It's smarter than me.
This is my first horsehair brush. Immediately, I liked it as the more compact size makes my soap last forever.. It's the perfect amount of lather for two to three passes. And the brush itself lathers extraordinarily well in a bowl, though it is softer than boar on the face- best badger or softer! BUT.. I recommend getting some tutelage on a forum or youtube about care of horsehair brushes- Being a bit of a masher (my old boar brushes are pretty splayed), I wound up with a bit of a birdsnest in the center of the brush which i had to detangle. I was immediately disappointed and shelved it- I was going to try and sell it. But the few great shaves I had made me want to try to use it right and now, with less pressure (ease up if it feels scratchy at all) and slightly different motions (figure 8s instead of circles, incidentally) I get great lather (using tabac) and the brush doesn't tangle- and it's even smoother and softer on the face. I'm so glad I took a little care to figure this fantastic brush out.
Rating: 5 stars