I'm pretty new to wet shaving and I've only used two brushes, the green handled Van Der Hagen and the B&B Essential boar brush. I started with the VDH and used it for almost 3 months. I haven't thrown it away or anything, but I don't think it's going to get much if any use in the future. The knot sizes are similar and the loft looks the same. This is full of personal opinion so YMMV. I'm writing this because with the low cost and wide availability of the VDH I know it's often the fist, and sometimes only, boar brush that people try and I want to point out that there are some very different boar brushes out there.
The VDH: It works for both bowl and face lathering. The tips are pretty soft once they're broken in and it's quite stiff. Unfortunately part of the stiffness comes from the epoxy extending up 1/3 of the length of the bristles from the handle. The knot is about 24mm (imprecise measurement) but the apparent loft is misleading. It is sold locally (all over the US) and was only $5.50.
The B&B: It's just stiff enough, more springy, and the tips are soooooo soft right out of the box. I've only lathered with it a few times but it works well for bowl and especially face. It is $20 plus shipping from West Coast Shaving, however I won mine in a contest. The knot is 22mm.
Comparison: They feel very different. The VDH is much stiffer and less flexible, the epoxy essentially shortening the loft. The B&B can hold quite a bit more water and is a whole lot softer so it is a lot nicer to face lather with. The VDH does build lather faster for me, but I'm not sure if that will still be true after breaking in the B&B. I can hold the B&B comfortably in a lot more ways because of the handle, I like it but I don't know how to describe it any better than that.
In summary, I prefer the B&B by a mile, but the VDH is not bad for the price and I'm positive there are people that would like it more. I'm also sure the VDH has turned some people off boar entirely and they are really missing out.
The VDH: It works for both bowl and face lathering. The tips are pretty soft once they're broken in and it's quite stiff. Unfortunately part of the stiffness comes from the epoxy extending up 1/3 of the length of the bristles from the handle. The knot is about 24mm (imprecise measurement) but the apparent loft is misleading. It is sold locally (all over the US) and was only $5.50.
The B&B: It's just stiff enough, more springy, and the tips are soooooo soft right out of the box. I've only lathered with it a few times but it works well for bowl and especially face. It is $20 plus shipping from West Coast Shaving, however I won mine in a contest. The knot is 22mm.
Comparison: They feel very different. The VDH is much stiffer and less flexible, the epoxy essentially shortening the loft. The B&B can hold quite a bit more water and is a whole lot softer so it is a lot nicer to face lather with. The VDH does build lather faster for me, but I'm not sure if that will still be true after breaking in the B&B. I can hold the B&B comfortably in a lot more ways because of the handle, I like it but I don't know how to describe it any better than that.
In summary, I prefer the B&B by a mile, but the VDH is not bad for the price and I'm positive there are people that would like it more. I'm also sure the VDH has turned some people off boar entirely and they are really missing out.
