Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This brush almost deserves a solid 5 stars; I'd give it 4.5 if I could. It works VERY well at lathering up shaving cream (my choice is Proraso Shaving Cream 5.2 oz (147 g)), holds a good amount of water, and is easy to rinse. The only reason I'd deduct a half a star is that it was a little prickly against my skin during the first few uses. This has gotten better with use; now I only notice this once in a while. I don't know if I'm getting used to it or if the bristles are softening up, but either way, it's no longer a complaint. Just wanted to let you know it's not whispery-soft right out of the box. A few things in response to previous reviews: Some other reviews say it smells bad - mine isn't bad at all. If I shove my nose right against it immediately after wetting it, I can smell a hint of animal scent, but I've never smelled anything unusual during normal use. My brush lost a total of about 3 bristles over the first few weeks of use. And finally, a hint if you don't want to take up counterspace with a special brush drying rack. There's hardly any space around my sink, so I didn't want a dedicated brush rack, but I also wanted to prolong this brush's life by drying it properly (bristles-down). To solve these problems, I sunk a small screw into the handle of the brush (opposite the bristles), and stuck a small rare-earth magnet onto the bottom of my mirror/med cabinet. Now my brush "floats" just under the cabinet - easy access, proper drying, and no lost counterspace. :)