter, this brush just has too much weight for its size... on the up side though, it'll *never* tip over

 

[takeshi]

That's a subjective matter. It's up to you to determine if it's too soft for you. If it was too soft for everyone then no one would use it, it would not sell, and Muhle would not manufacture it.

 

[celestino]

That's a subjective matter. It's up to you to determine if it's too soft for you. If it was too soft for everyone then no one would use it, it would not sell, and Muhle would not manufacture it.

+1 i found it too soft, for me, but you may think otherwise. Good luck.

 

[Codfish]

I have been--and continue to be--a big proponent of Muhle Black Fibre brushes. I have tried to point out that they are mid-density brushes in all reviews. They are--there is no doubt about that.

They function so well that I can overlook that characteristic in them. But the OP is right--if you know that density is an important factor for you, these brushes may not be to your liking.

 

[Ronnie Aloha]

They are less dense than the Silvertip Fibres but I have found that it works very well for me in bowl lathering. I haven't used it much in face lathering but will try it again.

 

[awa54]

Shave #2 today was with Palmolive stick and it just reinforced my initial feelings about the brush; I guess that the moderate density and the uber-soft tips are just not to my liking... The odd thing is that somehow this bristle has a real feel of backbone and spring, despite the lack of a densely packed knot, or *any* coarseness that you would expect in a natural bristle that was as springy.

The lather was fabulous by the way and lasted three full passes with plenty of extra left to be rinsed out afterward, this brush makes excellent use of soaps... no need to use more product!

 

[galopede]

As they all say, YMMV! Since I bought a Basic 2 a year or two again, I've hardly touched my other decent badgers. I face lather exclusively with soap bowls, sticks and creams as the fancy takes me and it does a great job with all of them.

I notice they are on offer at Muhle too! Time for another perhaps?

Gareth

 

[awa54]

Shave three is back to the Mike's P&R, another great performance, but the feel just isn't grabbing me... maybe I need to set it aside or loan it out for a bit then return to it in a few weeks or months to get away from the preconceptions I had that are undoubtedly clouding my view of it.

 

[Galhatz]

I think if Muhle make a brush with the black fibre packed as dense as they pack the silvertip fibre brushes, that would make for an exceptional brush, maybe even better than the silvertip fibre brushes.
I had the HJM one, it was not dense enough for that high loft, IMO, and it felt too floppy for facelathering for me. I ended up selling it on BST.

 

[bhorsoft]

I've got the HJM and like it, but then again I like soft. It was what sold me on synthetics. Now I also have one of the Silvertip fibre ones. I like it better. Main reason is the HJM "doughnut holes" while the Silvertip doesn't. Both are great bowl/scuttle lathering brushes.

 

[awa54]

I think if Muhle make a brush with the black fibre packed as dense as they pack the silvertip fibre brushes, that would make for an exceptional brush, maybe even better than the silvertip fibre brushes.
I had the HJM one, it was not dense enough for that high loft, IMO, and it felt too floppy for facelathering for me. I ended up selling it on BST.

Well, I have yet to try Muhle Silvertip Fibre, but I do agree that if this brush were a bit more densely packed I might be raving about all of it's attributes, rather than praising it with faint damns...