My recent opinion of the Vulfix 849 said it was the only brush you'd ever need; I should have waited til I tried more luxurious brushes. The Vulfix is a very good beginners brush, but I mostly use soaps now, so I wanted something a bit bigger, denser and firmer, to make lathering even easier.

These are rebadged Rooney's, which are extremely popular and very highly regarded brushes. It's classy looking and oozes quality. It's got a nice, stubby, fat handle that fits just right in my palm for an excellent grip. It makes my Vulfix look a bit anaemic.

And it's dense. Rooney stuff these like they're trying to get the whole Badger in there. I can't open this brush and see to the bottom, it's that dense.

I face lather and this is super soft, yet firm, so building lather quickly without a watery mess is very easy. It blooms up like a mutant mushroom afterwards, and as luxury shaving brushes go, these are on the smaller side.

I built a few bowlfull's first to get used to it, and this thing lathers like a pack of rabid Rottweilers. The amount of cream or soap I used with my Vulfix is just way too much for this beast - a little goes a long way. This isn't good news for me ever getting to the bottom of a puck until the cockroaches rule the earth...

Is it worth it? I think so for the ease and quality of lather it creates, and the gentle, but thorough, beard massaging. If you're really looking for the only brush you'll ever need, going on my experience, and that of other Rooney owners, I think this is one of the best out there.

Because this brush is packed so tightly it whipped up a much creamier lather than my previous badger brush which I can't remember the make but it was around the $80 mark. For the first few months though I watched more and more hair fall out of this brush, maybe 5-10 per shave. These days the lather can be a bit bubbly which I think is because it's not as thick as it was in the beginning. I can still manage a great lather with some work though. Maybe I got a dodgy one.

I love this brush. Creates a fantastic rich lather and you will get a brilliant shave every time. A+