Customer Reviews

Van Der Hagen Premium Shave Set (Soap, Bowl, Brush)

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(34)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Got this kit for about $8.50 at a Wal-Mart.

And, considering the price, its an awesome value.

Here's the thing about brush shaving, its really nice. It feels good on your face, it results in a nice close shave, and its honestly kinda fun to do it the old school way.

The bad part is, you go on the internet and find out that there's a super elite group of people who will tell you that THIS brand of shave soap is the best soap and you should only use THIS brand of badger brush because the other types don't compare and how you can only use THIS kind of razor because the other kinds will somehow destroy your face and make shaving the kind of unspeakable horror only sick, twisted people dare entertain their minds with.

The point I'm trying to make is this: there is actually a community of shaving snobs. People who've actually invested over a hundred dollars in particular, elite equipment to SCRAPE LITTLE HAIRS OFF THEIR CHINS!!!!

So they see this cheapo set and turn their noses up at it, because its ONLY EIGHT DOLLARS and you can BUY IT AT WAL-MART!!!



I do like wet shaving. Its a good shave. I shave with a double edge safety razor (a Merkur) and this particular kit. And it works out GREAT!!!


So here's my review:

THE BRUSH: Its a boars hair brush, and its fine. It lathers well, it works the way it should, its not rough on my face at all. Yes, it has a plastic handle. WHO CARES?!?!?!?! Its the HANDLE of a friggin BRUSH!!! Do your hands start on fire if they touch plastic? Do you get an allergic reaction if your fingertips handle a brush thats not metal or wood? If you answered "No" to both those questions, then you're fine. Complaining about the material of a shaving brush handle makes you a snob.

THE BOWL: Its a bowl. The soap sits in it, it holds steady when you lather. Its fine. You know why? Because its a FREAKIN' BOWL!!! How do you honestly complain about a bowl? It functions, it doesn't offend the eye, its fine. Don't be a snob.

THE SOAP: Honestly, I've tried so many canned shaving creams its ridiculous. I'm a man with sensitive skin and it doesn't matter how moisturizing the cream was, I still had nicks and cuts and irritated skin. So imagine my surprise to find this soap to be a key part of a very clean, enjoyable shave. I seriously get better results from this soap than I do with my gels and creams. Way to go, VDH shaving soap. Are there better shaving soaps? Probably. Do I care? No, because this one leaves my face moisturized and refreshed, costs 1.80 per bar, and I can actually get it without ordering it over the internet.



BOTTOM LINE: A great wet shave kit, especially for the price. Avoid the snobby opinions and give it an honest shot. If you're not a total tool you'll probably be surprised by how nice this kit is.

There are plenty of things in this world where the level of craftsmanship and attention to detail make a huge difference. Guitars are such a product. Automobiles are another. Shaving brushes and bowls are NOT!!!

Don't be a dumb shaving snob, just go shave your face, then start investing yourself in something thats actually important.

Obviously this is not for old school die-hard wet shaving enthusiasts yet still easily beats using canned shaving foam/gel.

The dish is exactly as it appears, decent looking but nothing too exciting.

The brush is a low grade boar hair brush that is unlikely to last more than a few months. I've used mine about 6 weeks and it is shot which is what I was looking for when I decided
to write this review. The brush should be hanged upside down(bristles down) to allow for proper drying and prolong it's life. I did not do so and merely turned it up on it's end when done shaving, consequently the hairs have prematurely worn.

Personally I like the soap, it has a very mild yet pleasant odor and contains Aloe and Shea Butter. My skin is moderately dry and this helps lubricate for a comfortable shave while moistening my
face simultaneously.

This shave set is nothing that will last years but is ideal to get a sense of if you wish to pursue wet shaving/using a brush and soap in the future. It does not lather nearly as well as a quality brush but is sufficient for a comfortable and close shave. The soap will likely last you 3-6 months so coupled with the bowl it is worth the price. You can find double edged razor blades for a safety razor in local stores for less than $2.00/10 blades. These blades offer a much closer shave than any cartridge I have used and are significantly less costly. I would encourage all men to at least try it so you too can rid yourself of the burden of a lifetime of expensive razor/cartridge replacements. Actually this is a brilliant marketing idea for a company who sells higher grade safety razors/straight razors/shaving soaps/bowls/shave kits as it is enough to experience it at a low cost.

First, brush shaving may not be for everyone, I can't see how though.

If you want to introduce a friend to brush shaving, this is the way to go. If they don't like it, no loss, if they do, this will carry them through until they get a better set.

As far as brushes go, if you're buying boar, you aren't going to waste your money on a metal or wooden handle brush! You're going inexpensive (not cheap).

The soap in this kit is actually quite nice. I'm currently using a EJ Sea-Buckthorn soap, but the VDH soap must've been loaded with aloe, because it always makes my skin smooth, it doesn't have a strong scent though.

The bowl in this kit (not a mug ~ a bowl) is very deep, which I actually really like. I place my brush in the bowl and fill it to the brim with STEAMY HOT water and let it soak for 15 or 30 seconds. It softens the soap for getting on the brush quickly and gets the brush nice and warm to the core.

At this price, pick up a few and pass them around to guys who are still in the dark about brush shaving, you'll make some converts.

I like to leave my Edwin Jagger set at home, I have this VDH set packed in my travel kit.

For the money, it should have more stars, but compared to other shave brushes, it could have less. Factor the cost and the product and it gets 3 stars. Don't mind spending $25 or more? Go with badger.

After getting tired of paying tons of money for triple-blade razors every month, I decided to try doing it the old-fashioned way. I bought a Merkur Classic Safety Razor, Straight - #178 - Made In Germany and this kit.

The kit itself is not bad for the price. The ceramic bowl, while not stylish, does the job just fine. The soap is a bit thin. It doesn't lather terribly well, and tends to evaporate off the skin rather quickly.

I can only give the kit three stars because of the brush. The bristles are comfortable and do a good job, but the cheap plastic handle is... well, cheap. After using this setup for a couple months, the base of the bristles snapped off from the handle this morning. It's just a plastic base for the bristles glued onto the plastic handle; the glue apparently became brittle and broke under normal use.

If you want a cheap introduction to shaving, this is a decent start. I'm going to invest in a nicer brush though (and better soap once this runs out).

This is a good set either as an introduction to shaving or as a keeper. I've always been a wet shaver and used canned lather and cartridges in the past. Now I use this exact set except when travelling from overseas where I work. I've actually used the soap from the plastic packaging when I travelled because I didn't want to further risk breaking the bowl. For the record, I've been using it for about a year and a half so the set brush is plenty durable with any basic care. Yes the brush loses a hair every once in a while but that's why you have a replacement on hand right? The plastic handle is fine unless the snob factor comes in to play. Just store it hanging from the knob with the bristles down. The bowl is a good height in which to work up your lather (coffee mug is too tall) but a handle might be a good idea. Lathering up is easy...just wet the brush under the hot running water and don't shake out too much of the excess...work the brush around the bowl until you obtain the lather of your desired consistency. The soap is fine unless again, the snob factor emerges. Next up for me is an old fashioned safety razor instead of these WAY TOO EXPENSIVE cartidges and a decent shaving stand that will actually ship out to me. Overall, if I could give 4 1/2 stars I would but...not 5...nothing ever gets a perfect score huh.
Addendum dated July 15th - been using this set with my Merkur Saftey Razor and a variety of DE blades for about two weeks. I've used Merkur, Derby and Wilkinson blades to date with Feathers upcoming. I can say that the entire routine of shaving oil, brushed lather and a good DE safety razor shave is a weclome part to shaving and a nice way to start the day. This set works fine. The bowl is a good size and fits my hand well, the brush also fits my hand well and the soap has a pleasant yet not overpowering scent. The brush isn't prickly at all in my opinion. I've had no problem other than the brush doesn't fit the stand I have (like the Colonel Conk), even at the base of the knot but I read about that anyway. I have an improvised stand that I use to hang-dry the brush and I use the stand to stage my other brush leaning it against the prongs and the cap nut on top. I rotate between the two-use one this day the next one the next day and back between the two again. The only soap that I have used is the "regular" soap but I may try a different VDH version. I see no need to "upgrade" as this set works well enough for me. Hope this helps. Happy Shaves.

For the price the brush gets the job done, not $50 quality but not cheap. The bowl doesn't need a handle because it's made to fit in your palm. The shave soap doesn't dry my skin and applys nicely with low scent. I saw the kit at Wal-Mart for $8 and the soap cost less than $2. Would recommend, I have no problems at all with this kit.

I cannot be a insightfuls or humorous as some other posters, but I will give an honest review of this set. I purchased this set as my first venture into a wet shave setup.

It is what it is for the $10 I paid for it.
The bowl is great, nice and small enough to fit easily in my medicine cabinet. 5 stars

The VDH soap is wonderful, great lather and very comfortable shave with both a DS razor or Fusion. 4 stars

The boars hair brush was TERRIBLE, at least mine was. I expected it to shed SOMEWHAT during the first few weeks I used it but the shedding did not stop ! I was pulling boar bristles of my face continuously with each shave. For this I give the brush ONE STAR.

Enter Vanderhagen Enterprises who was fantastic and stepped up to the plate. I sent an email to their customer service department. I received a prompt response asking for my name and address so they could send me either a refund OR their better badger brush. I asked for the brush which I received. Although it is not part of this review, the badger brush is significantly better than the boar brush; and it doesn't shed.

I started using this set about five months ago. I really do like the soap and will continue to use it. I have sensitive skin and a tough beard and this does a great job of softening the hair and lubricating the path of the razor. It lathers easily and neither dries the face nor leaves a nasty film. That is worth four stars.

The bowl is a bowl. The soap fits it well enough and it's deep enough not to spill but not so deep that it is awkward to make a lather with your brush. I am not considering it in the number of stars for this review, though, as it is as good as any mug I had lying around that I would have otherwise used for this purpose and if you were to buy the soap and brush separately it would probably cost the same as this set.

The brush, though, is what brings my review for this set down to two stars. It makes and applies lather well enough, and did it not fall apart then I'd probably consider it decent. However, for the past five months it never stopped shedding hairs. It was horrible at first, shedding like a cat, but even five months later it was shedding at least one hair per use. Finally, a few days ago, the knot came out of the handle. I certainly did not use it in a rough manner so I have to assume that it was shoddy construction. What's worse, looking into the part of the handle in which the knot sat I could see a number of flaws, holes and irregularities and whatnot, in the plastic that definitely imply poor manufacturing.

As a set, this isn't very good and, while I do recommend the soap, I have to suggest that anyone in need to buy the soap and then pick up a different brush separately. A person certainly doesn't need an expensive badger hair brush just to prepare and apply the soap, but one that actually holds up is certainly preferable.

I used to shave with straight razors and safety razors, and of course I used a brush and soap. I then went for speed and used the multiple blade outfits and canned foam. I just can't justify the price of the latter method and recently went back to old school shaving. I bought the Van Der Hagen shave set at Wal-Mart for a fair price, but as with many things, you get what you pay for. The brush is stiff and loses hairs often. The cup lacks a handle and can easily slip when things get soapy. The soap itself works, but it is not a fine product. I am not a "shave snob" but I will be shopping Amazon for a better shave set, especially one with a softer brush.

Purchased at Wal-Mart, fantastic value for someone taking their first dip into wet shaving, but unfortunately after only the second shave I began having problems. Well, one problem, the brush is already leaving loose hairs on my face as I use it. As in, the brush hairs are falling out. It's frustrating because they come out as I lather, they're hard to pick out, and obviously this shouldn't be happening so soon. I will be purchasing a new brush, likely not the same one from this kit, but that's it.
I have incredibly sensitive skin and was going to buy the glycerin version of the soap in this pack but honestly my skin hardly reacted to the one included. This is a huge plus. The soap lathers well and the smell isn't rough.
The bowl is a bowl but I'm sure it's a very efficient bowl.
So, i recommend it and simply hope the brush that comes in your box is better suited than the one I received.