STF experts - Muhle/EJ Fibre Clarification - shed some light please

sonny

sonny

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720
Hi all
I recently purchased a 19mm (i'm not a big guy and I hate wasting lather) STF brush directly from Muhle. It is fantastic. After trying various other synths, I have foundthe perfect fibre for me. The handle shape is okay; the finishing is superb. I was worried about the lack of density, but it is no issue at all. When I am shaving at 3am for an early shift, I just want something that works right out of the box - not looking for an 'experience', no fuss, no learning curve, no break-in period. Face lathering is a joy again.
However, The 19mm is just a tad bit small, so I will keep it as a travel brush.

So, I ordered a EJ Chatsworth 21mm STF brush from TES company as I constantly read that Muhle and EJ STF knots are the same.
The chatsworth handle is absolutely fantastic. I like uniform-coloured handles and I don't like them too big or too small and stubby.
I thought I had found the 'one', and I was honestly going to buy another one (or 2 :p ) as spares for the future.
Unfortunately, the EJ fibres were pokey, especially the ones on the outer edge of the brush.
It's definitely not the same fibre! The performance, otherwise, was stellar.

I have attached a picture of the 2 side by side. The EJ knot fibres are more yellow whereas the Muhle's are whiter. It's a shame because the chatsworth handle is perfect for me. I have since seen mention of V1 and V2 fibres and that EJ are possibly using another (non-muhle) knot etc.

In an ideal world, I would love the chatsworth handle with a 21mm Muhle knot. TES company have been very helpful with their communication and it looks like they only have that (yellow) knot in the chatsworth handle. They have suggested that I give them the model number of a EJ brush that uses these 'whiter' (Muhle) fibres and they would put it in a chatsworth handle for me. However, I do not know which EJ (if any) uses the whiter knot in my recently purchased Muhle.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

If it's not possible, I will be getting a Muhle 21mm STF directly from Muhle, happily knowing that it will be the bigger 'sister' of my 19mm.
Here it is on Muhle's website: https://shorturl.at/amxHL
Funnily enough, there's one at Shaving.IE available for cheaper,
but the picture is a bit different and it says "V2" : https://www.shaving.ie/muhle-silvertip-fibre-ivory-shaving-brush-v2/

Thank you in advance
Sonny
 

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sonny said:
Hi all
I recently purchased a 19mm (i'm not a big guy and I hate wasting lather) STF brush directly from Muhle. It is fantastic. After trying various other synths, I have foundthe perfect fibre for me. The handle shape is okay; the finishing is superb. I was worried about the lack of density, but it is no issue at all. When I am shaving at 3am for an early shift, I just want something that works right out of the box - not looking for an 'experience', no fuss, no learning curve, no break-in period. Face lathering is a joy again.
However, The 19mm is just a tad bit small, so I will keep it as a travel brush.

So, I ordered a EJ Chatsworth 21mm STF brush from TES company as I constantly read that Muhle and EJ STF knots are the same.
The chatsworth handle is absolutely fantastic. I like uniform-coloured handles and I don't like them too big or too small and stubby.
I thought I had found the 'one', and I was honestly going to buy another one (or 2 :p ) as spares for the future.
Unfortunately, the EJ fibres were pokey, especially the ones on the outer edge of the brush.
It's definitely not the same fibre! The performance, otherwise, was stellar.

I have attached a picture of the 2 side by side. The EJ knot fibres are more yellow whereas the Muhle's are whiter. It's a shame because the chatsworth handle is perfect for me. I have since seen mention of V1 and V2 fibres and that EJ are possibly using another (non-muhle) knot etc.

In an ideal world, I would love the chatsworth handle with a 21mm Muhle knot. TES company have been very helpful with their communication and it looks like they only have that (yellow) knot in the chatsworth handle. They have suggested that I give them the model number of a EJ brush that uses these 'whiter' (Muhle) fibres and they would put it in a chatsworth handle for me. However, I do not know which EJ (if any) uses the whiter knot in my recently purchased Muhle.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

If it's not possible, I will be getting a Muhle 21mm STF directly from Muhle, happily knowing that it will be the bigger 'sister' of my 19mm.
Here it is on Muhle's website: https://shorturl.at/amxHL
Funnily enough, there's one at Shaving.IE available for cheaper,
but the picture is a bit different and it says "V2" : https://www.shaving.ie/muhle-silvertip-fibre-ivory-shaving-brush-v2/

Thank you in advance
Sonny
Click to expand...
Hi Sonny, I too love my STF brushes, they are virtually all I use now. I have an EJ STF 25mm knot, a Mühle Sophist with 23mm knot and a Rudy Vey Custom handle with a 23mm knot. The Edwin Jagger brush does look more yellow like yours. It performs well and I use it for head shaves. It is far more dense than the 23mm knot but I prefer the 23mm by far as it has much better flow though. Rudy Vey who has an agreement with Mühle has asked Mühle on several occasions if the knots have changed and they told him they haven’t. He also said he’d been using their knots for over 10 years and found no difference whatsoever. The was a rumour that Edwin Jagger STF knots aren’t actually Mühle knots but I don’t know if this is true or not. It’s a shame Mühle don’t offer more variety of handle shapes but you could always get a custom made one from Rudy Vey, he is very good to deal with in my experience.
 
Hi mate. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. It's funny because the price diff between 23/25mm I think is just £1. But, I have been enjoying so much the use of smaller brushes and I know 21mm is the sweet spot.

A Muhle 21mm STF will be great, I am sure. They're doing 10% off when signing up to the newsletter. So that helps a bit but I'm not too concerned because thede things tend to last 5yrs+, so overall cost over time is nothing. It's a shame as the chatsworth handle is gorgeous. Other handles feel as though they will give me arthritis! But hey, you can't have everything lol
 
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Rudy is a gem. His response was almost instant and he knows his stuff.

I got a bit excited with all the custom engravings and knots he offers lol, and I will need to do some extra hours at work or get in the Mrs good books to pay for a custom brush. I will go for the Muhle for now. Thanks all
 
Nav said:
EJ changed the knots in 2020.
They no longer use STF "synthetic silvertip" brushes.

Stick with Muhle STF brushes. Shaving.ie is a great place to source them.
Click to expand...
Cheers. Purchased one in black. I just realised all my past handles have been black too. It felt like Muhle have put in serious thought with their knots and brushes. I realised it when I compared to other synths from popular manufacturers.
 
Always had good communication with Rudy. You’ll be able to specify the exact colour, material and shaped handle and have the fabulous Mühle STF knot to make you brush perfect for your needs
 
Received my Muhle STF 21mm in black. Absolutely bowled over. I like shoving the brush (gently) against my face to really work the lather into my stubble and these STF brushes are perfect for that. The 19mm was fantastic and I now realise that I could easily get away with it as my daily shaver. In fact the 19mm as t currently stands is better... *however*, the 21mm just holds a bit more lather and the handle is a bit better . It also has a bit more backbone than the 19mm, but hopefully it will 'relax' a bit with use. If this happens then I will be a happy bunny. The slightly larger handle is fab. I had to read in between the lines of a lot of reviews to decide to go with the STFs and thanks to TSR members for their valuable insight.
 
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