Shaving brush Sophist synthetic trim

The handle is made of so-called ironwood, which has this name for good reason. Due to its extreme hardness and density, it is extremely durable, tough and resistant, thus particularly suitable for handles and for use in areas where a lot of water is handled. Ironwood is the name given to various hard woods. The ironwood for this shaving brush handle comes from Olneya trees in the Sonora Desert in Arizona and is therefore also called desert ironwood. Because of the low population of this tree species, only the wood of already dead trees is used. Its silky glossy polished surface brings out the deepbraunen hue and fine grain particularly well.

For shaving brushes, real badger hair was previously considered the measure of all things, rightly so, because as a rule, natural products are difficult or impossible to replace with artificial ones. But not everyone likes natural hair, and the existing synthetic fibers were not made for shaving brushes and thus were not up to the demands or the stresses. In cooperation with a company specializing in synthetic fibers, Mühle has developed synthetic fibers that not only keep up with badger hair, but can even do a bit more. Extremely resistant to soap, water and mechanical stress, they are even more durable and dry faster than natural hair. Nevertheless, even with the easy-care synthetic trim thorough washing out after use and hanging storage ensure that the shaving brush lasts a long time.

As with the badger hair, the synthetic trim is available in different qualities. The fibers of this shaving brush (Silvertip Fibre©) correspond to the fine, soft silver tip badger pluck, the very best quality of badger hair. The tips are extremely soft and fine, so can produce a nice firm lather, and still have a pleasant massaging effect when applying the lather.
The production of the fibers themselves is complex, and the manufacturing of the trim requires the same attention, care and dedication as a badger hair brush. By hand, the hairs are placed upside down in a push box and are pushed and tapped into shape and ricochets corrected until the desired contour is achieved. The brush is also not mechanically reworked here, so that the fine hair tips are preserved.

While not every craft business succeeds in balancing tradition and modernity, the Mühle shaving brush manufactory does: The still family-run company has preserved the traditional knowledge of the craft while welcoming new materials, manufacturing methods and contemporary designs. The manufactory in the Ore Mountains produces articles, 90% handmade, for wet shaving. The heart of the company is up to the present day the manufacturing of the shaving brush. The brush makers need a sure touch, a steady hand and a good eye to work with the fine badger hair. In the first step, they carefully sort the hair, weigh the fibres out to the tenth of a gram and then tap them into shape in a box. Then they take the 20,000 or so hairs with great care out of the moulding box and, without a single hair slipping out of place, tie them firmly into a tassel called loft. When they have finished the form of the loft, they glue and mount it on the handle of the shaving brush. They manufacture all brushes with extreme care, whether made of badger hair or special synthetic fibres; we offer both hair and fibres in a range of different qualities. Mühle produces the shaving brushes and razors in full at the company’s headquarters in Hundshübel. Parts are sourced as far as possible from the region.

Wood is a natural product, color and grain each turn out differently.