Kent has gone all Synthetic

[jaro 101969]

Yeah but if badgers are banned...The name Synthetic & Blade just doesn't have the same ring...

 

[BigJ]

This a.m. got a response to my email:

"Thank you for your email,

We are no longer using badger bristle in our production, we have a new range of synthetic bristle which have been designed to have the same luxurious feel as badger.
The bristle shaving brushes are boar bristle."

Interesting! Thanks for sharing their response.

 

[Rhody]

Personally I was never attracted to Kent shaving brushes. I have a suit brush. Seems to me they are making a decision based on market forces they’ve been in business over 200 years so they probably know a thing or two.

 

[StuMcB]

Got a reply,

"Thankyou for your message,

I am afraid I don't have these particular brushes to hand but I can measure when I return to the office on Monday if that is ok?

I hope you have a lovely weekend"


Wow no specs to hand , measure one on Monday, now that's old fashioned.

 

[Bravoure]

Every badger brush comes actually from a dead WILD animal.QUOTE]

Do you have proof of this statement? Are you sure they are not bred in captivity, regardless of how they might act? Hunting massive numbers of wild animals seems very inefficient.

 

[SharpieB]

Here in the UK we currently cull badgers to control the spread of TB in cattle. Licenses for culling will not be renewed in 2022. We’ve had a lot of protests and threats towards farmers and people culling.

I love the animals as I do cattle and I hope they now turn to vaccination of badgers to stop the spread of disease that’s of course if they are actually to blame for TB in cattle.


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What do they do with the Uk badgers? Is the hair harvested? Ideally sold to Simpsons as I love their badgers!

 

[SterFry]

FWIW, I too have gone all synthetic (Trafalgar T3).

I can confidently say that it's simply a better option, compared to both Badger and Boar.

No soaking required, no shedding, no smell, no special drying procedure or care needed, no hassle, no nothing.

Lather is ALWAYS phenomenal with any soap, croap or cream (I've used).

All that for 20 bucks, c'mon!

I'm sold.

Yeah, it's pretty clear that synthetics are the practical way forward. There are already so few things that synthetics can't do better at a fraction of the price and technological refinement is only going to continue. Stubborn nostalgists will probably always maintain a small market for naturals which is usually the case when familiar items become obsolete, but I'd wager naturals will phase further and further into novelty items as the next generation of wet shavers are incorporated into the hobby.

 

[sarimento1]

Love my Kent badgers!
And I respect the Animal Rightists!
But still love all my badgers!

 

[Tirvine]

FWIW, I too have gone all synthetic (Trafalgar T3).

I can confidently say that it's simply a better option, compared to both Badger and Boar.

No soaking required, no shedding, no smell, no special drying procedure or care needed, no hassle, no nothing.

Lather is ALWAYS phenomenal with any soap, croap or cream (I've used).

All that for 20 bucks, c'mon!

I'm sold.

I feel the same about my T2.

 

[Sethology]

FWIW, I too have gone all synthetic (Trafalgar T3).

I can confidently say that it's simply a better option, compared to both Badger and Boar.

No soaking required, no shedding, no smell, no special drying procedure or care needed, no hassle, no nothing.

Lather is ALWAYS phenomenal with any soap, croap or cream (I've used).

All that for 20 bucks, c'mon!

I'm sold.

I have never understood the notion of a badger shedding more than a synthetic. A synthetic and a badger are both hairs anchored to a handle via an adhesive. Synthetic or natural, this glue will sometimes relinquish a hair. Perhaps no breakage is a better way to describe the difference

 

[blantyre]

Kent brushes always had nice handles. I had a couple of BK12s over the years. An impressive brush but I always found them to be VERY floppy. Their bristle hairbrushes are excellent.

 

[Salty sailor]

What do they do with the Uk badgers? Is the hair harvested? Ideally sold to Simpsons as I love their badgers! [emoji106]

They are not used to my knowledge. We have very strict laws protecting badgers, the culling is limited and the politics would be very messy if people benefited from the fur.


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[musicman1951]

I'm sorry to have to report I have had no offers for my Kent BK8. I might have to lower the price to $951.

 

[SharpieB]

I'm sorry to have to report I have had no offers for my Kent BK8. I might have to lower the price to $951.

Damn. I just bought a BK8 today. I wish I saw your fire sale price before I bought mine.

I did actually buy one today. I don’t own a Kent badger and I got one for a great price. Figured it was a good time to buy one.

 

[FarmerTan]

Here in the UK we currently cull badgers to control the spread of TB in cattle. Licenses for culling will not be renewed in 2022. We’ve had a lot of protests and threats towards farmers and people culling.

I love the animals as I do cattle and I hope they now turn to vaccination of badgers to stop the spread of disease that’s of course if they are actually to blame for TB in cattle.


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I used to give out TB tests for humans. That was always fun, making that little "bleb."

The idea of doing a TB test on a Badger is hilarious! Who is going to hold it while I administer the injection?

 

[Owen Bawn]

I had a Kent BK8 but I moved it along a few years ago. It was quite soft, but it was also the very definition of a floppy silvertip.

 

[FarmerTan]

I had a Kent BK8 but I moved it along a few years ago. It was quite soft, but it was also the very definition of a floppy silvertip.

I can't imagine using a floppy brush. Of course, I like to face lather, and like a tiny bit of "scritch." Different strokes I suppose.

 

[SharpieB]

I can't imagine using a floppy brush. Of course, I like to face lather, and like a tiny bit of "scritch." Different strokes I suppose.

I have a pretty floppy Vulfix that I like for creams so i don’t mind having a couple of brushes with less backbone in the arsenal. More curious than anything else to try a larger Kent.

 

[Owen Bawn]

I rather enjoy big, floppy, well broken in boars. Big Zeniths and vintage old Rubbersets with the "barber" handle come to mind. They're great to slap the lather around the face. But a floppy badger just pancakes out on the face so that I'm lathering with the sides of the hairs in the centre/middle of the knot. The only way it works is to gently touch just the tips to the skin with no pressure, and that to my mind defeats the purpose of using a brush. Of course I only face lather; perhaps loading in a bowl and gently painting on the lather is different, but that holds no interest to me.

 

[Tomo]

The beginning of the end.