Initial impressions of Muhle Retro shave brush
My Muhle Retro shave brush arrived today and all I can say is wow. It had more noticeable badger funk than any of my other badgers did but you have to stuff it up to your nose to even smell it.
For the first test lather I sloshed it around in the cold water in the sink and shook it out, that is when I found out that it holds a ton of water. Took it to the MWF and loaded the brush, added some water by dipping the tips and loaded some more. The thing just eats MWF up. Made a lather on my hand. That was when I got my second surprise, how much rich creamy lather this brush can make and hold. You really notice how much it can hold when you rinse it out under a tap.
Reloaded the brush and did a face lather producing equally as copious amounts of rich and thick MWF lather as the first time. It has a great balance of backbone and softness to the tips to do a terrific job of face lathering. Not as much backbone as either the Simpsons Manchurian badger or the SOC 2 band badger I have but not really that far behind. The Retro is far larger and denser than either the Simpson or SOC yet they have very similar loft to knot width ratios. I suppose that is why they feel similar to me for face lathering.
Also did a test lather on a Williams puck and it ate that up too. I don't imagine creams will be a problem. I think it lost 3 hairs through all of that. If you like decent sized silver tip knots that are not too floppy the Retro might be worth checking out.
Yea I am happy with it. Obligatory photo to follow as soon as the knot dries, but that might be a while.
Bob
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