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Muhle Synthetic Silvertip Fibre -- Continuous Review/Test

I purchased the Muhle Kosmo shaving brush with silvertip fibre (synthetic) 21mm and it came in the mail yesterday. Naturally, it was up in the rotation today, so I thought I'd give it a mini review.

My only two experiences with synthetics were an Edwin Jagger and a Body Shop, neither of which impressed me much (of the two I liked the EJ better but I felt the BS was way too floppy for my tastes).

When I took hold of the Muhle I was a bit disappointed. It looked great, the tips were very soft and the brush felt nicely solid in the hand, but it didn't seem to have the type of backbone that I wanted. Ah well, there's always B/S/T, right? Although I thought about trying it with a cream, I decided to give it a go with Proraso (white) from a tub. I read that some people have problems lathering the Proraso in one of the "overrated" threads, so I thought I'd give it a go.

The results -- I loaded for maybe 15 - 20 seconds. The lather did not look like much on the brush, but when I face lathered it absolutely exploded. I got a fairly thick, creamy lather -- enough for 3+ passes -- with minimal effort. Moreover, the brush felt wonderful on my face. Bottom line: I've never received such good results from Proraso.

Of course, I wondered if something else was possibly at play. It just so happened that I washed all my brushed last night as I've read that washing can help you create better lather. So tomorrow, I will lather the Proraso white with another brush (perhaps my Simpsons Colonel) to compare the lather vs. a clean badger. In the next few days I will compare the Muhle vs. other brushes with other soaps/creams to see whether today's results can stand up.

So Day 1 with the Muhle. So far, so good. :thumbup1:

$muhle_31k256_new.jpg
 
I'm an enabler! :lol:

As I mentioned above, I am going to perform a test by using the Muhle every other day to compare it to different brushes on various soaps and creams. I'll keep posting in this thread, but I have to say that I was very impressed by the results on day one.
 
The Kosmo is a beautiful looking brush, and I'm very curious how you like the grip. I shied away from it because I thought it might be slippery, but given Mühle's design genius, I can appreciate that the grip is not a problem at all.

I've been working with a team that has tested a total of 19 new generation synthetic brushes from 9 manufacturers, and we will start to post our findings next week. What I can say now is: you made a great choice.
 
I've used a Muhle silvertip fibre Kosmo since February, and the grip is not a problem, despite the smooth and curvy handle. I have more trouble with water/soap on the handle of my R89 than with the handle of the brush. It's been a very good performer for a noob!
 
Day 2: Having successfully produced a thick cushiony lather with the Muhle/Proraso white soap yesterday, it was time to see how a badger would fare.

Today's contestant: my Simpsons Colonel in best. The Colonel is probably my best brush. Dense with a solid backbone, but still soft on the face. I prepped the same way that I normally do (and most importantly, the same way that I prepped yesterday) -- soaked my brush as I showered. As is typically the case when I use Proraso soap, I started with some Proraso Pre-shave to give my face a nice cooling blast of menthol. I loaded up the Colonel. For some reason the brush, post-loading, looked a bit more substantial than the Muhle. Then I face lathered.

The verdict: The Colonel gave me a fine lather, with nice thickness (aside -- I read people have problems lathering Proraso...can't understand why). Still, I felt like the Muhle created lather a bit more effortlessly and a bit "thicker" too. It wasn't like the difference was night and day, but it was noticeable. Importantly, I preferred the way the Muhle felt in my hand and on my face. It's a more modern looking brush, but it has a heavy handle. On my face, the Muhle Silvertip felt softer. Yes, it didn't have as much backbone/scrubbiness evident, but on my face it felt pillow soft.

Round 1 goes to the Muhle by a hair.

Next up, the Muhle will go up against a vintage S300 Rubberset brush restored with a 20mm TGN silvertip knot, 45mm loft. I'm thinking it will be a contest of creams -- I have no doubt the Muhle would beat my restore in a soap contest, though that will come in time. I'm already excited for the weekend, when the contestants will battle over MdC.
 
Codfish -- I liked the grip just fine, but have only had one go round with the brush so far. I will try to post more impressions about the styling, grip, etc. in the next few days, as I gain a bit more experience with the Kosmo.
 
Trial #2 Synthetic Silvertip v. Silvertip

Today I was running a bit late, so I thought I'd pick up the first tub of cream that I saw. Well, first I saw ToBS, but a dead monkey could lather ToBS, so I want with the Body Shop Maca Root instead (which left me very moisturized, btw).

10 quick swirls (I counted so I could do the same tomorrow) produced enough thick lather for 4+ passes. I noticed a few other things too. I like the way the handle felt. It's a bit narrower than some of my other handles, but it felt very natural (ergonomic). I also noticed that I held the brush a bit differently, somewhat lightly and it still had a pretty good splay. Again, it felt very soft but not quite the same as silvertip. That's not a negative, it was just a bit different.

Overall positive experience. I'm liking this brush a lot.
 
Trial #2 Synthetic Silvertip v. Silvertip (Part 2)

Today I used my TGN silvertip restore with Body Shop Maca Root.

10 quick swirls, just like yesterday...lots of lather, great feeling on the face. Natural hair seems to hold is own.

Honesty, I have to say I can't really pick a winner. I think it's a function of using a cream. I have no doubt that the synthetic would best the "real" silvertip in a soap battle, but in this battle both sides were always going to perform well. I'll continue to compare. This weekend I'll try to do a true side by side using equal amounts of product.
 
Just ordered this set:
Mühle Stylo Thuja Wood

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The brush is the 21 mm Silvertip fibre version. Will use it for face lathering ONLY !
Hope I'll like it :w00t:
 
And now for a really stupid question ....

You mentioned you have a Kosmo?
Doesn't the Kosmo look like this:
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Or is that different in the US?

I am asking, because I am curious about the 'tonneau' type Kosmo handle, and the difference with Muhles Classic handle!
 
Wim I have the Kosmo on the way from shaving.ie. That's the one I ordered and I have the classic handle as well. The pic post at the top of the thread is the classic handle.
 
And now for a really stupid question ....

You mentioned you have a Kosmo?
Doesn't the Kosmo look like this:
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Or is that different in the US?

I am asking, because I am curious about the 'tonneau' type Kosmo handle, and the difference with Muhles Classic handle!

Wim,

Thats the Kosmo. I have not had the classic handle, but the Kosmo is very comfy. Made a mistake when I posted the original pic.
 
I think the Kosmo handle is a bit heavy, but for me the weight is well distributed so it's not uncomfortable in any way. In terms of feel in the hand, I'd probably say it's my favorite brush.
 
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