Van Der Hagen® Luxury Shaving Set - Total Men's Wet Shaving Kit w/Boar Bristle Brush, Scented Luxury Soap, Stand and Apothecary Mug

According to Amazon, I purchased this very shave set in August of 2013. For those that say this is a good beginners set, I have to disagree. This is a FANTASTIC shave set. I have used it for over 5 years and it has lived far beyond my expectations.I feel that I’m like most guys, always wanting the latest and greatest, the baddest and fastest. And if you’re like me, when you get into a new hobby (using the term “hobby” a little loosely here), you might start with some beginner stuff, but it’s not long before you’re going all out. This is probably the only time in my entire life that I am completely satisfied at the “beginner” level. I haven’t even thought about upgrading a single component in this kit. Enough about me, on to reviewing the set:The stand: it’s a stand. My razor doesn’t fall off it too much, and it does a great job holding my brush. Easy enough to clean, and blends in well - doesn’t stick out.The mug: great mug. I say that lightly because before this I was using canned shaving cream in the palm of my hand. I had never used a mug. And still, this is the only mug I’ve ever used. However, it performs great. Easy to hold, has deep sides to build up a great lather. The only thing I may not like about it, and this is kind of a stretch, is that it’s black so it shows every little bit of soap left on it.The soap: I shave about once or twice a week, give or take, and believe it or not, I am still on the first soap bar that came with the set. Now your mileage may vary depending on how much pressure you use to dig into the soap. It has a pleasant smell, but very light, which I like. I like to wear cologne, so this shave soap doesn’t really compete with my cologne.The brush: what seems to be the problem with most of the reviews I’ve read. Yes, the brush sheds some at the start. From what I’ve been told, that is to be expected with any new brush, no matter the price tag. After the initial shedding, I haven’t had any problems whatsoever. Two things I do after every shave: 1) I am always sure to thoroughly wash the brush out with warm water. I mean thorough. I scrub it in the palm of my hand under the hot water and get all the suds out. 2) I then reach into the shower and sling as much water out of it as I possibly can. Really whip that thing until it fluffs back out and looks like it did when it was dry. That’s it. After five years, shaving once or twice a week, my brush is still very much intact. All these photos of broken brushes goes completely against my experience with this brush. Maybe they got bad brushes, maybe I got a good one. Maybe they shave every day, and don’t get all the excess water out, so the brush never completely dries. I don’t know what the problem is, all I know is mine has never given a problem.And that’s it. A completely phenomenal shave set, especially for the price. If you are still using canned shaving cream, don’t buy one more can before you try this set. You will not regret it. Shaving will be less of a chore and more of a pleasure.

I've had this kit for a bit now and I LOVE it. Soap smells great and works very well, way better than any big name stuff from a can. It's very gentile on your skin and does a great job letting the razor glide across your face (I have the Merkur Futur D/E).The stand works very well and fits my razor on it perfectly. The mug is heavy and looks really nice. easy to just leave it on the counter and build a lather with the brush.The Brush is good (excellent at this price). I have not had any issue with shedding from my brush. I took the time to read the instructions and get tips from online before I used anything and I think that's part of the reason I don't have any issue. Silver Tip Badger brushes are softer and feel better on your face, but the brush alone can be 3x-6x the price of this whole kit so let's keep things in perspective...You can't and should not use a lot of pressure on the brush when building a lather or applying the lather to your face. I rinse the brush well and shake off excess water, put it right on the stand and let it fully dry.The first time I used the brush I had about 4 hairs shed (expected from a brand new brush). Since then, maybe 6-7 more hairs total have shed from the brush.Take care of this set and it will take care of you. This is a great set to get you started with out a lot of money down.Update: 10-1-13Still Zero issue from this set. I've used up the soap and moved to a Taylor of Old Bond Street cream that is very nice. not THAT much better than the soap that came with this set, but it does moisturize my skin better and is nice enough to be worth the extra few $$ to me. Brush is still working great with still nearly zero shedding...Once again, this is a great set to start off with and expand upon.

Context: For the last two or three months, I have slowly been upgrading my entire grooming routines and essential items one by one starting with soap and hair-care products to my shaving routine. My wet-shaving experience has mainly come from YEARS of using those plastic one-blade disposable razors and Barbasol "canned shaving cream" and a month after using a couple of cartridge razor trial kits from Harry's and Dollar Shave Club. Although I was impressed with the quality of both trial packages, my curiosity for safety razors and how much more cost-effective they can be (I'll come back to this in a minute) got my attention with the Van Der Hagen set.If you are looking to get into proper wet-shaving and/or using a safety/straight razor, yet you don't know where to start, this set is probably the best value you can find to get started on a budget. (In my case, I got this set half-off along with a discount on a modern Wilkinson Sword and 35 razors all at around $42, which I used every last cent of my Amazon gift-card funds to pay for.) Another good option out there online is from Stirling Soap where you can get a Budget friendly option starting at $30 and a Basic option starting at $40. (These bundles include a razor, a couple packs of blades, soaps, a brush and some pre- and post-shave products, but you won't get a shaving mug like you would here. However, you can just use the brush on your face to build enough lather, but it might be more time-consuming if you want to shave for multiple passes.)I also like this set because even if you don't have everything you need to start wet-shaving, you can still use these items with other razors to get accustomed to a new routine before getting your razor and blades. This helps split up the upfront costs of safety razors and makes it accessible to more people.Now, I have used all these products for several weeks at this point with no major concerns, so I want to provide some useful bits of information for beginners on shaving with a safety razor since this set is mainly geared towards them. I view this set as a great gift idea for folks who may be on the fence of getting into wet-shaving, but you should know that most of the items are adequate; nothing is too fancy nor frivolous, but you may want to get better items in the future.With the Van Der Hagen luxury set, you will get:- A 3.5 oz puck of shaving soap- A boar shaving brush (which, if you're looking at the image I posted, I have set it in the wrong spot; the bottom of the handle goes on the stand, not the location of the knot)- An apothecary mug (the soap will fit inside the bottom with no problems, but I prefer keeping my soap separate from my mixing station)The brush itself seems perfectly fine, but I have no frame of reference in terms of the differences between a boar, badger and horse brush. I do know that, in terms of quality, horses are at the lowest end and badgers are the highest, so having a boar brush is a nice middle ground option. (If you intend to get a synthetic brush, those are often comparable to badger brushes in terms of lathering ability and quality, but your mileage may vary depending on where you find it.) Combined with the stand and mug, these three items are worth the package alone because you will use two out of three of these items no matter what.The only small downside is the soap itself, yet there's nothing about it that is bad. It lathers well; it provides a decent amount of protection; it's quite resilient even for 3.5 oz, which will probably last you 4 - 6 months minimum, if you make two passes per shave; and it has a pleasant scent that is a soft lemon, clean vibe. My only gripe is that the scent is easily forgettable that it would be considered unscented, but some may like that about this soap. The problem is that this is the only item where I feel it is somewhat cheap in comparison to everything else.What you will need outside of this set to get started:- A safety/straight razor- Blades- Post-shave balm/lotion/aftershaveOut of the three items, the post-shave option can include just about everything. I use Dollar Shave Club's post-shave balm since it's cheap ($5 - 6) and easily accessible at most stores, but you can use anything you would normally get for cartridge razors. I would steer away from using aftershave because you may cut yourself on your first attempts; balms and lotions re-hydrate your face and help ease any razor burns you may have.What I recommend you also do to better protect yourself:- Use Cremo shaving cream as a pre-shave- Have an alum blockTake this first item as some words of wisdom from George Bruno, a masterclass barber who not only has shaved men's faces for most of his life but he also teaches others how to do proper barbershop shaves. This stuff is an absolute game-changer for finding enjoyment with shaving, and it's super cheap ($5.99 at Target for 6 oz) and easily accessible at every store. You can listen to his explanation here: https://youtu.be/C29KkkAYOAECremo is a water-activated latherless shaving cream that works wonders as a pre-shave cream that works with just about anything. (I've used it with Van Der Hagen's shaving soap and Harry's shaving gel, and the difference with it versus without it is immediately noticeable and a vast improvement.) This will not only give you extra protection on your face and neck, but it will also make your razor glide off your face with very little friction. The best thing about this product is that you can wet your face and activate it before you start making your shaving soap lather, and if it starts to dry up, just put a little more water on your face and it will reactivate just as before. You don't need a lot for it to work, so you won't need to reapply it.Finally, having an alum block, especially when you're staring out, will help with any cuts you may get. What is it? It's basically a naturally forming crystal with medicinal properties to provide antibacterial protection and quick healing on small wounds. This is more of a first-aid item rather than something you will need on a daily basis; you can avoid getting this, but there's zero reason not to have one just in case.Some tips for beginners on how to shave without hurting yourself:- Start with cold shaves- Use a safety razor one area at a time- Practice with both cartridge and safety razors- No more than two passesI know a lot of guys prefer shaving right after a hot shower or using hot water because it's relaxing and it feels nice, but if you have sensitive skin like me or you're afraid of mauling your face on your first shave, cold water is better for you. If you've ever felt goosebumps, you know that your skin tightens and your hair stands up straight, and that's exactly why it is a better option for people who suffer from skin burn or ingrown hairs. Once you're familiar with shaving with a safety/straight razor—which is like learning how to ride a bicycle; it will probably take you about two or three failed attempts to get it right—then you can go back to enjoy your hot water shaves.Second, don't throw away your other razors just yet. You may not feel comfortable shaving your neck or troublesome areas on your first round, so start with your cheeks and jawlines, then your neck, and everywhere else one shave at a time. If you use Cremo with your shaving soap like I suggested, you should be fine as you honestly have to try to hurt yourself with that much protection. You might also want to try shaving with your previous razors so you can learn your normal habits and how to build a proper lather with the shaving soap.Finally, don't try a three-pass shave for at least a month or two; you don't need that final pass when shaving with the grain and shaving across the grain will be perfectly fine for most people. You may even only want to do one pass if your blades are effective enough, but that's all up to you.The most important thing that you should take away from this review is that you should have a little bit of fun with shaving because you'll have to do it at some point in your life, so you might as well find the best way to enjoy it. Of course, if you enjoy having an immaculate beard chiseled by the passing of the ages, that's fine too, but then you probably don't need shaving products to begin with.