New arrival.retro goodness

[Coler]

I got a nice package today, in which amongst some other great bits and pieces was this Muhle Retro series.

Q & D iphone shot, beside my Semogue Owner's Club 2 Band for comparison :

My initial impressions :-

- I love the looks.

- It's ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssofft.

- But densely packed.

I wanted a big soft 'un - I think I got it.

I will report back after first useage tomorrow morning

 

[wrinkles2]

I got a nice package today, in which amongst some other great bits and pieces was this Muhle Retro series.

Q & D iphone shot, beside my Semogue Owner's Club 2 Band for comparison :

My initial impressions :-

- I love the looks.

- It's ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssofft.

- But densely packed.

I wanted a big soft 'un - I think I got it.

I will report back after first useage tomorrow morning

Wow!! big brush.

 

[Moondoggie]

Wow! I am curious to hear what you think about it!!

 

[andrestole]

pretty, o so pretty..

 

[Occams_Razor]

Wow, that's a huge knot. Does size matter?

 

[Gam]

That's a great looking brush

 

[wimbouman]

Great brush.
I like my Retro's a lot, hope your Azure serves you well!

 

[RobE]

Nice! Looking forward to reading your impressions of it.

 

[2fast]

I did not realise how big they were, awesome!

 

[Coler]

Well by way of brief comments after using it this morning ;-

First thing I should note that the Q & D picture somewhat distorts the size (the Semogue is slightly set back from the Muhle and the angle of the pic enhances the overall size of the Muhle as well). That said, this is a big brush no mistake about it.

Knot size is stated as 25mm by the manufacturer. The SOC beside it is stated as a 24mm knot and side by side in real life I find it hard to believe that the Muhle is but 1 mm larger in that dimension - I don't have a calipers available to verify either.

First impressions to the touch are that this is a very densely packed knot. It is as soft to the touch as it appears to be. In bloom it is massive.

I've handled other Muhle brushes - bought a couple for my dad because he likes 'em soft, the old codger - and there is no relationship between e.g. this one http://www.shaving.ie/products/Muhle-Badger-Hair-Horn-Brown-Shaving-Brush.html and the Retro Series brush in terms of density of knot.

On actual use, this morning I chose TOBS lemon & lime cream and a large bowl type scuttle. The brush lathered exceptionally well. Sorry I did not take pics. I was particularly impressed because my water is hardish and I do not find it straightforward to produce good lather quickly.

On the face, it is again every bit as luxurious as you would expect given the bristles used (silvertip) and the large knot. I would resist any suggestion however that it is 'too soft' or 'floppy'. It undeniably lacks 'scritch' if you like, but I don't consider it in any way short of backbone. It performs to the standard you would be entitled to expect and my own position would be that if you don't like soft brushes on your face, you wouldn't be interested in this brush anyway.

So, it lathers very, very quickly and it also holds soft, fluffy mountains of lather for multiple passes. I found it to be surprisingly accurate given its size i.e. it did not splurt lather all over the place - good retention and application is what I'm trying to express.

As to whether it is pleasant to use, well, in short, a resounding yes. Its a luxury brush and performs accordingly - soft, warm, all-encompassing fuzziness. I would use the word 'decadent'. Like velvet.

Finally, in passing, I should note that I couldn't resist trying it out with a hard soap as well - Mike's Natural in this instance. It was ok but it's clear that there are better brushes for soaps out there. I could live with it on soaps but I can't see why you wouldn't just furnish yourself with something stiffer in the boar line of things or what not.

This one is a keeper for me, for use with my creams. I probably won't use it every day, but I know that when I do use it I will really enjoy it. I think it more than adequately ticks the box reserved for 'big, soft, decadent silvertip'.

Did I mention that I think it looks awesome. Hard to resist licking the handle. I expect it to taste like Blueberry candy.

(It doesn't by the way. It tastes of resin. And shaving cream).

(Because I thought that would taste like Blueberry candy and icecream).

edit : did it shed ? yep, couple of hairs. Not worried about that at this point in time but will of course monitor.

 

[RobE]

I've read there are 22,000 hairs in the Retro knot. Yes, it's a dense brush. I was fortunate to get one also. I don't have a great amount of long term experience with shaving brushes but I have enjoyed using the Retro a few times. Mine initially shed a few hairs at each session, but the last time I used it, it didn't shed a one. I was glad to notice that. They do settle in. Thanks for the write-up.

 

[2fast]

Damm it, Add it to my wish list lol

 

[heybatter]

Nice brush. Those retros have enticed me for a while, but I'm holding strong.