This was my very first brush when I began my foray into wetshaving. I figured I'd try a cheap one, and keep it around as a backup if and when I moved up. Well, I would not recommend this, even as a back up.



My biggest problem with it: the shedding. From the very first shave it shed. In a close second is the stiffness of the (boar) bristles (but perhaps this is a little more subjective). It works well for lathering, but not the greatest on the face. Also the handle is shaped a little awkwardly, not the most ergonomic. Otherwise it does it's job. If this brush did not shed so horribly I would recommend it as a beginners brush, or a travel one you wouldn't mind losing.



Suffice it to say, spend a little more money on a badger brush, they are often sold right next to these on the drugstore shelf.

This is my first and only brush so far. In general I find that it does the job it was made for, but you can certainly find similarly priced alternatives that have higher praise on this forum.



Price - This is a cheap, widely available boar brush that you can get in the US and Canada for under 10 dollars.



Quality - Certainly not crafted to perfection. No frills, but it will do the job of lathering (eventually) just as well as other low-priced counterparts.



Density - The bristles look pretty thin and wispy compared to a more expensive EJ boar brush - or even an Omega. However I have very little problem with shedding that I have noticed. It holds itself together fairly well.



Stiffness of Tips - The tips are fairly stiff and seem to clump together even after being sufficiently prepped in warm water.



Softness of Tips - I rated this pretty high as I did not encounter any unfavourable scratching when applying shaving cream.



Ergonomic - This brush is oval shaped which is somewhat unusual. If you hold it between your fingers and thumb it seems like intentional design.



Latherability - I gave this an 8 because I was able to get just as good a lather as any of the brushes in Mantic59's videos, which were more expensive. So in terms of completing its most important job, it does it well.

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-Ivan.

Complete and utter SHIT

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Never a Frown with Golden Brown

Pure crap. Do yourself a favor and buy a Semogue or Omega instead.

Picked this up as my first brush from Walmart. Due to the stiffness of the brush, it may work ok for soaps but it didn't work well with my creams. Also, the brush put off a smell, regardless of the scents I used with it.

Picked this up at the local supermarket (UK) as my first brush (along with Wilkinson Blue Bowl soap) and haven't experienced any of the negative comments above. Certainly haven't had any bristles falling out and no smell, either.



I've used it exclusively since I bought it, primarily because I haven't decided what to replace it with... In any case, I won't be throwing it away. Whips up a nice lather, not scratchy, quite soft tips, and keeps its shape when drying. The plastic handle is oval shaped and not slippery when wet. I've found it good quality and it will certainly get the job done.



Yes, there are better brushes to be had, but there's no denying that for very little money this is an excellent value starter brush for the first time wet shaver and therefore recommended.

I re-knotted mine and it now makes a great brush used in my usual rotation.

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Bob

I got this as a brush for my mountain house shaving set as I don't feel like carrying my shaving kit all the time. I have a separate kit for traveling as well.



Buying this brush was stupid! If it was free of charge it would still be too expensive.



I have tried it with several soaps and creams (namely ToBS Sandalwood, L'Occitane Cade, Proraso) and the disappointment was the only consistent characteristic of this brush in my experience.



I can imagine some people trying this brush and getting back to canned gels...



As for myself, after absolutely the most discomforting shaves of my life I had with using this brush, I will lather even shaving soap with my fingers rather than to use this disgraceful product.

Price - Less than 10 dollars. This alone should tell you something. Though price doesn't always equal value, it's certainly less frequent to get good value for low cost than it is to get low value for high cost.



Quality - Again, for the price, it's not a terrible brush. I certainly didn't have any issues whatsoever with shedding, even from the first use.



Density - It is NOT a dense brush. An Omega at similar price makes this brush look tiny. And if you think it looks small dry, wait till you see it wet, it practically disappears!



Stiffness of Tips - It is not particularly stiff. The Omega 66 was much stiffer at the beginning, but did soften up over time, and if this one softens up over time, it may wind up being a pretty floppy brush.



Softness of Tips - It was not a scratchy brush from the beginning till now (half a dozen uses). If your looking for either a real exfoliation or comfy soft bristles - this one is not for you.



Ergonomic - I actually liked the oblong handle, and found that it fits the hand well. It was comfortable gripping it from both the long and short sides, and I found that in a smaller soap container, the thinner profile kept me from banging on the sides of the soap bowl.



Latherability - I've never had any difficulty lathering with any brush I have ever had and this one is no different, so I'll use this portion to say that though the brush was smallish, it did hold enough lather for a three pass shave with no problem.



Overall - If you happen to see one on sale in a shop somewhere, I think it is worth picking up.

I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to get one, and I wouldn't order one online when you could get an Omega for a similar price.

It would make a good cheap back up brush to have in the cabinet, it certainly would be a decent brush to use as part of a PIF kit to someone new to wet shaving, or possibly a good travel brush if there was ever any fear that your goods might go missing.

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Phil

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

1st thoughts............ a.) Wish I would have read this review b.) This thing sheds worse than my girlfriend and her cat combined! This brush is total junk it's flimsy, it takes forever to get a lather and it feels weird in the hand.



Save your money on this and don't buy it!

I'm gonna see if I can take it back and get my $5 back!

Don't know how this brush could be any better considering the price.Mine's being used for months without a lost hair.I get mine in Glasgow Scotland,don't know if It's a different brush altogether.Think It's made in Germany.

I have been using this brush for several months now and am happy to say that it has done the job without any real issues. It has shed the odd hair now and again but overall, has held together well.

I would recommend this brush to new shavers or to those on a budget.

Price: Hard to beat the price of this brush and it will give you an idea of what wet shaving is like without spending a lot of dough



Quality: Really poor compared to a good quality boar like an Omega, cheap plastic handle, sheds a lot of hairs



Density: Starts of with mediocre density and then slowly loses it as it sheds hair



Stiffness of tips: Tips are quite stiff with very few split-ends even after long break-in, good scrubby action that is nice if you have a few days of growth or want some exfoliating



Softness of tips: Not very soft at all with very few split-ends



Ergonomic: Even though the handle is made of cheap plastic, it feels quite nice and secure in your hand



Latherability: Very little water retention but will still make a decent lather, especially with harder soaps, good experience with Williams Mug soap