I have owned 3 brushes in my lifetime. The first was a cheap boar brush from the supermarket (it fell apart in a couple of weeks and was a total waste of time). The second was a Vulfix 849 that I bought here (it's lasted me 2 or 3 years and gives a perfectly fine shave but I always knew there was probably better options out there). The third (and dare I say final brush I'll ever buy) was the Shavemac 177, and it is absolute f***ing luxury. There is no way any brush could top this and I only wish I had bought this straight up. Like the Porsche 911, this is a stunning piece of German design and it is a pleasure to use and own.

Talk about luxury, the Shavemac 177 gets rave reviews everywhere and now I know why. This will be my "go to" brush for a looong time! You are really missing out if you haven't tried this brush.

I bought this as a compromise between my simpsons duke 2 in 'best badger' (very stiff, great face lathering brush), and my merkur futur silvertip (so floppy I gave it away). It works great for bowl lathering creams, and releases lather more willingly than the duke. I found that when face lathering, it seems to hold water at its base which can then cause the lather to be runny later in the shave. I now use this for bowl lathering exclusively and the duke for face lathering. They make a great pair.

Most people end up buying a deluxe brush like this in the end (after spending $$$ on cheaper models). I've got one and I can say confidently that you will love it and that it is great value for what you get. My philosophy is: Just buy one brush, and make it a good one ... and you can't get any better than a Shavemac.

As everyone has said it is pure luxury to use most silver tip brushes are, however if you are used to using a fan shaped brush and like to build up the lather on your face as I do, instead of in a mug then this bulb shaped brush is not for you unless you wish to change your style to suit the brush.

I was a little hesitant at making a jump from my trusty MensBiz badger brush, especially as I had not tried a silvertip brush before. My initial thoughts were along the lines of "surely this brush cannot be twice or three times as good as a best or super badger brush" - that was at least until I opened up my Shavemac 177.

This brush feels hefty in your hand, but not too heavy, the bristles are exceptionally dense (far more than I would have expected to find), the brush is incredibly soft but still has great backbone.

One of the biggest pluses I found with the Shavemac 177 was that there was no need to try and remove the wet dog smell you often get with new cheaper brushes - a quick rinse in some lukewarm water and it was ready to go.

This brush holds enough lather to easily make three to four passes and whips up very easily. Because of the density of the bristles and weight of the handle the 177 holds heat extremely well. The bristles bloom beautifully after use.

Apart from two to three bristles that dropped in the first two shaves, this brush has settled in very nicely and has taken pride of place as my daily brush.

What defines luxury? Something that cost more than you wanted but delivers more than you expected. Highly recommended.

I have been using the Shavemac 177 for 6 weeks now. This brush has received rave reviews in many of the shaving forums. I can only agree with those raves. I also have Vulfix, Edwin Jagger and Omega badger brushes in my rotation. The Shavemac 177 beats them all. Again, congratulations to Men's Biz for their great service.