Ok, I've been hemming and hawing on trying a synthetic again, particularly to keep in my DOPP kit. I was going to get a black fibre, but they are hard to come by from US vendors. Phil at Bullgoose was out of them so I opted for the 21mm Silvertip Fibre in horn. I really wanted to keep my purchase with one of our good B&B vendors, and that handle is just so darn pretty. I had one before but I didn't like the action of the brush so much. Now that I know it will not really be just like real badger hair, I know more what to expect. I'm going to shave with it for a good week solid to get the hang of it once it gets here. Gee, now I'm all giddy with excitement! Hopefully the one Phil sends me will be the new V2 fibres. We'll see.
Silvertip Fibre Round Two
- Thread starter Foyle
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My experience with synthetic brushes has been nothing but positive (23mm Muhle STF, the big 28mm H.I.S. relofted to 56mm and TGN's). I think you'll enjoy it. They are absolute lather monsters with a nice face feel, IMO.
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Congrats! You will enjoy it--especially if it turns out to be the V2 version...
I just used it for 13 days while on vacation and loved it!
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- #5
Well, Phil at Bullgoose says it's the V-2 fibre, so I'm eager to see how it differs from the V1. It should be here by the end of the week.
I'm using the Silvertip Fibres 5-2 over badger right now.
I have a Muhle silvertip fiber version 2.0, 21 mm with classic olivewood handle. Really soft tips, nice backbone, lathers really well. A really awesome brush - I love it.
After all these threads/posts I'm pretty sure this will be my first actual brush purchase beside the omega i just got from a drug store.
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- #9
According to a post by GD Carrington, the V2 fibres are less springy than the V1's. This is good, because I really thought that the V1 fibres were far too springy.
Gary is correct on this. The V2 fibers are thinner and more evenly tapered along their length. The thinner diameter allows more fibers to be packed into a given knot size, improving the brush density noticeably, and making for a more luxurious face feel. The V2 brushes are very nice to use. More and more I like the fact that they are easy to use: they do not need soaking and are quicker and easier to clean than natural hair brushes. Even though I own some excellent silvertip badger brushes, I find myself reaching for my synths almost exclusively.
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This has been my travel brush for several months now. However, I also use it in my regular rotation. I never tried the V 1 brush so can't comment on it. However, I have tried other synthetic brushes (H.I.S. and Parker) and this one beats them hands down.
Can anyone tell me how these V2 brushes compare to the Mühle Black Fibre brushes, please?
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- #13
I don't have personal experience between the two, but it is my understanding that the black fibres are less dense than the silver tip fibres, and the black knots are machine made while the silver tip knots are hand tied. The fibres themselves are also different. But, I've read that the newer balck fibres have different fibres than the older ones. Hopefully someone with actually hands on experience will chime in.
Unger,
I have both in V2. The silvertip fibre (SF) is much denser that the black fibre (BF).
I have only tried face lathering with the BF once and had a hard time generating lather. I may not have loaded the brush enough due to the less dense fibres than standard badger or SF brushes as I have read others who can face lather with the BF. I would use the BF for bowl lathering with creams and the SF for either. The BF will be my travel brush too due to it being able to dry faster than the SF.
Please feel free to ask my any other questions or if you need photos.
I have both in V2. The silvertip fibre (SF) is much denser that the black fibre (BF).
I have only tried face lathering with the BF once and had a hard time generating lather. I may not have loaded the brush enough due to the less dense fibres than standard badger or SF brushes as I have read others who can face lather with the BF. I would use the BF for bowl lathering with creams and the SF for either. The BF will be my travel brush too due to it being able to dry faster than the SF.
Please feel free to ask my any other questions or if you need photos.
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I make no claim for total objectivity, as I am a fan of the Black Fibre series of brushes. I do have a lot of experience with them.
I received my first model two years age, and since then I've added three more to my collection. I've noticed that over time, MÜHLE has quietly introduced refinements to the series. My first Black Fibre brush (on the right below) sported a loft of 66mm. The second had a loft of 60mm. The third measured 54mm, and the brush I received two weeks ago from Connaught (on the left) has a loft of 50mm!
True, they are all Black Fibre brushes, and yes, they all have soft tips, and all work very well with any soap or cream I use. But I suspect that there are differences not explained by loft alone.
The brush I received most recently is from the new RYTMO Black Fibre line. It is still made by machine, and as a result does not have the density of a hand-built MÜHLE STF V1 or V2 brush. The backbone is nice. It provides great face feel and a nice massaging/scrubbing quality. These are medium-density brushes, but very good at what they do. They splay easily and I find them excellent for face lathering. They are excellent travel brushes because the medium density contributes to fast drying. At less than $35 delivered to Connecticut, they are a bargain, as well.
The brush's handle is a big departure from the plastic HJM brushes I own. This is wood--very attractive and nicely grained. At 98 grams, it has a very solid heft and feel. The metal trim is nicely chromed and polished.
The brush fibers are very soft. So much so that I question whether if they are the original fibers that I found on my first Black Fibre brush. They look and feel thinner--more like the fibers on a Kabuki brush. But I cannot be sure. I examined them under 10X magnification, and they are very gently tapered for almost their entire length.
Is this the V2 version of Black Fibres? MÜHLE will not confirm. My suspicions are due to the short loft, which I doubt would have been possible with the original fibers. Member Gary Carrington concurs that this appears to be a new version of Black Fibres. We believe that the fiber is made of the original material, but that it is drawn thinner than the original.
Additional note: the new VIVO line of brushed by Muhle appears to have the new Black Fibre as well.
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The fibers are the same, it is the fact the Muhle has packaged the fiber into a range of handles and knot sizes that work better for the traditional shaving community.
The Black Fibres to me are more than likely a great refinement over the original. Now the new Black Fibre does not feel at the tip exactly like the STF Version 2, nor should it for that matter. However, like going from Version 1 of the STF (good brush) to Version 2 of the STF (very good brush), the Black Fibres make the same type of transition (Version 1 was good and Version 2 is very good).
The thing is I still like and use my Version 1 Muhle STFs along with other Generation 3 fiber brushes such as TGN 3 Band Synthetic and the Kent. Each one seems to behave differently.
The V1 Muhles have more spring, the TGN 3 Band Synthetic more cushion and less spring, the Kent behaves more like a Boar brush. That is my 2% of one USD on the matter.
I appreciate the information. Thanks.
Speaking only from my experience, I can say I am fond of both the current black fibre and current silvertip fibre. I have a Vivo (black fibre) and a 23mm silvertip fibre. Both are outstanding. The former is, as others have said, not as dense as the latter, and its knot size is smaller, as well, so it doesn't have quite the lather capacity of the STF. Still, it works for three-pass shaves, and the faux ivory/chrome handle is actually one of my favorites in all of wetshaving. I am using the STF for daily shaving now and find its performance remarkable. It generates superior lather to badger and boar IMO. I have been wetshaving for five years and used boar exclusively for two years of that time; I felt fairly certain prior to acquiring the STF that my lather was as good as it was going to get. I was wrong. I get slightly tighter and denser lather - and with less time, effort and product - with these synthetics than with any other brush I have had. I sold most of my badgers some time ago to raise money for a few expenses. I acquired the STF and have this week sold my remaining badgers. The synthetic is all I feel the need to use going forward. I will keep an Omega Pro or two for nostalgia/occasional use, and I will probably try the further refinements of synthetic fiber as they occur, but for now, I am utterly satisfied with the STF. I could use the black fibre exclusively if I had to, and I will be giving it an extended run to see if familiarity improves my opinion of it, but for now, I can say that I find its softness actually more badger-like than the STF, but only slightly, and its corresponding lack of density makes it just a bit less optimal IMO. Still, these are both very fine brushes. I sold a Duke 3 in Best - formerly my holy grail - this week and hardly batted an eye. Synthetics have, IMO, come of age.
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