As I stated in another post, I'm upgrading my gear to higher end stuff. I went to art of shaving an I almost fainted after the sales guy told me the price of his brushes there. Are those people actually selling those items for that much money? They must have one hell of a marketing team! I told the guy his prices seemed high, but he assured me that they were on par with the competition. I don't think that he realized that he was talking to a 10 year straight razor shaving vet! Any way, the parker silver looks attractive to me and so does the stirling line of brushes. Anyway, before I ramble on any more: What is the lifespan of a high end brush? Do all brushes eventually give out and need replacement, or are they the type of thing that can last as long as you take care of it? My current brush is the original one that I've always used, so it is ten years old now. It seems to work fine, I just don't have anything to compare it to as I've only used this one.