Van Der Hagen Men's Luxury, Shave Set, Bonus**, Set Includes Two Full Size 3.5oz Scented Soaps

The ordered products arrived within the stated delivery period.However, besides of the advertised regular Van Der Hagen shave set, it did not come with the pictured second Van Der Hagen soap.The second soap is a Col. Conk in which I was not interrested...or I would have ordered it in the first place.It is also not the promised full size 3.5oz as advertised, but only a 2 1/4oz. soap.I am not impressed with cheap practises like this even when it only concerns a piece of soap... I did end up paying more for less since I could have just ordered the regular Van Der Hagen set and order an extra Van Der Hagen soap block and save myself 5 bucks.I hope somebody at Amazon will read this and do the right thing and send the product I was supposed to get free of charge... it would be the right thing to do, but I'm not holding my breath.I guess I am not all that surprised this happened. It seems to be norm at Amazon rather then the exception having read tons of similar reviews on a wide variety of products..UPDATE: After being able to contact the company that shipped out the product in this review I was told I would be send the missing soap.Within a week I did receive a whole new shave set (instead of just the soap I didn't get and asked for) that once again had the wrong second piece of Col. Conk soap with it.I am not going to contact them again ... but they should really check out what it is they ship out and if it is consistent with the advertised merchandise.I did get that second piece of soap after all and everything else I did get in the first place so I'm not complaining anymore.And I have been enjoying the products I have received. So far they have been very adequate.

I'll rate each of the items here individually:VDH soap: This is the luxury version of VDH soaps, and it is probably better than the regular one. However, I do not like their soaps in general. They do lather up to look nice, but they don't lubricate or protect as well as some more quality soaps. The smell is...decent. There are better though, even in the low price range.The brush is actually my least favorite part of this. It may be pure badger, but you're better off getting off good boar instead of this. The knot is weak, as is the glue. I've been using it for about a month now, and I lose about 5 hairs with every shave. I'm going to have a bald brush before too long. It looked okay when I first got it, but now the bristles have lost their shape and it looked like I just pulled it out of grandpa's attic (not in the good way). It holds water okay, but there are MUCH better options. You can buy this brush by itself for $26, but there are better brushes for $10 all over the place.The mug is decent. It's a mug. It looks nice. What more can you ask of it?The same goes with the stand.The second soap it comes with is a Col. Conk soap, which is glycerine based. I haven't tried it yet, but I have heard its better than the VDH soap. Lets hope thats true.I gave it 3 stars because, for the price, it works. It will get you wetshaving, and for hardly any money. But there is better available.This was $35 when I purchased, for future reference.

I have been using a shave brush for about 20 years, ever since Gillette had an all in one. The shave cream was in a cartridge in the handle of the brush. Someone tried to revive it a couple of years ago but it apparently did not fly. I have a double edge "safety razor" from 40 years ago. It was not any safer back then, either.Received my playthings early, a good thing. Tried them out with a new blade, the 100 blades for $8. I am figuring out the correct formula for the amount of water, about three to four shakes will give you a good lather, rather thick. This is better quality soap, rather than the cheaper VDH (green box), thick and maybe more glide. I will see how the COL Conk does in a few months, and then see if Williams is better or worse. I am also finding it takes a light touch or you will slice and dice your face and neck. My razor also has an adjustment for angle of the blade so you will have to experiment with that also. Another reviewer gives "5 easy steps" which I found useful. I have used boar brushes over the years and have not been impressed when they fell apart after 5 or 6 years, but I have also not been treating them right. I will see how the silver tip badger does. I am still loosing a couple bristles per shave after a month but time will tell. Still life is good.The stand is doing its thing, a little light so therefore slides on the vanity. Some other stands you can attach to the wall, nay. The mug fits the soap and the soap fits the mug. The "wet dog" smell was gone in a couple of days.

Gave this kit to the man in my life as something different. He shaves his head almost every day and prefers the brush & lather rather than the spray on foam or gel. He says it's nicely made and it's really easy to use. The soap/lather is not too heavily scented or perfumed so it doesn't clash any time he uses cologne.It's a unique "nostalgic" item that was a good find.

This is the first shaving set I've owned, and it is great for a starter kit. The brush is a little bit cheap, a couple of the bristles fall out each time I use it, but not so much that it's going to be unusable any time soon. I'm not an expert on shaving soaps either, but the scent is nothing great. I'd like to try something else out, like almond or sandalwood.I'd recommend this to someone just starting out, but it definitely would not impress someone who has been DE shaving for while.

I'm a first time wet shave user. I have a beard but trim it very close to my face and I use this kit to shave the hair that grows by my eyes and my neck. I've always wanted to try this method instead of just using everyday soap. I would recommend this to any "first timer" to get the hang of it and then go out and get other products and give it a try. Thanks