DOOD.CA: Guy Stuff

I always had a fascination with Synthetic brushes, and Muhle, being the most famous for their Synethics because interesting to me. I wanted to try one of their latest Synthetic Silvertip brushes, but the price was quite high. I ended up settling for this Synthetic Black Badger as a price compromise as these are quite a bit more affordable than the flaship Silvertip Fiber brushes.

When I puchased this Black Synthetic, it was my first real synthetic brush (The $6 Wilkinson Sword Brush Doesn’t Count!) so I had nothing to compare it with but now I have used and bought a few others, giving me a bit more of a benchmark to compare it to, and more information to provide you guys with a somewhat more detailed review and comparison to others I have experienced.

Specs:
Knot Size: 21mm
Loft: 58mm
Handle Height: 55mm
Handle Diameter: 40mm
Glue Bump: None
MSRP: $83USD

When I first received this Muhle, I was surprised by the lack of density in the knot. I was expecting something that felt like most badger or boar knots I had owned in the past, but this was very sparse feeling and I was concerned how well it would lather and pick up soap when loading. While the brush tips were very soft, it probably had about less 1/2 the density that I was expecting it to have. The hairs are definately not natural feeling, and have this sort of plastic/nylon feel to them when touching the base or rubbing it dry against my hands.

All of this is really not important I guess if it lathers and applies cream to the face properly, right? Well, kinda I guess. Let’s be honest: We’re all shave enthusiasts here. I personally love the feel of a badger or boar brush, and nylon feel that these synthetic brushes have doesn’t feel “right” to me, even on the face. However, they have their uses, especially when travelling. The Basic 1 in particular due to the lack of density dries very quickly.

The handle is beautifully crafted, like all of Muhle’s handles, with a faux-horn main section and a chrome-plated base. The shape is a standard “cone” type of handle, which is a simpler design, but elegant in its execution. The handle feels good in the hand, and the high polished acrylic faux-horn is very nice to the touch. The Muhle windmill Logo is printed on the brush as well. Like all Muhle Brushes, the Basic 1 is made in Germany.

When lathering, the brush has a strange feel to be because the fibers are very sparse. It is awkward to bowl lather because there isn’t much there to bowl lather with it feels like, but it does whip up the lather very well. With time, you’ll probably get used to the properties of this Black Synthetic Badger brush from Muhle, but it is definately tricky in the beginning. Like most Synthetics, it definately requires less product to get going. You can probably use half or two-thirds the amount you normally use and it just works… the brush has fantastic flow-through and barely hogs any lather which also makes it more efficient.

Overall its a good brush that I love to use when I am travelling. Do I ever use it when I’m not travelling? Almost never. I much prefer my badger and boar brushes over this little Black Fiber Brush from Muhle, but if you’re a Vegan or just don’t like the idea of using animal hair in your brushes, then this might fit the bill. I have tried the higher end silvertip fiber brushes from Muhle, and they are a step up in terms of feel and performance, but they still have similar nylon/plastic feel and unnatural splaying when you push it against your face when face lathering. Still good, but not for everyone. Additionally, some synthetics have a tendancy to smell funny if they’re not rinsed well after use. I haven’t noticed that as much with this one, but keep that in mind when using!

Muhle Basic 1 Black Synthetic Specs and Rating:

Handle Comfort: 8
Uncomfortable		Comfortable
Soap Performance: 7
Poor		Excellent
Cream Performance: 7
Poor		Excellent
Bowl Lathering: 6
Poor		Excellent
Face Lathering: 7
Poor		Excellent
Softness: 7
Scratchy		Soft
Backbone: 3
Floppy		Strong
Scrub: 4
Gentle		Scrubby
Density: 3
Sparse		Dense
Hair Thickness: 4
Thin		Thick
Flow-Through: 9
Lather Hog		Lather Giver
Value: 6
Rip-Off		Steal
Overall: 7
Mediocre		Excellent