Perfecto100% Pure Badger Shaving Brush-Black Handle- Engineered for The Best Shave of Your Life. for, Safety Razor, Double Edge Razor, Straight Razor or Shaving Razor, Its The Best Badger Brush.

I decided to upgrade my morning routine and give myself something to look forward to when I'm feeling lazy and thinking about sleeping in. I also felt like it was time to stop using an electric razor since it was leaving me with a very amateur-looking shave (lots of stray hairs that I couldn't get no matter how much I tried). I wanted to get the most out of the safety razor experience, so I did a lot of research into which products are needed and how to use them. I made all of the purchases together on Amazon and tried them out as a set. After using an electric for the past 10 years, I was pretty worried that I would get some serious razor burn, but to my surprise I had none whatsoever! I was pretty careful to not get too aggressive with the shaving, so I went WITH the grain and only made one or two passes on each area. The result was a shave that was 100X closer than an electric with no discomfort, nicks, cuts, or razor burn!Here's what I bought and why:Safety Razor: Parker 96R – Long Handle Butterfly Safety Razorhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B002IFFSOS/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_2This safety razor has a great weight to it, a long handle for a comfortable grip, and a black and chrome coloring that looks great with the other items on the list. The butterfly razors seem to be the easiest to open and close for changing blades.Razor Blades: Astra Superior Premium Platinum bladeshttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXPTR0W/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_4One of the great things about safety razors is that the blades are SUPER cheap. These Astra blades are some of the most popular and highest quality blades I could find. At $0.10 each, you can clearly see the cost advantage to regular razors. I have been told that one blade should last about a week. That means that 100 is nearly 2 years’ worth! Do yourself a favor and buy the best blades you can get. There’s no reason to save a few cents to get blades that dull quickly and give you razorburn.Brush: Perfecto 100% Badger Shaving Brush - Blackhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VF1NI5M/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_40This brush is a fraction of the cost of the higher end brushes and it felt GREAT and worked up a nice, foamy lather very quickly. I don’t see any reason to buy a more expensive brush, especially if you are just starting out and want to see if you enjoy this process before you commit to a high-dollar brush. Personally, I still wouldn’t get anything more expensive.Bowl: Schöne Stainless Steel Shaving Bowl with Lidhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OQDEL8Y/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_37I think this is a matter of preference and taste in aesthetics. This bowl matches the other items that I bought and has a lid, which I am hoping will allow me to make my soap last longer. It seems to be well made and is a great size for working up a lather with the brush and is shaped well for holding it in your hand while you apply the lather. I think there are a lot of options for you to choose from, so pick something that matches your style if this one isn’t for you.Razor and Brush Stand: SimplyBeautiful Deluxe Razor and Brush Standhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AG92BXY/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_35This stand looks great and is balanced well so that it holds my brush and razor without falling over. I chose black for two reasons. One: It matches the other things that I bought (razor and brush). Two: It should resist rusting better since it is coated.Pre-shave Oil: The Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Oil, Sandalwoodhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FGTTTM/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_3The Art of Shaving makes some great products, but some of them have changes in recent years, so you can’t rely on the ratings alone. I read through them and found that the pre-shave oil is still a very popular product and from my experience, it definitely helps prep your beard and skin for the shave. Applying the oil is step 1 in safety razor shaving.Shaving Soap: Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Shavinghttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007MW2ZW/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_1TOBS shaving soaps are the highest quality soaps I could find based off of smell, quality of lather, and consistency of the product quality. This soap is more like a cream. I scooped out some with my fingers, put it in the bowl, added some hot water, and then worked up a lather. It felt and smelled amazing! In reality, I didn’t want to wash it off because it just felt so good!After-shave Balm: Truefitt & Hill Sandalwood Aftershave Balmhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OWPW0I/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_29This was my biggest splurge of the whole set-up and I did so for several reasons: First, using after-shave balm is said to be gentler on your skin than alcohol-based after-shaves. As I mentioned before, I switched from an electric to a safety razor with no skin irritation at all. This cream soothes the skin and makes it soft. It was the perfect way to finish my shave. Second, this stuff is rated as the absolutely best smelling after-shave balm out there and I can attest to that. It smells so great that I stopped using my cologne. Based on the small amount that is needed, this bottle should easily last for a year or more. Three, there are other “luxury” brand shaving balms that have been bought out by big brand companies and their formulas have changed significantly as a result. That means that some of the products out there have great ratings, but only because of the number ratings BEFORE they recently changed. If you look into other luxury shaving brands, then you will see what I mean.Razor Disposal Case: Feather Styling Razor Disposal Casehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DWGEY1K/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_36Even used razors are sharp, so I bought this little case to keep stray razors off of the counter, or better yet, off of the floor. Just drop in the used razor when it’s too dull for shaving. It holds over a hundred, so you can go without emptying it for a few years. It’s pretty cheap, so maybe you can just throw it away when it’s full? Your choice.That’s my whole set up. If you want to get into safety razor shaving, then I highly recommend the products on this list. All-in-all, you will spend about the same on this list than you would on a TAOS starter kit that only has the oil, brush, soap, and balm. I’m a morning shaver, so the sandalwood scent works great for me, but evening shavers may consider the same products in lavender scent if you want a relaxing experience to help you sleep.

So, I have had this brush for a little over a year now, and I have put it through a lot.First of all, the design is just what I wanted. The brush fits comfortably in my hands, is sleek, lightweight, and the base looks shiny. It’s very good quality, with no scratches or fading on the base.If you’re worried about the smell, there was none when I first unboxed it. Now, it smells like my shaving soap!So far, it’s been all positives, but there is one small little thing I feel I have to note. When you first start using the brush you WILL see some hairs fall out. That may seem scary, but trust me when I say my brush is still luscious and is full of hair. I think it’s just natural for a brush with hair bristles to shed a few hairs. If you’re concerned, I would estimate maybe 30 hairs have fallen out. It’s been around a year and 2 months since I bought it, and I have used it biweekly since then. My point is there are probably a couple hundred hairs on this brush, and the initial shedding of around 2-3 hairs falling out per shave should be of no concern to new buyers.My final verdict is this product is definitely worth buying for those looking for a top notch shaving brush!

This is an excellent brush for both beginners and long time users as well. Other reviews have said things of a negative nature regarding the brush fullness, hair shedding, lack of ability to hold water, or make a good lather - NONE of this has been my experience.Is the handle 'fancy' ? No. Will it hold up and retain the good looks it has? Yes.My brush arrived just as shown in the picture, full and tapered. I have attached photos of what it looked like in the stand prior to first use, and then again after using it one time, as well as a picture showing the brush head itself after first use and drying. As you can see it is full, and has fluffed out a bit.I use this brush with Col. Conk Bay Rum glycerin soap, if you wet the brush under running hot water first, and then just shake it out a little, it holds water just fine. I find for me, that a couple of good shakes works best, start the lather building process, and then drop about five drops of water off my finger into the bowl and continue. The brush builds a fine lather and holds it well. I use a three pass technique on my face and I do not have to do anything more than re-dip the brush into the lather.Using on my face it has the badger bristle stiffness one expects, but not overly so, it flows around the face easily and fits my hand and the stand quite well. Clean up is as easy as rinsing out, and hanging back in the stand to dry.I did note after the first use, when doing the clean up rinse, that a darkish discoloration of the water did appear, I shook out the water, and rinsed again and the discoloration was no longer present.An excellent quality brush, extremely well priced. It should last several years, though this is not intended as use once disposable brush - if it only lasted a year or two it is well worth it in the quality it has and for what it costs. I can recommend this brush without hesitation, and already have to a fellow friend of mine.Pictures: In stand before first use (name label NOT facing camera, I stand after first use (name label facing camera), A top down shot of the brush bristles themselves after one use.