RazoRock Plissoft 400 vs Mühle Classic Silvertip Fibre

[Gillette Abdi]

While I'm not entirely new to wet shaving and DE razors, I've mostly used foam from the can (lord forgive me) and I want to change things now. As such I want to get a proper synthetic brush now, so far I only own a cheap Aveo brush I got to test the waters.
Anyway, two brushes that I'm looking at are the RazoRock Silver Plissoft 400 24mm (24€) and the Mühle Classic Silvertip Fibre 21mm (38€) or 23mm (43€). Searching the forums I've seen praise for both of these brushes, but not a direct comparison. Right now I don't feel a particular huge urge to own more than 1 synthetic brush (let's ignore the Aveo), so I don't want to buy both.
So I'm interested if anybody has used both of these brushes and can give their subjective opinion on it. I'm also open to other suggestions in that price range which are available in the EU.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I have both. The Mühle I have is about ten years old but was barely used when I got it. Not sure if the fiber qualities have changed over the years or not.

The Mühle is a slightly taller knot than the Plissoft and less dense as well. I believe the Plissoft fibers are finer than the STF. Both knots splay pretty easily but the STF will feel bigger on your face due to the loft. I find the STF to be scrubbier than the Plissoft and if I mash it on my face it will prickle a little. I've read that they will soften a little with use. I've only got about 10 shaves on mine and it probably only had about that many shaves from the original owner. The Plissoft is very soft on the face. The STF feels and performs quite a bit like a badger brush, but a little springier.

Both generate lather very well; the Plissoft is faster and maybe the lather is denser. You point it at the puck and it explodes into lather. It holds a lot of water for a synth. The only complaint I can think of for the STF is that the lather tends to congregate down by the base of the knot. This is a very minor thing.

The handles are miles apart though. The Razorock is a lot heavier and the metal retains heat nicely. The long handle is nice for bowl lathering but if you have a smaller mug it will bang the sides.

I'd say both work just fine for bowl lathering. If you face lather, the STF will have more "face feel" and scrub if that's what you're looking for. The Plissoft is just silky soft with less "presence" on the face. The STF is pretty soft, in the grand scheme of things, though. Just not as soft as the Plissoft.

 

[emwolf]

I have a Muhle and a Plissoft synth brush and the Plissoft gets far more use. I like the face feel much better with Plissoft.

 

[WetShaveVet]

Thanks. Answers the question for me as well.

 

[clickity-click]

The face feel of the Plissoft and Muhle's STF are different.

The Plissoft feels smooth and soft (not floppy) and homogenous on the skin and many find this agreeable. STF fibres have more presence at the tips, you can feel the individual fibres which give a slightly, and to me at least, enjoyable scrubby feel. There is also quite a difference between the feel of different STF sizes; the 19mm STF knot feels sparse and scrubby, the 25mm STF has a far more luxurious feel.

Muhle also hand tie their knots (a la Simpson and Shavemac) and set the knots deep in the handle socket, you will not feel a glue bump. Their brush making heritage shows-up in use — in terms of a progressive splay, excellent flow-through and an ability to lather quickly. Muhle along with Omega and Simpson are the only brush manufacturers to have had fibres designed specifically for themselves, although they are now used by others. The Muhle 19mm STF is a favourite of mine and meets my preferences for a brush; I also have the EVO and Simpson's CH2S, also excellent. With much in shaving, you will know instantly which one you prefer if you used both side by side, it is difficult relying on others perceptions, but I hope this helps.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I haven't tried the RazoRock Plissoft, but I did have a Muhle 25mm STF brush. The STF fibers were great, but I found the handle to be uncomfortable (although I have some issues with arthritis that may account for that difficulty). Another RazoRock synthetic that you might want to consider is the "Hive". It's one of my favorite brushes, and it is currently on sale for $13. At that price you might want to throw it in your cart along with the Plissoft 400.

 

[Gillette Abdi]

Thanks for all the input, I think I'll go with the Plissoft. Right now I think I'd prefer the softer feel of it, rather than the bit more scrubby feel of the STF. Now I just have to decide whether to get the full black or brown/black brush...

I haven't tried the RazoRock Plissoft, but I did have a Muhle 25mm STF brush. The STF fibers were great, but I found the handle to be uncomfortable (although I have some issues with arthritis that may account for that difficulty). Another RazoRock synthetic that you might want to consider is the "Hive". It's one of my favorite brushes, and it is currently on sale for $13. At that price you might want to throw it in your cart along with the Plissoft 400.

Do you mean the Beehive? In any case this one isn't available at the store I plan to order at.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Thanks for all the input, I think I'll go with the Plissoft. Right now I think I'd prefer the softer feel of it, rather than the bit more scrubby feel of the STF. Now I just have to decide whether to get the full black or brown/black brush

Do you mean the Beehive? In any case this one isn't available at the store I plan to order at.

This is the brush I meant. It's available at the Italian Barber website. I'm not sure where else it might be sold.

 

[CJB3]

STF, to me, is much better than Plissoft. Backbone is much stronger with the STF.

 

[evahs]

Rudy Vey makes an incredible brush using the Muhle 25mm STF knot. Approaching synthetic perfection with the way he does it.

 

[nav]

I rank the STF way above the plissoft.

Assuming budget isn't an issue, the STF is phenomenal.

That said, I've had the RR Bruce which was a really nice brush, for around 12 bucks!

But again, if one can afford the STF, the XL size is on another level of performance and feel!

 

[rsp1202]

The original poster and first responses were talking about the smaller Muhles, I thought, and keeping to a budget. I have no experience with those brushes so don't know how they rate. But as for the STF XL, I couldn't agree more that a Plissoft doesn't hold a candle to it. It would be a false impression to think that one lacks softness. It's particularly well-balanced in all its traits.

 

[Obetron Rex]

@Steve_in_CT

I recently bought that exact brush from IB. I think it is great. I also bought the bigger orange beehive from them previously and like it even better. I'd like a RR Hulk, but hard to find a stand for it. I used badger brushes for close to 15 years until recently. I never got into the expensive ones. I have a $75 Parker Silvertip I bought and a $100+ Muhle Silvertip I got as a gift quite some time ago. The Muhle is too small and the parker is nice. But, I now prefer either one of the RR Plissoft brushes mentioned. I never thought I'd like synthetics, but they are soft, have great backbone and easier to deal with and amazingly cheap. Personally brushes are the only shaving item I won't/haven't spend a lot on, but I don't begrudge anyone who does. Whatever floats your boat if it makes you happy then it's worth it. I did order a custom synthetic silksmoke brush from AP shave but it was only about 30 bucks. I really like the Plissofts from RR but I haven't tried a Muhle synthetic. YMMV.

 

[Valerius]

I have both and would say you can flip a coin to decide which of them to go for. They are two good brushes and you can't go wrong eith any of them.