The Art of ShavingOriginal Shaving Brush - Pure Black – Features Premium Synthetic Fibers For a Rich, Foamy, Lather

I don't know if they really use badger hair in the brush - I guess they do - but I just love whisking shaving cream onto my face with this brush. The previous was used and loved to death and this one is the successor. Just as good, just as fun.

Works well when applying shaving cream on my face for a smooth shave.

The packaging didn't protect the box, so it was smashed, which was annoying since it was a gift. Fine besides that.

Bought mine in'06 still using it today.

I did not receive an authentic Art of Shaving Brush.

This brush is a bit on the smaller side. It is pretty and feels comfortable on the face. It creates lather very quickly. One thing to note is that this brush does not hold water well.My problem may be that I tried to use it for face-lathering. I dab shaving cream on my face, wet the brush under the tap and proceed to lather my cheeks. I also prefer my lather with a little bit more water in it to avoid razor burn.To my dismay the water simply runs out of this brush and down my arm/cheek. Never seen anything like it. By the time I move to lather up the other side of my face it is already too dry.This brush may work better for lathering in a bowl. If you really want to face-lather maybe you could dip the tip of the brush frequently in a cup of water.When I was finished, I gave it a single flick and the brush was almost dry. I tried to flick it a few more times, but the water was already gone. Maybe this model is based on a Muhle travel brush that is optimized for ultra-fast drying.This brush looks great and and the bristles feel very nice, but I may have to go back to my cheap and reliable Omega S-brush (S10019).One small thing: Because of the way it was packaged, several bristles at the edges were bent out of shape and were sticking out at right angles. Never fear, simply cut them off at the base and all is well.