because they use Muehle STF knots
The evolution of synthetic hair in shaving brushes
- Thread starter Windigo
- Start date
I've tried the EVO, and many other knots from different generations and different makers. So far, the Mühle STF is far and away the best and the Shavemac fiber is a distant second, at least for me.
I wish the Mühle STF came in a 27 or 28mm knot. They get better with use.
I wish the Mühle STF came in a 27 or 28mm knot. They get better with use.
My grail brush would be a Razorock Bruce in an ivory coloured handle of the same proportions. I love the performance of that brush and it reminds me of the small boars of my Grandfathers generation. Cheap workhorses that produce consistent results when used and abused on a daily basis.
Sorry I posted this in the wrong thread and don’t know how to delete it.
Where do Simpson Sovereign and Platinum bristles fit in?
How is loft measured? Is it from the edge of the handle/cup to the highest tip (presumably in the center) in side view? Center of the glue to the highest tip?
I have a recent Muhle Classic XL with STF. I presume it would have the v2 fibers? Do they still use the v1 fibers in anything? I know the knot is 25mm, but the loft is unspecified. Is the depth for this brush typical or optimal for the knot? Muhle probably knows what they are doing with their knot, but opinions may vary ….
Just trying to calibrate my reference point.
I also have a Razorock 400 Plissoft “Noir”, which they describe as a bit stiffer than regular Plissoft. To me, it feels a bit prickly, with all-or-nothing splay. I like the STF better, though I don’t love the Classic handle.
I have a recent Muhle Classic XL with STF. I presume it would have the v2 fibers? Do they still use the v1 fibers in anything? I know the knot is 25mm, but the loft is unspecified. Is the depth for this brush typical or optimal for the knot? Muhle probably knows what they are doing with their knot, but opinions may vary ….
Just trying to calibrate my reference point.
I also have a Razorock 400 Plissoft “Noir”, which they describe as a bit stiffer than regular Plissoft. To me, it feels a bit prickly, with all-or-nothing splay. I like the STF better, though I don’t love the Classic handle.
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Get Rudy Vey to make you a brush to your liking using the Mühle STF knot. I have two from him and am a happy camper.
There's no v1. That was discontinued in 2012.
The loft is a measurement of the visible brush head, I.e. From where it exits the handle to the tip.
The STF v2 is IMO by far the best synthetic available.
I have the XL in the (classic) discontinued faux horn handle, which I find very ergonomic.
I also rate very highly the G5A, G5C and G7.
But STF remains king.
My wife had the pick of my litter of synthetic brushes. I said she should choose the two she liked best. The Rudy STF 25mm was one of them.
A discerning wife, to be sure. I like teh Mühle STF knot better than any knots I have used. I am no expert and I've never used a high end badger, just regular priced ones. I have a good boar brush and a variety of synthetics. I really like this STF knot. I have two and am contemplating two more.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I rarely look at shaving forums other than B&B but was directed to one by a Google search. One thread included a screen shot of an email dated April 2023 from Anna Dillon of Simpson, in reply to a query asking if the Simpson synthetic knots had changed; one of the quotes from Anna interested me and is shown below:
"Yes, that's our new material for the sovereign and the material for the Platinum grade is also slightly different from previous brushes".
"Yes, that's our new material for the sovereign and the material for the Platinum grade is also slightly different from previous brushes".
I think some of the information in the original post is not true. Especially regarding Omega.
The S-brushes are not early 2000s. Not sure if we could even include them in the so called second generation. I believe they were released no more than 10 years ago.
Also, there are 2 completely different classes of Hi-Brush. Both still manufactured. The earlier are the black ones (called now Black Hi-Brush on their site). They are sold as brushes that imitate the pure badger performance. Scratchy with decent backbone. Put off many badger users who tried it. Very good brushes nevertheless.
The later one is the white Hi-Brush (simply called Hi-Brush on their site). It is softer with very gentle tips. Very good performance.
The S-brushes are not early 2000s. Not sure if we could even include them in the so called second generation. I believe they were released no more than 10 years ago.
Also, there are 2 completely different classes of Hi-Brush. Both still manufactured. The earlier are the black ones (called now Black Hi-Brush on their site). They are sold as brushes that imitate the pure badger performance. Scratchy with decent backbone. Put off many badger users who tried it. Very good brushes nevertheless.
The later one is the white Hi-Brush (simply called Hi-Brush on their site). It is softer with very gentle tips. Very good performance.
I admit that I'm a badger snob, since starting in 2009. I tried my first synth in 2015. Twern't cheap, and cost $60. I did not like it. It didn't lather as well as my badgers and wasn't as soft. It did have a nice handle, so I PIF'd to another member the following year. I tried another synth in 2017. That vendor swore it was soft, not prickly, like my first. They lied. It was much cheaper, but the only thing it was good for was cleaning crumbs from my keyboard. I wouldn't even PIF that one. In 2018, I bought a 24mm RazoRock Plissoft in a heavy chrome handle. It's a great brush. I mostly use it on old soaps, that I'm trying to conserve, as it doesn't chew them up like badgers.
You really need to try a Mühle Silvertip Fiber knot. Rudy Vey wlll fix you up, and so will Mühle.
Don't tempt me. I've been down the brush rabbit hole before. I've had 25, down to 10, and half are boxed in the basement and no longer used. Getting old and shaving less frequently, but I'll keep the Muhle in mind if my RR fails. I live close to Rudy and he's done a couple brushes for me over the years. including my favorite brush. A couple years back Rudy replaced a Rooney 3-band knot in a 1/2 Rooney handle with a 24mm 2-band Shavemac knot. I use the Rudy Shavemac more than my 3 Thaters combined.
I'm no brush expert. I've had badger and boar. I've had a number of different kinds of synthetics. However, once I got the RV STF I got rid of badger and boar and most synthetics. For me, personally, there was no longer a reason to have a badger brush because I loved the STF that much. However, as they say, YMMV. Still, this knot has a sterling reputation for a reason.
It's been years since I had a natural hair brush, and I feel the need to try them again. I have my STFs and a nice Zenith synth waiting for me when the badger fever has run its course.
I like the STF Rudy made up for me, but I still prefer the gentle scrub of the badgers I have.
For me, the STF, Alpha G5 “D”, and the Evo Original are all great…..for synthetic brushes, but again, for me, I prefer my SV and Zenith Manchurian badgers by quite a large margin. I have a very limited paradigm when it comes to badgers. I only have 5 of them and one is too soft for me. I’m getting Rudy to change out the knot to one with that gentle scrub I love.
For me, the STF, Alpha G5 “D”, and the Evo Original are all great…..for synthetic brushes, but again, for me, I prefer my SV and Zenith Manchurian badgers by quite a large margin. I have a very limited paradigm when it comes to badgers. I only have 5 of them and one is too soft for me. I’m getting Rudy to change out the knot to one with that gentle scrub I love.
In this review
In the comments, the reviewer responds saying he prefers the original Plisson synthetic. So looks like the gen 4 synthetic is worse than gen 3 at least in the Plisson. I had bought a Muhle synthetic fiber and even without using but just tapping it on my face I found it too pokey compared to my L’occitane Plisson, and I ended up selling the Muhle on BST at a steep loss.
The Muhle is my favorite as well. I would also agree that the Shavemac comes in second. I've got a 21mm and 23mm Muhle and a 25mm (XL) on the way. It blows my mind how much less lather is needed with a synthetic compared to natural hair.
