I've had this brush for just about 4 months now and it has proven to be a great performer. Works well with both soft and hard soaps. Didn't take very long to break-in actually, 7-10 shaves tops. The handle is the only thing that kind of takes a star away for me. It's got a semi hexagon shape to it and kind of short, so when I bowl lather on occasion, it does not give a good grip when your working the lather. For face lathering though, it performs flawlessly. Lost a couple hairs during the first 2-3 shaves, none since. It holds water well, gets softer with use and has good backbone and "scritch" in applying lather. For the price, it's a good brush that won't disappoint......