A couple of months ago I received the best care package ever from Phil of BullGoose – known on my favorite shave forum as “The Enabler” – and one of the items in the package was a Artisania Romera Manchurian Badger brush with a faux horn handle.

The 28mm Romera is the first high end badger I’ve owned – my only other experience with badger is two mixed brushes (horse-badger and boar-badger) and a cheap badger I picked up in a Spanish super marked. With that in mind, perhaps I’m somewhat biased… although looking at what other people say about Romera brushes I don’t think my experience differs all that much

Short version? The Artisania Romera Manchurian Badger is an awesome brush. Soft tips, enough backbone to whip up copious lather – but not a lather hog, it gives it right back – comfortable handle. It simply feels right to pick this one up in the morning and enjoy my moment of Zen.

For various reasons I’ve always gravitated towards the smaller knots when I buy brushes – cost is but one side of that equation – but unlike my Omega 48 the Romera is small enough to easily load in most soap tins.

In short, I can recommend getting a Artisania Romera Manchurian Badger. The artisan can – allegedly – be hard to communicate with, but the end result is worth it.