Jack Black 'Pure Performance' Shave Brush

Price: At almost a hundred bucks, many might pass over a "synthetic" shave brush in favor of a badger hair brush. That's too bad, this is one amazing brush that really is a game changer.

Quality: Very well made, quality weight and feel.

Density: Excellent density, full and tight but still spreads out well.

Stiffness and softness of tips: This is where this brush excels. The bristles are baby soft and feel great on the skin, but not so soft as to just turn to mush when lathering the way some high end badger hair brushes do. The Jack Black holds up well, can be used vigorously on the skin but still feels soft and smooth but stiff enough to softly exfoliate your skin.

Ergonomic: Feels great in the hand, best thing I can say is I don't even think about it, it just becomes an extension of my hand.

Latherability: Stupid lather. Crazy mad dog lather. Insane dope whack crunck lather. Lather that rises up like a righteous revolution, and seeks out and smashes down mediocre shaves with one pass.

Conclusion: You are still here? not out buying this brush? Why!? Go get this damn brush!

If you only have one synthetic and it isn't Jack Black "Pure Performace", you bought the wrong brush.

Price: Very steep. Go for a Super Badger at this price, or if you are bent on a synthetic, then maybe the Men-U which would save you money.

Quality: No real complaints here. VERY solid, well-made. Handle is the best of all my brushes. I love holding this hefty brush. Also, just an all-around very handsome brush.

Density: Great density. No problems here.

Stiffness: Too stiff for me. I feel it is very hard to lather on the face, as it doesn't have much "give". If you press down too much then it splays out awkwardly.

Softness: Amazingly soft. Softer than my silver-tip Simpson Super PJ2.

Ergonomic: A big brush. This may be a problem for some. I love the handle and the heft.

Latherability: It doesn't hold water that well. Maybe even less than my good boar brush. It just doesn't seem to lather all that well. Especially at this price point.

NOTE: Part of the reason that I got this brush is that I thought it would bridge the gap between badger and boar, being soft yet scrubby. I don't know if that is even a realistic expectation. But I was disappointed. It is hard to scrub with this because it is just too stiff. Also, this is supposed to dry quickly as it is synthetic. I have not found this to be the case. It hangs on the side of a cupboard, upside down, and completely open. It DOES dry faster than a very full badger, but not significantly faster.

Overall, very handsome, nice presentation and case. Not my favorite, by a longshot.

To qualify this review, I only use synthetic and have never used a badger.

The Jack Black synthetic is an excellent brush in a number of areas. It is incredibly well made, well packaged and feels absolutely wonderful on the face. It is expensive but the build quality is excellent.

The tips are soft and the brustles firm enough to scrub your face if you should wish. The handle is sturdy, well made and feels nicely weighted.

My only problem with it is that is requires a lot of hard work to make lather with this brush. It retains a lot of water so depending on the soap/cream you may use, you may not get good results. You need to be careful in order to get good lather from this brush.

Of course, this brush would be my everyday brush if not for the Men-U offering which lathers like a champion. Unfortunately, as the Jack Black has to stand up to it's cheaper & better brother the Men-U, I can't recommend it; unless you have to have a second synthetic...