Escali 100% Pure Badger Shaving Brush

In the interest of full disclosure, I think it's important for me to admit that my original review of this brush was only three stars. The brush I received had several coarse hairs noticeable on first inspection. The brush had a fairly strong odor to it, and the first several rinses resulted in a filthy brackish water pouring from it. After a thorough cleaning, the brush functioned fine, and I reported as much. My review was not overly harsh, but it was honest.A day later, I was contacted by a representative of the supplier, Perella's. The CSR expressed regret that I had been unhappy with their product and offered to send me a replacement for free. My replacement brush has since arrived and proved to be much cleaner and had fewer coarse hairs apparent. The new brush returns reliably to original shape and builds excellent lather. It has a slight odor to it, but this is the case for several other natural badger hair brushes that I have tried as well. Altogether I think this is an excellent value for the price, you could easily spend three times as much or more for a shaving brush from some other companies that would not be significantly better than the Escali.I think it's fair to say that Perella's went above and beyond in this instance; I did not submit any complaint to them directly, nor did I offer a terrible review, but they still reached out to me in an effort to make me happy. So this review is half for the actual brush, and half for the seller. I am impressed by a small company willing to go out of their way to provide excellent customer service and a quality product at an affordable price.

Recently a friend of mine bought two-bladed disposable razors at the store. "Two bladed?" I thought, "Ouch!" When I asked why, he mentioned that he was transitioning to an old school non-disposable razor because that's what his father used to use. He was working up to using a straight razor like his granddaddy had used.Right now there's a fever for manliness*. Whether it's in the form of Ron Swanson, Mr. Rogers, Ronald Reagan, or Teddy Roosevelt, people want to feel self-reliant and they want to smell like the good old days when you had to walk to school uphill both ways. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the growing popularity of the barbershop cult.My two-bladed friend and I were perusing Amazon, looking for the shaving products he wanted, and he showed me a soap he particularly liked. As soon as he was gone I bought the soap. I knew he had his father's razor but did not have a suitable brush. Part of the self-reliance mindset is buying items of quality while taking your budget into consideration; given these parameters I found a few brushes made of quality materials within my price range, but the Escali 100% Pure Badger Shaving Brush had the best reviews. Not only was it made of durable, natural materials, but also the bristles were 100% pure badger hair-- the most frequently recommended bristle material for an old-timey shave. Even better, they do not shed as they would in cheaply constructed brushes. This is the kind of brush will last. The quality is outstanding.When the Amazon box arrived, I gave it to my friend. He opened it, found the soap he'd been wanting, and thanked me. "Keep going," I said. "There's something else inside." When he pulled out the brush his eyes widened. He turned the box to view it from every angle. "Badger hair," he breathed reverently. "Do you know how long this will last? I can't believe you spent that much on me." Thanks to this shop, I didn't spend that much money at all, and every penny was worth it for the tears in my friend's eyes (he probably just had something in his eyes, of course, like TEARS) and the satisfaction of knowing that he has a quality brush that will serve him for many, many years.I'd like to mention the politeness and punctuality of the shop vendors. As someone who has experienced unannounced months-long back orders and excuses from some shops, I appreciate being left alone but for polite updates letting me know that my item is in the mail, and quickly, too. These vendors are personable and although I'm being sent a form letter update, they manage to make it seem personal and respectful.Fans of The Art of Manliness will probably like this brush. Gents, or hey-- ladies-- who want to return to wet shaving, the double-edge safety razor and shaving brush: This is the real deal. Badger hair. Affordable. Perfect size. Does not shed. Want to get back to basics? Want that rugged, clean WWI balanced budget feeling? Go for the combination of quality and economy in this brush. Make every morning shave feel like something Indiana Jones would do.*Nota bene: I'd like to point out that the fever for "manliness" should more properly be thought of as a fever for self-reliance, integrity, and discipline, but "The Art of Self-Reliance, Integrity, and Discipline" sounds a bit punitive for a light-hearted popular website, I suppose. All the same, you can't argue with the cool factor of anyone that shaves with a brush and straight razor.

Great brush, great price.There are some comments about how these brushes can smell out of the box, and yes, this one had a mild scent to it out of the packaging, however after the first use it was gone.Pro:Soft bristles, comfortable in the hand, the wood handle is a nice touch, bristles spread evenly, retains water (depending on how you view that, it could be a con) unless you shake / wring it out. It does hold lather very well once you get it built up. Very attractive design in my opinion. The finish on the handle is as shiny as the photo indicates, and the gold ring is a nice touch as well.Con:Some of the hairs came out on the first use (~8-12), more on the second use (~5-8), basically none on the third and consequent uses (maybe one or two). The loss of hairs isn't noticeable and does not impact the use of the brush. Takes a while to build a lather on the soaps I have. Again, this may be a reflection on MY SOAP not the brush.The only reason for 4/5 stars is just due to the fact that on the first use, a bunch of bristles came out which gave me a negative first impression. As stated, however, this stopped and my impression has since reversed.This brush was exactly what I was looking for at a cheaper price than I anticipated. The 'cheaper' price, however does not reflect a cheaper quality. This will get the job done, and well too... just make sure you squeeze out the final rinse water, and try to sore it bristles down hanging from something. It does hold water well, and I've had to fluff the bristles out a bit to ensure it dries properly.