Vulfix 404 Bristle/Badger

I feel this is quite a unique brush, and I will explain why. The boar/badger mixed knot is not popular commercially, and so far I feel is not popular among the B&B community. This is a tragedy to a very versatile brush. The 404 Grosvenor has, quite possibly, the best handle shape in the history of human civilization. It does not have the drama and grace of the Morris & Forndran, or the elegant simplicity of the famous VDH boar that comes with the beginner's starter kit, but it fits easily in the hand and the double-ring provides an easy spot for the fingers to grip. It is large, chunky, and heavy, providing heft and a comfortable weight.

Right out of the box the badger/bristle knot is stiff enough to paint a fence, but the boar tips quickly split and soften nicely. Once the knot breaks in and blooms, the tips are surprisingly soft. The backbone is comparable to a stiff boar, but with tips as soft as a badger brush.

This brush has a lot of scritch, but surprisingly no scratch. There is a LOT of backbone though. The knot isn't that dense, and doesn't hold that much water. I have found that once it is broken in, it doesn't take that much longer to whip up lather than with a full-badger brush.

To me, this brush is too large to be a regular choice for a travel brush but still fits into the Simpson travel tube, so I suppose it would still work for that purpose.

I find myself hard-pressed to find negative points about this brush, but I will do what I can. It isn't as luxuriously soft as other, more expensive brushes, but it mills through soaps like a buzz-saw. I have tried tilting the handle every which way I can, and it stubbornly refuses to dispense whiskey, no matter how much I curse and yell at it. Neither does it courteously greet me each time I enter the bathroom, and bid me a good day each time I leave. What a terrible brush!

I pulled it out of the box & fell in love with the handle immediately. It's heavy & large. Weighted well with the knot. My 1st brush was a synthetic which held more water, but was very floppy. I wanted something with more backbone but not the stiff scratch of a boar. Sure the badger will be softer & hold more water, but hey, I want to attack that hard soap.

I bowl lather with a Dirty Bird Scuttle (great purchase) & this brush produces more lather than I can ever use. A very nice backbone & after the 30 day break in................ it's very soft.

Believe what you read, everyone's review here is right on! I was not going to spend $100 on a brush & I already tried the $9 bust. This is a worthwhile compromise.

I purchased this brush from Bullgoose approximatly 4 months ago. It shortly became the only brush I use.

Cella and Tabac are my two favorite soaps, and it handles them both equally well. I face lather almost exclusivly, and this brush fits the bill perfectly.

Stiff but not scratchy. The tips softened up quite a bit in a short time. While certinly not as soft as my Shavemac silvertip, it blows the doors off the tweezerman or even the Omega 49.

The loft I found to be the perfect size for face lathering, yet still tall enough to whip up a generous bowl of lather if desired.

The lathe turned faux ivory handle is very ergonomic and beautiful.

Overall, I believe the Vulfix Grosvenor is a great all around brush at a budget price.

Knot: 21mm
Loft: 53mm
Overall Height: 100mm

This is my first proper brush and still my go to brush for face lathering with a stick. I love giving my skin a work over with this thing, it has softened up well over time and generally improved with age. For less than a tenner its a great brush to start and stay with. I've got rid of more expensive brushes that don't match up for me.
If you like boar hair and thinking of something else this might be it.
Don't let the price point be your judge this is a much better brush than I ever thought it would be. For me its the perfect size as I don't need it to hold enough lather for 5 passes...2 is enough for me.

A great brush at a great price...worth a place in anybody's rotation.

Thanks Hando

www.diamondedgeltd.co.uk

i'm very glad i happened upon this review as this is now my most used brush.
thanks steve

i also have the same brush in pure and that is a really good brush as well.

i first decided to try a mixed hair brush as up until i bought this i usually used a boar brush but wanted something that would hold more water but still have some backbone

and boy did i find it

i know some people will find it hard to get enthusiastic about a brush that costs £7:60 (plus p+p) but this is a great workhorse of a brush that will see more action than anything else i've got and do you know what....
it won't let you down

GET ONE!

I bought this brush on a whim from Diamond Edge (the only place I've seen that has it in stock).

This is the only boar/badger brush I own and I bought it as part of some comparison testing I'm doing between various boar brushes.

In short, the 404 is a step up from the other Vulfix boar brushes - its got a nice heavy handle turned out of the company's standard faux ivory material vs. the cheap molded plastic handles used on the cheaper Vulfix boar brushes (such as the VS/5).

The brush I have is well put together and the only complaint I have is that the knot is slightly slanted in the socket - a touch sloppy, but not something that interferes with performance and, given the price point, a flaw I'm prepared to overlook.

The bristles are quite densely packed (more so than some of the other Vulfix brushes I've owned) and are a mix of light boar hair and darker badger. This gives it a bit of a salt and pepper look with the salt being prominent.

The tips start out quite stiff, but soften nicely (I find that a couple of shampoo/conditioner cycles helps speed the break in along). This brush will never be a soft/luxurious as a silvertip brush, but once the tips soften, I think its less skritchy than many of the pure badger brushes out there. I can use this brush for face-lathering with no problems.

In terms of building a lather, you need to adjust your product:water ratio as the boar bristles don't hold as much water as badger bristles (especially if you're used to higher grades of badger hair). I also find that it takes a little longer to build a lather than with a higher grade badger brush and that the lather is a little less airy/whipped - but this in no way impacts the shave.

While this brush does a good job with creams, it really works well with soaps - and loads from a puck of the hard soaps amazingly well.

In short, while this brush is not going to replace my BBE or Simpson Duke, it is a nice addition to my collection and one that I will be happy to keep in the rotation.

If you're looking for a first brush at a reasonable price, the 404 should be on your short list - its a step or two above the drugstore brushes (Surrey, Wilkinson, etc.) or above the entry level Vulfix boar brushes, but less expensive than just about any entry level badger (except perhaps the Tweezerman) and will work just as well or better than any cheap (as in less than $35) pure badger.

This would also be a good choice for an inexpensive travel brush, as you wouldn't shed too many tears if it got lost/damaged in transit.

This was recommended by a forum member and cost £7.80 excl P & P from www.diamonedgeltd.co.uk. Delivery was prompt @ 2 days from 5.30pm. I ordered this as my EJ Superbadger is very soft, and I have decided to concentrate on soaps again. I need something more robust.
The moment I picked this up I remembered my grandad used to have this or another Vulfix and it really brought him back...this alone is worth the price. It looks wellmade, with no visible flaws and has a sort of "candle-flame" profile to the bristle. I assume the badger-colouring is fake, but can't be certain... it'd be churlish to take issue at this price-point. The handle is sturdy and re-assuring and I'm sure it'll last for ever. The bristle is firm but not uncomfortable and invigorating to the skin. In-use, this is very different from the EJ and it whips up a lather well. Realistically, the actual amount of lather is less than with the EJ since the head is much smaller, but it appears more concentrated and seems to get creamy more quickly as the available pressure is higher with the stiffer bristles and because this doesn't have the expansive, bloomed, luxuriance of super-B its more focussed & controllable. It does the job efficiently and without irritation and should last several years.
(please note the picture is of a badger 404, and the bristle/badger mix is much lighter in bristle with less expansive blooming. )
Addendum:- After a fewshaves this has soften up nicely and stated to bloom, becoming even better- a genuinely competent brush.