Boar brushes can be deceptive

Take the little Vulfix boar brush in the photo. When dry, it feels very stiff and as though it will not be a pleasant brush to use. (A badger brush this stiff and packed doesn’t work well for me:  holds little lather.)

But, of course, boar bristles absorb water, and after the brush soaked in hot water while I took my shower, it was soft and pleasant to use. This is, I think, only its second use, so it’s far from broken in. I returned to the soap for the third pass, as I expected, but did get excellent lather and a very fine shave, thanks to the Gillette Toggle and the Iridium Super blade it holds. And Booster Mosswood is a very nice aftershave.