Van Der Hagen Boar brush

These are available easily at most drug stores, which is convenient. The smell is not too porky and the knot is large. The bristles are colored to look like silvertip badger, but much scratchier and stiffer. It exfoliates well. Mine tends to shed several hairs each time I use it.

not worth the money

This was my very first shaving brush that I purchased out of Walgreens.

This brush will NOT stop shedding - you get several boar hairs everytime you shave with it in both your soap and face. It shed so much I had to replace it.

When it worked, the brush tips were scratchy (as to be expected from a boar brush), but created a nice, thick lather easily. The brush is also packed pretty good.

This would make a perfect brush for a person not sure if they want to get into wet shaving, but when they are sure they want to continue, this brush should be replaced with something better.

I purchased this as a first brush after a friend gave me a Fatboy and several samplers of shave soap. I was excited to begin wetshaving.

However, I wasn't impressed with this brush. It smells like a wet, dirty dog upon first using it. Being new at DE, I was not very impressed with the amount of lather it produced. I didn't realize how bad it was until I visited the Art of Shaving shop that opened in Bellevue Square Mall (Seattle Area). The salesman demonstrated an AOS brush with their Sandalwood cream and I bought their Badger Best right there. I took back the VDH brush when I got home.

Sure... It's inexpensive, and it would do if you were on a trip and forgot to pack a brush, but that's about it.

Starter brush. Easy to find. Inexpensive.

It's not a high end brush. If you take the time to break it in before really getting into it, it blooms nicely and works well. Does a nice job generating a lather with little effort (I use Bigelow cream), and feels comfortable on the face. Again, it isn't a high end brush, but it works well to get into wetshaving.

This brush is one that I have used religiously and continue to use on occasion. It is my first brush and holds a place in my heart. It's cheap, it's slightly stiff, yet gets the job done! It produces decent lather with the right amount of soap and water and is not too rough on the face. Although the handle is smooth plastic, I have never dropped it due to slickness. It tends to lose a few hairs, but after much use this will be nil. I recommend this brush to any beginner who is dabbling into the art of shaving and looking for something that will get the job done and not break the bank.

Doesn't fit in Colonel conk stand. Looses bristles easily. Cheap looking. Good for starter.

I don't understand the poor reviews this brush gets. I've had mine for about 2 months and it works as well as I could ask. It was cheap. It's pretty well quit shedding. It lathers well. It's not too soft and not too stiff. It doesn't create the explosion of lather from the bowl like a badger brush does, but it works very well for whipping up a thick, creamy lather.
Besides, if/when the knot fails, I can replace it with an overstuffed badger knot from the golden nib and have the same amount invested in it as I would for a cheap badger brush(like my Tweezerman).

And best of all, it doesn't stink like musky, wet, funky badger.
P.U. I thought boar bristles stunk when new. They've got nothing on badger.

I've had two of these for at least 10 years and use then for soaps. They have outlasted a couple of cheap badgers that were presents even though they still occasionally shed. Didn't start out with high expectations for a $5 brush, but I've been pleasantly surprised. I like a firm, slightly scrubby brush for face lathering and these can't be beat for that.

I have accumulated Simpsons, Shavemacs, EJs and Rooneys. Don't plan on ignoring a fine badger, but sometimes the feel of a well broken in boar brush is worth the difference.

Finding the perfect brush is like looking for the perfect barbecue sauce or pipe tobacco. I've been trying for years and I'm only a little bit closer than when I started. The point is I don't totally disregard something that works because I'm still looking for something better.

like everyone else said, the brush works if you make an effort with it. Personally i don't like boars hair. its stiff and unpleasant compared to badgers hair. For a starter brush you could do worse. i probably would not use it again.

There is a reason that this along with a puck of soap and a bowl are in a cheap set. The brush gets the job done. Does a decent job making a lather but is no good boar brush or even a cheap badger. I had this brush for a total of 2 weeks before I bought a badger one. Good for a travel brush but I would recommend a better one for consistent use.

this was my first brush, bought it at walmart after reading it might help stop irritation when i shave. for the price, this is an awesome brush. it is pretty stiff, it will lather soaps quite well. it does take longer to lather than with a badger brush, but for the price, it can't be beat. if you want to test out this type of shaving, this is a great start.

Inexpensive relatively functional brush, but nothing to write home about. Stiffer than the badger brushes, so it seems to do better with soaps than creams for me. It works but is just not in the same league as my badger brush- Vulfix. I have relegated to my dopp kit for travel, with a bar of soap. I am not sure how long it would last for daily use. I have read some accounts of the bristles separating from the handle after a relatively short time.

Let me first say, I have a personal investment with this brush.. Hell
I got a case of them, stocking up..

It an't pretty... It an't fancy.. But it works..

I'm not afraid about using too hot a water, or being too rough on it on some soap... Its cheap, if it dies I can easily afford another one and move on from there..

I lost a few hairs from it.. Did my own modifications to make it a shower hanger..

I presoak it in "electrical kettle" hot water to prewarm my lather bowl.. Over time I notice ( a possible 3 month breaking in period with heavy abuse) its gotten softer.. And not much hair lose..

Some people look down at it cause its cheap, made in Texas, and its a boar.. Lets face it, those some people got their own tastes in what they like and thats that..

You be the judge, this is a newbie brush.. Easily affordable, gets better with time, and if you lose it or it dies your not going to cry.. It did its job and it's memory will live on..

Bought this a couple weeks ago at my local CVS. I understand that all brushes shed for the first couple uses, but this one keeps on truckin', losing at least four bristles per shave, usually closer to six.

Even despite that, this brush is kind of growing on me.

Yes, it's big, it's chunky, it's stiff... but it's also somehow... friendly. Perhaps this is because I don't know any better (B&B Essential is in-transit, and set to arrive in a couple days), but haven't had trouble creating lather with this thing, and it just feels dense and substantial in my hand.

Again, I still feel kind of new at this, so perhaps I'm being too hard on my brush, and that's why it continues to shed, but for the money, I'm not afraid to abuse this brush to the point of failure just on principle of research. My last brush was an included freebie with a shave mug that I bought, and that one disintegrated on me, which was why I bought the VDH.

Fact is, if the VDH didn't shed as much as it does (I'm constantly pulling boar bristles out of my soaps), I would probably love it. Now I'm just eager for my BBE to get here.

I bought this brush as my first brush and havent actually used anything but a cartridge razor with it so far but I really like the feel of the brush on my face. It did lose bristles the first few times over but they has stopped and I am more than satisfied by this brush for the price. It feels solid in my hand, lathers well and holds ample water.

I great pick for under $10

Figured I would pick up a cheap boar brush to try out on my soaps but I was utterly disappointed in this brush. It picked up soap, but would not lather it up after trying 3 different bowls, 2 types of water, and 2 different soaps. Washed it with shampoo, soaked it in hot water a couple times, just wont do anything for me, while my cheap floppy vulfix lathers everything easily even soaps.

I picked up this brush at a drugstore after I forgot to pack my badger brush for a business trip. Like all the reviews have said, it was $5. Seems like that is the standard going price for this brush, and its hard to beat that.

I really was expecting a disaster but was pleasantly surprised. This little guy doesn't do a half bad job. Of, course it is vastly inferior to any badger brush I have ever used, but for a boar hair, it's really a great deal for the price. I've definately seen worse.

Lathers fine. Holds a decent amount of water/lather. And does soften over time. Nothing here to do back flips about, but, yea, it works.

If you ever forget to pack your #1 brush, like I did... rest easy that you can run down to pretty much any drugstore at midnight and get this brush for pocket change.

I use this brush for travel, I figure if I lose it somewhere along the line it won't be a problem. Not really a bad brush for the price, especially for a newbie just starting out...but nothing beats badger...

Like many others, this was my first brush when I got started wetshaving. I bought it because of the price and convenience of purchasing, not knowing how far I would go with this 'hobby'.

The boar hair is quite stiff and is good for exfoliating the skin and beard prior to a shave. From what I read, it does not absorb water as well as badger hair and therefore is inferior in terms of lathering ability. That's probably true but I have yet to validate it myself.

I soak the VDH in hot water while I'm showering and that seems to help soften the bristles and load them with water more than they otherwise would have.

All in all, this is a good starter shaving brush. I went with it assuming that I would eventually get a badger brush. When I do, at least I will have something to compare the badger against, to really size up the differences.