I've been using either Burma Shave or VDH brushes for the last 15 years or so and I've never had any problems with them other than shedding. I didn't even know other brushes were available until I found the various shaving forums (fora?). I'm hesitant to get a badger brush since I'm actually happy with the shaves I've been getting and just cannot justify the expense right now.
I didn't do anything to mine, just started using it. Was surprised there was no bad smell with it. Other than shedding a bristle or two now and then I have no complaints with it and the VDH pink shave puck.
Just picked up a VDH brush for whatever reason....It sucks. The hairs seem to go inwards? Why not just straight? I soaked it and soaked it to try to help it out. Lathers like crap. Wont give up yet though.
+1 My very first brush was a PIF Omega. It is a great brush. It does extremely well with soaps. It isn't as soft as my later acquired C&E BBB but it broke in very well and is in my regular rotation! +1 +1 +1 Better the Chimps Bananas than his Coconuts! :happy102 +1 Mine took a few shaves to break in but now it is great!
I used my brush this morning, no prep, just soaked it while I was in the shower. Alot better then trying to lather with my hands. I also see why a bowl would work better then a coffee cup. Sounded like I was calling in the cows when I was whipping up my lather. A longer brush would work better in a coffee cup. Less "dinging" early in the morning.
That's funny, mine didn't do that. But I suppose one of the faults of a cheap brush is going to be inconsistency. I'm on my first VDH brush so I wouldn't know how consistent they are. I just know that it works good for me and feels really good on my face. Not sure what you mean about the hairs going inwards, care to explain? I went to a Goodwill store, they have a lot of different types of mugs and cups. I bought a mug that was shorter than a normal coffee mug/cup with a wider mouth that kind of flares out a bit. I couldn't use my old coffee cup with the VDH and my fairly large hands. FYI, I never shave after I shower, I find that showering removes all the natural oils from my face and though it may make the beard softer, it makes the face "squeaky" clean and no matter how good the lather my blade will skip or chatter across my face. It just doesn't work for me so I shave then shower. My normal proceedure till I watched some of the shaving videos was to just put hot water (as hot as I could get it to run out of the faucet) in the mug on top of the shave soap to warm it while I brush my teeth. That worked so so, but after watching the videos I tried filling the sink with hot water, again as hot as I can get it to run from the faucet and sit my shaving mug down into the hot water and also fill the mug on top of the soap with hot water and let this sit for about two or three minutes while I brush. This does a great job and I get a much hotter lather this way. Oops, forgot to say I also lay my brush in the hot water to warm it up as well and then when I'm ready to shave I hold it under running hot water for half a minute or so and then pick up my mug, empty it and lather up right in the mug. I'm getting really good quality HOT lather this way and much better shaves than before. All this just using the cheapie VDH soap and brush. I do still plan to try a better badger brush when funds allow, but I swear if my shaves start feeling any better than they do now I don't know if I can stand it!
I have to say that, even though I own a C&E BBB, I was intrigued enough by this thread to buy a VDH boar brush and a puck of the VDH deluxe soap when I was at Wal-Mart this afternoon. I just decided to try building a lather with the VDH brush and, let me just say, building lather with a boar brush is ridiculously hard.:mad: Especially face lathering. Just for some comparison, I pulled out my BBB and tried face lathering with the VDH soap, and the lather just exploded (as usual) off of it. I then went back to the boar brush and was bound and determined to build a good face lather with it. It took a lot more additions of water, and several more swipes across the soap to finally get something approximating the lather the BBB built with just one pass over the soap, and no added water. Still, my curiosity is piqued. I am going to stick with the boar brush, for a while. I actually like the feel of the stiffer bristles. I feel (subjectively) that the stiffer bristles help work the lather into the face more effectively. And, from this experience, I now feel that the ability to build excellent lather on the face with a boar brush is a true test of manhood. I feel the need to prove that I can use the boar brush well. If nothing else, I will appreciate my BBB even more when I go back to it!
The way I broke in my VDH brush is I washed it in Aussie Moist Shampoo. Then I coated it in Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner and let it sit overnight. After rinsing it the next morning, it was very soft and made great lather with Proraso and Trumper lime cream.
I guess I don't understand how come so many have trouble lathering with a boar brush. Maybe it's the water or maybe the type soap. All I know is that I soak my VDH brush in some hot water for about 3/4 minutes, shake it out, rub it over whatever soap I'm using that day for about 15 seconds max and then face lather. I get enough lather for 3 passes with no problem.
The best way to fix the problem is to just buy a badger brush. You'll thank me, and your self for it later.
Same here. There is a short break in time, but soon the hair slightly split and it ends up as a firm bristled, soft tipped brush that actually works great with soap. And yes, it does hold a lot of water so it may take an extra shake before lathering.
I mug lather and I do the same presoak during my shower and can whip up a 3+ pass lather in my mug in less than two minutes.
I'm going to try this, tonight. I washed it with some shampoo, and then coated it thoroughly with some fantastic hair conditioner. I'm going to let it sit all night long, and then see how it works tomorrow morning. I'm hoping, as AsylumGuido said, that it turns out to be a stiff brush with soft tips so that it will work well with soaps.
I gave all 3 of my boar brushes (Burma-Shave, Van Der Hagen Natural, Klenzo B 75) two 10-minute treatments in Pantene Restoratives Time Renewal Replenishing Mask. This stuff comes in a little tub, not a bottle. All 3 brushes improved significantly, with the Burma-Shave improving the most. It's actually quite soft now and of the 3, it's by far the easiest to lather. The VDH has a bulb shape to the business end of the bristles, and it's also a bigger, denser, firmer brush. I find it can be tricky to lather, and I really don't like it all that much. It's been assigned to my travel shaving kit.
