For those starting out, don't buy the Art of Shaving shave kit for the brush. It is garbage. I can't believe Art of Shaving (quality brand?) would put their name on this brush. Granted its dirt cheap but buying crap at a low price is still a bad deal. I think I used mine about 5 times before it lost all its hairs...joking. No, I used it about 5 times before I got tired of picking badger hairs off my face and razor.

Wait to invest in a quality starter brush ~$75? Since its a good one you should be able to sell it if you chose.

Not sure about density compared to others, so n/a.

I've had this brush for a while and it's been a nice little brush, especially when I'm in a rush and only doing two passes or using a cartridge razor. It's a bit expensive at full retail ($50) but goes on sale for $25 occasionally, making it a good value. Being Pure Badger, it's scrubby. I use it with soaps and lather directly to the face. This is where is shines performance-wise. It's in my regular rotation along with a Shavemac 220 and a Vulfix 2234. As for the poor quality comments above, I've never lost more than a hair or two. I suggest the above reviewer return/exchange his as it would seem he got a bad apple.

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Mike

My Wiki Page

Even better, someone starting out would be interested in teh Crabtree and Evelynn Shaving Brush. The only hard part is actually going into the store...so if you have a girlfriend wife or other female with you at the time...send them instead so your macho guy friends don't have ammo for jokes. ;-)
But seriously I have not used, but many people on this forum have and it get good reviews. I can tell you from experience them AofS starter brush is about a effective as using the snow from your cars ice scraper...just don't do it. Shame considering their products are generally well made and easy on the allergies.

Is this a review or a bitch about an off quality product. You don't say which starter kit you bought. The $35 one or the $100 one. I would imagine there is a difference. I think the AoS pure badger brush is fantastic.



I gave it all 10's for two reasons. First because I think the original post was not a review and the numbers are obviously biased based on some anger perhaps. The second, and most important, is because it is what it is, a pure badger brush. I am not going to give it a 7 or 8 in softness because it is not as soft as a "best", or "silver". For a pure badger brush it is top quality.



I bought mine at Saks Fifth Avenue in Miami for $100 in a kit with lemon pre-shave oil, cream and aftershave balm.



In review of the attributes I thought the price was fair, considering what else was included. It's difficult to give a fair price review when purchased in a kit.



Quality is better than expected. I have been using it daily for two months and have only lost a few hairs in the first week or so. I haven't noticed any loose hairs in a couple of weeks now.



The tips are stiff enough to gather cream from the tub and whip up mountains of lather. They are also just right for applying lather. They are not too floppy which allows for a nice face massage when working the lather in.



Softness is about as good as it gets for pure badger. I think this brush is very comfortable to use and did not require a long break in period like my first brush. The tips of my 20+ year old boar brush are also soft now, but the bristles are fairly stiff.



Ergonomics are just what I like in a brush. The handle is not too short or too long. It is easy to grip and hang on to while whipping lather and applying. It also stands up nicely on the sink while shaving. For successive passes I just grab the brush and apply what is still in the hair.



Latherability is right where I want it. This brush is very full and makes short work out of whipping up the finest lather that AoS has to offer.



Overall, I believe this is an excellent brush and the kit is a great way to start wet shaving or even to add to your regular routine as I did.

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Relax...Take it easy...Enjoy the lather.

Dennis,


Steward in the General Shaving Discussion Forum

I have the $35 starter kit brush, it's not 'Pure Badger' it's 'Genuine Badger', the first couple of weeks I lost maybe 1 or 2 hairs per shave, but it no longer sheds hairs that I've noticed.



One thing though is that the handle and the knot came apart, and I had to put it back together with super glue.



I can't really complain too much about something that came in a $35 starter kit though.



Overall: It looks nice, and it performs well enough for the price.

I was cautioned not to by the AOS starter kit ("Four Elements of a Perfect Shave") by one of the managers in the new King of Prussia Art of Shaving Store. She told me that the kit was designed to last two weeks, including the brush! She said that the brush will shed after two weeks. This was too bad because I had used one of these kits earlier and really liked the brush. The kit, the manager told me, was only to introduce people to the products.



What I did buy instead, and which I believe is a great value, was their "Blue Box Set." This included $120 worth of items for only $65. It included Their good, basic $50 badger brush, 2oz. after shave balm, 2oz. pre-shave oil, and 2oz. shave cream. I recommend the lavendar, but to each his own. Also included is the AOS book, The Art of Shaving. Great company, great products!



Cheers!

Porcine

I got the $35 Sandalwood kit brush. Love the shaving cream and ASB (PSO's not bad, but I don't really use it), but I'm definately not impressed with the brush. It sheds. It sheds a LOT. Lately at least 1 or 2 hairs per shave. The glue holding the knot collar into the cheap molded plastic handle gave out after a couple of months, so I had to re-glue it (I'm holding out on buying a new brush until the latest B&B exclusive brush comes out, so I'm making do). However, it's still a badger brush, with noticably better lather retention than my $6 VDH Boar. I can get a full 3+ passes on the AOS brush, wheras I'm lucky to get 3 passes with the VDH. The brush is definately not made to last, however.



Bottom line: Get the $35 AOS kits to try the AOS shaving cream, ASB, and PSO for a good price, not as a source for a good low-price shaving brush. Caveat Emptor.

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• Replated Tech W/ iKon Gripper handle, 1969 Gillette Super Adjustable Long Handle, Goodfella Satin Black w/ BRW Ebony Handle, Replated NEW head W/ BRW 3.75 inch Barberpole handle, 1918 Gillette Ball-End Old Type, Merkur 12C, 38C, 39C Slant
• CROMA, Shark, Derby or IP Blades
• 2009 Semogue Horn Handle Silvertip Brush, 2008 B&B Limited Edition Brush, Series 2 B&B Essential, or Tweezerman
• Proraso Pre/Post cream, Shaving Soap/Cream varies
• TGR or Woody's ASB

I bought an AoS starter kit about six months ago to introduce myself to the joys of wetshaving. I'm really glad I did, too! Granted, I've more or less moved on to other brands of all products... but the brush is still the primary one I use. I never had any problems with its shedding... don't think I've lost a single hair from it. The knot did fall out of the handle, but a little super glue fixed that right up, as someone else previously mentioned. But other than that, it feels good on my face (certainly better than my boar brush) and produces a fair enough lather to get the job done. I like the weight and feel.

As for the price, I just more or less consider it "free" with the kit. Especially considering the alternative - buying all the pieces separately at great expense when you don't even know if wetshaving is right for you. And anyone who buys a cheap starter set should really realise that's exactly what it is - and there is much better to be had once you get a feel for it.

I know that it's not the best out there... but I think it's a great introductory brush. I need to get a better one now, but I'm sure I'll keep this one in rotation for quite a while to come.

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-Elim... Dallas, TX

I took a look in AOS, and it seems that the brushed that comes with the two kits in question are indeed different. The $35 kit has a "genuine" badger brush and the more expensive $100 kit has a "pure" badger brush. I purchased the starter kit($35). The Brush does shed indeed! But I guess that for a starter kit, it only serves the purpose of getting you interested in the products. And lets face it, what can we expect from a $35 kit? I just bought a "PBB" from C&E and it was $35 on it's own. And that is a bargain compared to other stuff. Imagine the "BBB" was $35 at one time. I left alot of ratings N/A simply because I just got the C&E brush and didn't have anything the compare the AOS brush with. I'll repost when I use it.

This was my first shaving brush, and it was a little rough on the face, not very soft, it seemed to lather alright, i quickly moved to better grade brushes so now i have this one at my gf's, its good for a newb =p

I bought the $25 starter kit, to see if I would like the AOS product line. Included in the kit was a $25 gift card towards the $100 kit. Needless to say I enjoyed the Sandalwood so much I decided to use the gift card.



I rated the price as relative to other Pure Badger Brushes on the Internet.



I rated the quality, Density, Stiffness/Softness all based on what I would expect in a product of it's price range.



I think the ergos of the handle could be better, but they are not bad.



It certainly lathers quite well for me, however, my only other basis for this is the starter kit brush.



This is just my .02!

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"The more men have to lose, the less willing are they to venture." Common Sense