Review (3/5): Serviceable Badger Brush
There are several badger brushes at this price point. This one is a decent performer for the price, but for more money, you will be able to buy a softer brush.
Packaging: The brush comes in an attractive box, so you can give it as a gift. The brown stripes in the resin give the impression of lacquered wood, and the silver-colored aluminum alloy trim pieces are without blemish. It’s a good-looking brush. And it fits nicely in the brush holder I have. Some of the advertising copy could use a good going over--it's awkwardly written ("best gift for gentleman"???).
Performance: For this price, you can get badger bristles. For more money, you will get softer bristles, and more of them. This is a modest-sized brush, but it is adequate for creating, holding, and spreading lather. When I used it, I could feel a couple of bristles poking at my face. Most of them were soft, but these few made the experience less than ideal. On a second use, they seemed a bit softer (but still noticeable), so perhaps over time the lanolin in the soap will work some magic. But on my more-expensive brushes, this was never a problem.
Value: A higher price is no guarantee of better quality, but my experience over many years of using a variety of shaving brushes says you will get more if you pay more. Still, this brush does work. And it is three, four, even ten times cheaper than other, softer badger brushes. My advice is to splurge on your brush and economize elsewhere. But if this is the price point you are shopping at, this one will do just fine.