Customer Reviews

Tweezerman Men's Shaving Brush

5 star:		(164)
4 star:		(110)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

Badger hair shaving brushes are not the cheapest items in the world. Not to mention usually you get what you pay for; however I have to say that this brush bucks that trend.

The brush does the job at a price MUCH better than the competitors.

My one minor issue:
-the first brush I bought repeatedly would lose hairs each time I used it. I hoped it would stop at some point but this went on for a month or so. In a strange sort of luck, I managed to leave the brush behind on a business trip and had to purchase a new one. The new brush works like a charm.

In a nutshell, I would not hesitate, if you need a shaving brush and do NOT want to pay an arm and a leg then this is the brush for you.

On a side note, if you are considering this brush you should also consider (if you have not already) switching to a Safety Razor rather than the economy razors you find in the supermarket. My shaving experience and outcome has changed considerably as a result of using this brush as well as the safety razor. My recommendation for a safety razor: Merkur Classic Safety Razor, Straight - #178

As far as shaving soap and blades goes: check out eBay as well as Amazon

I've gotten this brush about a month ago and it has held up pretty well. At $15 it is the best value pure badger brush on the market. At first it's a little stiff. It loses a few bristles here and there but after a few uses it breaks in. I haven't lost a bristle in weeks and its gotten softer. Of course there are better best badger brushes and silvertip badger brushes on the market but be prepared to pay $40-200 USD for a quality badger brush. The Tweezerman makes a good starter brush at $15. Why even bother to buy a synthetic or boar brush (both don't hold water well) when you can get this one for $15? I plan to upgrade to a better/softer brush down the line but the Tweezerman is treating me well and in the future will make an excellent back up or travel brush. I recommend this brush for anyone who decides to start traditional wet shaving.

This brush is easily on par with many badger hair brushes costing four times as much.

I BELIEVE I KNOW WHY OTHERS WERE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THIS BRUSH ...

I read some of the previous reviews regarding excessive bristle loss, cracked handles, and the knot coming out of the handle. ALL of these problems are symptoms of improper care and use! I'm willing to wager that this is the first shaving brush for most purchasers, who are attracted by its inexpensive price. So, here are some care and maintenance rules for shaving brushes:

Although a shaving brush has a flat handle, this is so it can be set down conveniently while shaving. It should NEVER be allowed to dry sitting on its handle. It is absolutely crucial that you rinse the brush after use and then HANG IT WITH THE HANDLE UP (BRISTLES DOWN) in order to dry. Failure to do so will result in an early demise of your brush -- cracked wood handle, rotting bristles, loosening of the knot, etc. You can make a holder out of wire or a coat hanger if you do not want to buy one.

Also, when whipping up lather, your finger tips should be grasping the base of the bristles where they meet the handle, with the flat of the handle against your palm. Whip the lather using only the TIPS of the bristles. You don't want to "squash" the bristles while whipping up the lather.

Finally, when you rinse the brush, hold it bristles up under a gentle stream of water. Then, hold it with the bristles down and wring the bristles by gently squeezing the bristles between your fingers and thumb. Now, holding the brush where the bristles and handle meet between your forefinger and thumb, GENTLY shake the brush two or three times. Vigorous shaking holding only the handle will damage the brush. Now hang the brush with the handle up to dry.

Follow these rules -- which are standard for any brush -- and you should enjoy years of shaves from your Tweezermans brush!

[UPDATE #1: I wrote the above after two months of use. This update, after ONE YEAR of use, convinces me even more that this was one of the best shaving buys ever. It continues to perform perfectly, is well broken in, and is NOT losing bristles! I have recommended this brush to many friends, and all have been very happy with their purchase. Follow the care instructions above, and I believe you will be very happy with this brush!]

[UPDATE #2: 2 years, 8 months later and still going strong! Although I have two other brushes (mostly for travel) this brush is still my "go to" and on average gets used 5 to 6 days a week. I still stand by my review above. This is without a doubt one of the best values for the money.]

This shaving brush is perhaps the most inexpensive way to get a pure Badger bristle shaving brush. I've now been using it for a year and a half, and it has not shed any real amount of its bristles like the cheaper brushes on the market. The brush head remains densely packed and quite soft. Hopefully, it will remain that way for some time to come. In the meantime, I do enjoy the close and comfortable shaves that are aided by this brush. Because of it, I have sworn off of canned shave gels for every situation except travel. They just can't compare to your average $1.50 cake of shaving soap and this brush. This was a very worthwhile purchase for me.

But they really do. I had a boar's hair brush before this, and the badger bristles really are far superior. It takes a lot less soap to make a good lather with the badger. If you're a brush user, definitely give it a try.

I bought a Tweezerman shaving brush to replace a boar bristle brush I lost--yes lost. The Tweezerman does a better job because it's more comfortable and because it lathers up faster and thicker. That said, the differences are minor in respect to the final shave. Both do a good job and the job they both do good is keeping your skin wet while you shave. The badger bristles have a slight edge in this. You'd think keeping skin wet would be easy, but it's not. What lubricates a blade more than anything is the water itself and not what's in the soap. The second you splash water on your skin it immediately begins to evaporate, so by the time you get your razor to your face most of it has evaporated. The soap foam keeps the water at your skin--that's its job here. The best shave doesn't need any soap at all. Shave under a shower with no soap and you'll see what I mean. Try it as a test. You'll get the closest shave that way. Do this only if you have memorized where everything is on your face. Shaving foam does as good a job as a wet brush in my opinion and so I use it more often than not. My final view is that the Tweezerman brush is a great deal and works well. I can see no reason to buy a more expensive brush--some sell for more than a hundred plus some dollars. Whatever they add to the mix for this price is probably not worth it. If you want to impress people with your shaving acumen, learn to use a straight razor--not for wusses or the faint of heart, though. I have been using the brush for several months and have not had any of the quality issues like shedding bristles that others here have reported, so this experience seems to vary. There could be some quality control problems at play. I do make it a point to hang the brush upside-down to dry, though. Drying it bristle side up might allow water to pool so that the glue holding the bristles is weakened.

I too am very pleased with this brush. My previous brush had a ceramic handle that cracked. This wood handle seems built to last. The badger bristles are excellent. I paid $10...unusually low price for a quality shave brush.

Classic shaving, wet shaving, or whatever you want to call it, is essentially the idea that older style shaving tools and techniques deliver a better shave, a better shaving experience, and/or more economy, than the modern multi-blade cartridge razor and can of shaving cream gives.

Like any other pursuit or hobby, there are those that will approach it from a perspective of frugality, those who'll opt for luxury and status, and those who want to hit the sweet spot of performance for the least expense. The Tweezerman's Men's Shaving Brush aims for that last group, and hits the mark well.

The whole idea here is that the Tweezerman brush is the least expensive Badger hair brush available new, and badger brushes deliver high quality lather with less time and effort than boar hair or synthetic brushes.

There are certainly badger brushes to be had for several hundred dollars, and they sport a higher quality grade of badger hair, and more of it. There are cheaper brushes made of lesser material. With the Tweezerman, you get most of the performance of the luxury brush with a cost more in line with a budget brush of far lower quality.

My Tweezerman performs admirably, shedding few hairs after the first use. There is little heft to the handle, and there are certainly brushes that are more pleasing to the eye.

If you get the brush acquisition bug, the Tweezerman will become the Yugo in your collection of exotic cars, an object of some scorn. If you are used to a boar or synthetic brush, the Tweezerman will seem like hot stuff. If you like nice for less, the Tweezerman is a great buy, and if you treat yourself to a nicer brush later, you'll have a handy travel brush in the Tweezerman.

This little brush has been part of the routine that has transformed the necessary drudgery of shaving to an enjoyable time in the day that I actually look forward to. Not bad for a few bucks.

My experience with this brush has been terrible. Well, the first two or three days were wonderful. By the third day, the brush was shedding bristles like mad into my razor. By the second week, the wooden handle (which does look durable) cracked and the plastic sleeve that holds the bristles popped out--never to go back in again. I am replacing this brush, sadly, after about 15 uses, and I will be purchasing a more expensive brush, I hope with better results.
***Update, a few months later: I didn't replace the brush. I super-glued the bristle-sleeve back into the wooden handle. It eventually stopped shedding bristles, and I have used it successfully since then. The wooden handle still looks like it will deteriorate quickly as the finish continues to chip off. Still not recommended, since I don't think I should have to repair a product within the first few weeks of use.

this brush has great bristles, comparable to brushes 3 or 4 times the price, but after 6 weeks of use the handle fell off. I thought at that price it seemed to good to be true - and I was right. this is a penny-wise pound-foolish purchase.