Item Description
Although the VDH boar brush and deluxe soap have been reviewed elsewhere in the review section, I decided to review the VDH starter kit as a whole because I believe it is an excellent choice for a beginner.
I picked up this kit at the local Walmart for under $8. All I need to add was a razor, blades, and a mug to work the lather in.
I found the boar brush to be very well made for the price. While some have mentioned an odor problem with the new brush, particularly when wet, mine was almost completely odor free. The brush did shed some bristles initially and continued for the first few shaves, but the shedding did taper off relatively quickly and eventually (about 2 weeks) stopped entirely. The boar bristles were very comfortable and worked well with the soap.
The deluxe soap is very easy to work with and together with the boar brush produces a very nice lather. A beginner following the tutorials in the forum for working up a later with soap should get excellent results using this combination with some practice and a bit of experimentation with water quantity. I personally like the scent of the soap, I find it pleasant and clean without an overpowering perfumey smell. No nonsense but not completely vacant. I compared it to Williams in the store and was completely turned off by the Williams scent.
The kit also comes with a ceramic bowl which works very nicely with the soap. When I got it home, after washing out the bowl, I opened the soap puck packaging placed it in the bowl and popped it in the microwave. I ran it on high for about 5-10 seconds at a time checking it after each. It took about three 5-10 second rounds to melt the soap. Then I just set it out on the counter and let it cool. The soap solidified and it has worked great for loading up the brush.
I have seen the VDH brush in stores for more than what I paid for the whole kit. I'm planning to pick up another brush just to add to the rotation and I seriously think I'll just get another starter kit since I'd get a replacement puck of soap along with it. I may try the extra bowl for lathering although it may prove to be too small.
All in all, this is an excellent value. A fantastic way for a beginner to ease into the world of wet shaving and at the same time an inexpensive product that you can keep on using even after you gain experience. I read some advice today from one of our more seasoned shavers who pointed out that you can use the most expensive equipment and get a lousy shave and use the least expensive equipment and get the best shave of your life. As he said, technique is more important that equipment. This is a great product to use to get started on your technique.
I picked up this kit at the local Walmart for under $8. All I need to add was a razor, blades, and a mug to work the lather in.
I found the boar brush to be very well made for the price. While some have mentioned an odor problem with the new brush, particularly when wet, mine was almost completely odor free. The brush did shed some bristles initially and continued for the first few shaves, but the shedding did taper off relatively quickly and eventually (about 2 weeks) stopped entirely. The boar bristles were very comfortable and worked well with the soap.
The deluxe soap is very easy to work with and together with the boar brush produces a very nice lather. A beginner following the tutorials in the forum for working up a later with soap should get excellent results using this combination with some practice and a bit of experimentation with water quantity. I personally like the scent of the soap, I find it pleasant and clean without an overpowering perfumey smell. No nonsense but not completely vacant. I compared it to Williams in the store and was completely turned off by the Williams scent.
The kit also comes with a ceramic bowl which works very nicely with the soap. When I got it home, after washing out the bowl, I opened the soap puck packaging placed it in the bowl and popped it in the microwave. I ran it on high for about 5-10 seconds at a time checking it after each. It took about three 5-10 second rounds to melt the soap. Then I just set it out on the counter and let it cool. The soap solidified and it has worked great for loading up the brush.
I have seen the VDH brush in stores for more than what I paid for the whole kit. I'm planning to pick up another brush just to add to the rotation and I seriously think I'll just get another starter kit since I'd get a replacement puck of soap along with it. I may try the extra bowl for lathering although it may prove to be too small.
All in all, this is an excellent value. A fantastic way for a beginner to ease into the world of wet shaving and at the same time an inexpensive product that you can keep on using even after you gain experience. I read some advice today from one of our more seasoned shavers who pointed out that you can use the most expensive equipment and get a lousy shave and use the least expensive equipment and get the best shave of your life. As he said, technique is more important that equipment. This is a great product to use to get started on your technique.