I bought this brush as my first badger brush. Its a great entry-level brush for a beginning shaver looking to try out a badger and see if these brushes are worth investing in. I did a lot of searching and review reading to find the best bang for my buck and at $30, it's probably the best brush you can get for the least outlay.
When I received it I was a tad disappointed by the black bristles since I was expecting the classic striped badger look, but now I really like it as it has a unique look compared to most other brushes. Even though the websites say this brush is hand-packed, I doubt it since it has ton of trimmed hairs. This makes it pretty scritchy on my face, not uncomfortably so, but it's definitely noticeable. The other thing that is a detractor is the handle. Sitting on my counter it looks great, rich velvety black bristles, cool tortoise shell handle with a chrome accent ring and EJ logo enticing you to pick it up and use this luxury shaving brush to whip up some great lather. The moment you pick it up, however, disappointment washes over you as you instantly realize the handle is cheap plastic. It has virtually no weight because of the hollow, thin walled, polyester handle. IF you want a super light brush for travel or to keep your arm from tiring during those marathon lather whipping sessions then get this brush, but if you like hefty balanced handles then you may want to give this brush a second thought.
On the plus side the brush works great for making lather. After you soak it in water the bristles seem just slightly floppy but that disappears as soon as you use it. It works great with creams and has plenty of backbone for hard soaps. I use it daily on rock hard tabac and (purportedly) hard to lather mitchell's wool fat and always get great lather out of this little brush. Also, I think I've lost 2 hairs in the 3 months I've been using it daily, so the knot seems very solid.
In conclusion, if you are looking for that first badger brush and don't want to spend $75 plus on a high-end brush, yet still want a good quality then definitely get this brush! If you already have simpsons, plissons and vulfixes then its not something you'd want, except perhaps for a travel brush.
When I received it I was a tad disappointed by the black bristles since I was expecting the classic striped badger look, but now I really like it as it has a unique look compared to most other brushes. Even though the websites say this brush is hand-packed, I doubt it since it has ton of trimmed hairs. This makes it pretty scritchy on my face, not uncomfortably so, but it's definitely noticeable. The other thing that is a detractor is the handle. Sitting on my counter it looks great, rich velvety black bristles, cool tortoise shell handle with a chrome accent ring and EJ logo enticing you to pick it up and use this luxury shaving brush to whip up some great lather. The moment you pick it up, however, disappointment washes over you as you instantly realize the handle is cheap plastic. It has virtually no weight because of the hollow, thin walled, polyester handle. IF you want a super light brush for travel or to keep your arm from tiring during those marathon lather whipping sessions then get this brush, but if you like hefty balanced handles then you may want to give this brush a second thought.
On the plus side the brush works great for making lather. After you soak it in water the bristles seem just slightly floppy but that disappears as soon as you use it. It works great with creams and has plenty of backbone for hard soaps. I use it daily on rock hard tabac and (purportedly) hard to lather mitchell's wool fat and always get great lather out of this little brush. Also, I think I've lost 2 hairs in the 3 months I've been using it daily, so the knot seems very solid.
In conclusion, if you are looking for that first badger brush and don't want to spend $75 plus on a high-end brush, yet still want a good quality then definitely get this brush! If you already have simpsons, plissons and vulfixes then its not something you'd want, except perhaps for a travel brush.