Somehow I have managed to use – and love – this brush for almost two years… but not gotten around to do a write-up on it. Time to fix that, right now.

I bought this mixed badger / horse brush shortly after the TSN LE 2012 had showed me how nice mixed brushes could be… and to dip my toes both into badger and horse hair. Like most of my brushes it is on the small side – 20mm knot and 50 mm loft – which makes it suitable for both face and bowl lathering.

It can best be described as being fluffy with a backbone – the horsehair adds springiness and a slight scritch, the badger do what badger do best and imitates a fluffy cloud. The combination makes for a efficient lather maker.

If you’re looking for a new brush, you can’t go much wrong with mixed brush from Vie-Long.

Horse hair brushes has fascinated me since I got into traditional wetshaving – not only are they traditional (until the anthrax scare, they were the most common brush) but they are also animal friendly.

The Vie-Long 13051M is my first pure horse, and even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea it’s a keeper for me.

I tend to prefer small brushes, since that makes them useful for both face and bowl lathering. the 13051M has a 21mm knot and a 50mm loft, and holds plenty of lather. It has plenty of backbone, and lots of scritch – if you got sensitive skin or prefer a fluffy, cloudy brush… this is not the brush for you.

If you’re in the market for a smallish brush that is animal friendly and don’t mind the scritch, I can recommend the Vie-Long 13051M