The Mühle Black Fibre Thermo Wood Shaving Brush is made with heat-treated ash and high quality synthetic fibers. It has a contemporary natural look, a ring size of 21 mm, soft-tipped bristles with a great backbone, and costs just $47.00, a fraction of what a badger bristle brush costs (and all without that nasty wet badger smell).
Mühle Black Fibre Thermo Wood Shaving Brush
Highlights: Made with heat-treated ash and high quality synthetic fibers. Soft-tipped bristles with a great backbone. Knot is durable and strong, forms and holds a good lather, and vegan-friendly.
Mühle Black Fibre Thermo Wood Shaving Brush at a glance:
| Country of Origin: | Germany |
| Materials: | Heat treated ash and synthetic fibers |
| Certifications: | None listed |
Table of Contents
Overview
Mühle process the ash wood with a special heating process to make it durable and water-resistant. As far as I can tell, they don’t use any varnishes, lacquers, stains, or other products on the wood (but I have contacted them to confirm this). You can find out more about thermowood here.
The synthetic fibers are very similar in performance to actual badger hair, but slightly softer at the tips, so your face won’t feel quite so exfoliated (or irritated, depending on your skin). The knot is durable and strong, forms and holds a good lather, and is vegan-friendly to boot.
As a company, Mühle are well-regarded for their craftsmanship and German quality design and performance. They have been making grooming products for many decades and have really pushed the industry forward in terms of synthetic brush fiber quality.
Mühle Thermo Wood vs. Mühle 31M89 Silvertip Synthetic vs. Mühle Hexagon
The Thermo Wood from Mühle seems to be the best of the best for wooden handle shaving brushes. It appears to be free from toxic varnishes and stains, has a quality knot, and is relatively inexpensive at just $47, compared to well over $100 for badger hair brushes, as well as for the Mühle 31M89 Silvertip Synthetic Shaving Brush at $132.
Still, the Mühle 31M89 is my top pick for an eco-friendly, non-toxic, cruelty-free shaving brush, largely because of the quality of the knot and the quality of construction. That said, the knot on the Mühle 31M89 is the same as on the Mühle Hexagon, which costs just $90.50 and has a more contemporary look and feel. All three of these have knots with a 21 mm diameter, which is quite a bit less than the RazoRock’s 24 mm. The RazoRock is also quite a lot heavier than the Thermo Wood (187 g vs 28 g), but costs just $27 and has a softer knot.
While the knots on the Mühle’s are all the same size, the Black Fibre Thermo Wood brush seems to be a little softer than the knot on the 31M89 and the Hexagon, and may have more backbone too, making it a better choice for those who like a bit more scrub to their brush.
The Thermo Wood brush is heat treated pine that holds up well to water exposure, but it likely won’t last you as long as a quality metal handle. As such, if you want a beautiful shaving brush that will very likely last you decades, if not the rest of your shaving life, and is an absolute pleasure to look at and use, I’d go for the Mühle 31M89 or the Hexagon. In the long run, both will likely save you many hours of annoyance and plenty of good money thrown after bad brushes.