The Canadian company Thavma makes a Synthetic Silvertip Fiber Shaving Brush that has a stainless steel handle, is vegan-friendly, hand-machined and polished, and made in Canada. This shaving brush features a knot with a 22 mm (0.87″) diameter; 50 mm (1.97″) bristle loft; 53 mm (2.09”) handle height, and an overall height of 103 mm (4.06″). The brush feels solid, has a good heft to it (which makes lathering easier), and… seems to have been discontinued, so get it while you can.
Our Rating: 4 / 5 (See: How Leaf Score is calculated)
Table of Contents
Product Highlights
- Knot on this shaving brush dries quickly, whips up a good lather, and has a soft feel
- As a synthetic, it also avoids the nasty smell and break-in period with all animal hair shaving brushes
- Costs a fraction of the price of most badger, boar, and horse hair brushes
| Country of Origin: | Canada |
| Materials: | Synthetic fibers, stainless steel handle |
| Certifications: | None specified |
Overview
Thavma may or may not still be in business, with their company website down and no replies (so far) to my attempts to contact them. Still, you can find their grooming wares in various places online, but this may be a ‘while stocks last’ sort of situation. The one currently listed at Amazon.com costs $175.
Given that the synthetic knot on this brush appears to be the same as many other highly recommended synthetic brushes, it seems a good bet for a great shave. I particularly like that the handle is made with metal rather than plastic or a treated wood, and that the brush was made in Canada, where quality standards are typically higher than in, say, Asia.
I won’t go into all the advantages of a synthetic shaving brush (for that, check out my article on alternatives to toxic shaving products here), but I will say that this knot will dry faster, whip up a good lather, and feel a little softer (but with good backbone) on the skin. As a synthetic, it also avoids the nasty smell and break-in period with all animal hair shaving brushes and costs a fraction of the price of most badger, boar, and horse hair brushes.
Thavma’s company spiel states that the founder is the grandson of a barber and the son of an entrepreneur. Thavma make (made?) a variety of handcrafted shaving brushes and razors, as well as other grooming products. I really hope they’re still in business, because they seemed to be doing things right, with care over the quality, design, and production of their brushes and other products.
Thavma vs. Mühle vs. RazoRock
The Thavma Silvertip Fiber Shaving Brush is a great option, if you can find it. It seems that Thavma may no longer be in business, but some stocks of this brush remain, so my advice is to snap one up if you can.
I love the stainless steel handle on this one, and would favor this over the Thermo Wood, 31M89 (View Price on Amazon), and Hexagon (View Price on Amazon) from Mühle, as well as the RazoRock Chrome model. While I can’t find an exact weight for the Thavma brush, it is designed as a travel brush, so is likely lighter than all but the Thermo Wood just mentioned.
That this is handmade in Canada also wins points for eco-friendliness, but with a 22 mm knot, it might be a little difficult to find a replacement knot for this one, should Thavma go out of business entirely. The 21 mm Mühle replacement knots won’t fit, and neither would the 24 mm RazoRock Plissoft knots.
Without the specifics of the knot itself, it’s hard to know if the Thavma is the same type of fiber as in the knots on the Mühles, but it certainly looks very similar. This may mean it is a tad firmer than the Black Fiber and the Plissoft (View Price on Amazon), with good backbone.