The Mühle 31M89 Silvertip Synthetic Shaving Brush is a beautiful statement piece that matches their R89 safety razor to make a handsome shaving set. Easy to clean and keep in good shape, this synthetic fiber brush is soft and absorbent, creates a great lather with ease, and is a perennial favorite among shavers.
Mühle Silvertip Synthetic Shaving Brush 31M89
Highlights: Easy to clean and keep in good shape. Synthetic fiber brush is soft and absorbent. Company has been making grooming products for more than seven decades.
Mühle Silvertip Synthetic Shaving Brush 31M89 at a glance:
| Country of Origin: | None listed |
| Materials: | Chrome Synthetic fibers |
| Certifications: | None listed |
Table of Contents
Overview
Many synthetic fiber brushes are made with just one type of fiber and don’t hold water well, which makes it a little harder to lather up. This brush is made with several different fiber thickness, creating great backbone without making it too scratchy. It reportedly outperforms most others as well as some more expensive badger hair brushes that cost twice as much and smell like, well, an angry wet badger.
The 31M89 holds onto its bristles and seems durable, which makes it pretty eco-friendly in my book. If something calamitous does happen to the brush knot, though, you can buy a replacement knot from the company, which means you don’t need to throw the whole thing away. You may even want to find an old shaving brush, remove the knot, and replace it with this one from Mühle for extra eco-friendliness.
The knot measures 21 mm in diameter, with a 100 mm overall height. The brush has a solid chrome handle and weighs around 5 ounces (142 g), making it a great choice if you like a bit more weight to your shaving brush.
As a company, Mühle are well-regarded for their craftsmanship and German quality design and performance. They have been making grooming products for more than seven decades and have really pushed the industry forward in terms of synthetic brush fiber quality. If you have any doubts about making the switch from an animal hair shaving brush to a synthetic, go for Mühle.
Mühle 31M89 Silvertip vs. RazoRock vs. Mühle Hexagon
The Mühle 31M89 Silvertip Synthetic Shaving Brush is my top pick for an eco-friendly, non-toxic, cruelty-free shaving brush, but it’s not perfect, given those plastic synthetic fibers and all. Still, this one is a real beauty and the quality seems second to none.
At 21 mm diameter, the knot on this brush is quite a bit less than the RazoRock’s 24 mm (View on Amazon), and the RazoRock is also quite a bit heavier (187 g vs 142 g). The knot on the RazoRock is also softer than that on the 31M89, Hexagon, and likely the Black Fiber Thermo Wood model too. The 31M89 knot is the same size as on Mühle’s Black Fibre Thermo Wood brush, however, but seems to be a little firmer than the black fiber type knots.
The knot is also the same as on Mühle’s Hexagon model (View on Amazon), meaning that the only real difference between the two is the handle and, subsequently, the weight (187 g vs 127 g). Personally, I much prefer the 31M89, but if a hexagonal graphite shaving brush fits your aesthetic, and the little bit of weight difference doesn’t matter to you, the Hexagon is a far cheaper option.
The same is true of the Thermo Wood model, which seems to be the best of the best for wooden handle shaving brushes. The 31M89 costs $132 compared to just $90.50 for the Hexagon and $47 for the Thermo Wood model. It’s also a lot more expensive than the RazoRock ($27) and much lesser models such as those from The Body Shop and elsewhere.
Bear in mind, though, that this shaving brush will very likely last you decades, if not the rest of your shaving life, and is an absolute pleasure to look at and use. In the long run, it will likely save you many hours of annoyance and plenty of good money thrown after bad brushes.