This is a real horsehair feather duster. In my house they are used a lot; our original brush that came with our 25-year-old Kirby has finally turned to dust (ugh, bad pun, couldn't help it). I wanted original quality Kirby and got it with this brush. Yes, you pay more for it because it's made from horsehair and works well *for a long time*. If this thing lasts half as long as our original, I'll make money over buying cheaper duplicates. By the way, I bought two of these brushes; one for ourβ¦