What's new

Is this brush any good? (Beginner question)

Hi guys!

I'm a beginner DE shaver (actually haven't shaved once yet as my DE razor is yet to arrive).

I haven't bought a brush yet but my father has an old one which he doesn't use. Here's a picture of it:

proxy.php


As far as I can tell it says "Vulfix Pure Bristle Shaving Brush"
On the bottom it says REGD. DES. NO. 935721 Made In England.

Anyone have any idea what kind of brush this is? Boar/badger/synthetic? Thanks!
 

Mike H

Instagram Famous
A vintage Vulfix boar brush from your father?... yes, that is good.
How effective it is, and how much you enjoy using it is hard to say, but Vulfix is a well known maker.

Welcome to B&B and congratulations.
 
A vintage Vulfix boar brush from your father?... yes, that is good.
How effective it is, and how much you enjoy using it is hard to say, but Vulfix is a well known maker.

Welcome to B&B and congratulations.

Is it a boar brush? How can you tell?
 

Mike H

Instagram Famous
The hair looks like boar, and the label says "Pure Bristle" which indicates that it is boar.
 
Yes, its a boar brush, since it mentions "bristles" on the label. Since its a family heirloom, its priceless.

But how long has it been since your father used it? Bristles can get dried out and brittle with age, so it may not stand up for too many shaves. Give it a good cleaning, and give it a go. If nothing else, you've got a nice handle waiting to for a good re-knotting.
 
Yes, its a boar brush, since it mentions "bristles" on the label. Since its a family heirloom, its priceless.

But how long has it been since your father used it? Bristles can get dried out and brittle with age, so it may not stand up for too many shaves. Give it a good cleaning, and give it a go. If nothing else, you've got a nice handle waiting to for a good re-knotting.
Also, using a shaving soap with a lot of lanolin might help restore/maintain the bristles. You might look at Mikes Wool Fat (MFW), Cella, Tabac, or others that some of the folks here at B&B might recommend.
 
As long as it isn't brittle, doesn't shed or smell bad it should be fine. Like stated earlier, because it came from dad, makes it priceless.
 
Also, using a shaving soap with a lot of lanolin might help restore/maintain the bristles. You might look at Mikes Wool Fat (MFW), Cella, Tabac, or others that some of the folks here at B&B might recommend.

Actually I bought Tabac cream today, so that's good!

dpm802 said:
Yes, its a boar brush, since it mentions "bristles" on the label. Since its a family heirloom, its priceless.

But how long has it been since your father used it? Bristles can get dried out and brittle with age, so it may not stand up for too many shaves. Give it a good cleaning, and give it a go. If nothing else, you've got a nice handle waiting to for a good re-knotting.

He hasn't used it for years, can't exactly say when he's stopped using it. I'll give it a clean right now, and then hopefully my razor will arrive tomorrow so I can properly test it out.

And thanks for the responses guys, I appreciate it.
 
Last edited:
If you have the soap already, why not test it now? You can work on your lathering technique. The amount of soap used will be tiny.
 
Also, boar bristles are not necessarily fragile but you want to avoid messing with them when dry as they will crack/break off. The flexibility comes when they absorb water (through soaking).
 
Also, boar bristles are not necessarily fragile but you want to avoid messing with them when dry as they will crack/break off. The flexibility comes when they absorb water (through soaking).

Thanks for the tip :)

Just tried out lathering with my Tabac cream and it works just fine. I'm glad I found out my dad had this lying around :D
 
Looks like a boar. If it is dried out, you can always replace the knot. A finest badger with white tips would look great in there.
 
Is it "any good"? Vulfix is a great brand name, and a classic brush manufacturer from yesteryear and today. I can't speak to the bristle quality. What I can say unequivocally is that ANY brush that was your father's is the best brush in the world! Use it, cherish it.
 

mswofford

Rest in Peace
Jaestro; Check out ShaveWiki on brush cleaning and maintainence. Also boar brushes need to be soaked for at least 2 minutes ( they absorb water, badger doesn't) before using it. It looks like a fine brush, you will enjoy lathering with it. Mike
 
It was your father's boar shaving brush!
What many of us would give for such a thing would make your head spin.
Thank you for sharing.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom