Badger & Blade Limited Edition 2008

Well I was lucky enough to score one of these on BST a couple weeks back and thought I would post up another review.

Price: I paid $150 which I think is about what they retailed for when they came out. Some may say that this is expensive, but I maintain that what matters for this category is what you obtain. To me, this brush was worth every cent, so it gets a 10 in my book.

Quality: Really shines through here. The handle is sweet, the hair is sweet and everything about this brush says quality.

Density: Not the densest brush I own, but it is definitely not lacking. Some people want super dense brushes, but I find that those don't release lather as well. The density is just about perfect on this brush.

Stiffness: Short loft that gives excellent backbone. If you face lather soaps, then this is a thing of beauty.

Softness: Did I say face lather soaps....well this brush is one of the softest brushes I own when put on the face.

Ergonomic: Hands down, the best handle of any brush I own. Enough said.

Latherability: Lathers like a dream for face lathering and releases lather just as well. I can always get enough for 4 passes from this brush.

Overall: Is you see one of these pop up on BST, snatch it up quick. This is really my favorite badger brush and was worth every penny. If I didn't have an incurable SBAD disease and could only own one brush, this would be it. This brush is just so full of "win" Too bad Kent doesn't offer anything remotely like this in their regular brush offerings.

I just realized I never posted a review on this brush. It is by far the best brush I have ever used, period. My tastes are a little cheaper as this is also the most expensive brush I have ever used. That said I have a Shavemac which when new was priced equally to this LE brush, but I was fortunate to pick up the Shavemac on clearance. The Kent easily walks all over the Shavemac.

I have recently become a big boar bristle fan as the brushes seem to work very well with soaps. The main reason for this is the bristle stiffness. Well guess what, this Kent's badger knot is so dense that it loads soap just the same. Yes it is not stiff like a boar, yet it has all the shares the positive features of the boar. This being supplemented by the super softness of Silvertip badger hair. Man I tell you what, nothing compares to this brush.

I was so impressed that I ended up ordering the 09 LE brush as well, just in case something ever goes wrong with my 08 LE brush. Though obviously once I get it, I will be keeping both the 08 and 09 in my rotation. These basically make every other badger brush in the $150 or less category inferior. Though this is just my opinion. Actually my opinion is if you are a face latherer and use soap over cream, you should already own this brush.

I can't add much to what's already been said. The price must be considered fair, considering the quality and the price of other brushes in this league. I haven't used one more dense, and the tips are both stiff enough to be scrubby and soft enough to feel great. Ergonomics are tops--haven't dropped it yet, and I have no problem getting the lather where I want it. As for latherability, who could ask for more?

Another great B&B B/S/T score! I love this place!

Handle: Simple and elegant with the just the right shape to make it easy to wield and a pleasure to lather with.

Knot Density: Fantastic! I'm not sure a knot this size could be anymore dense and still provide this level of results. It is a fantastic balance. I agree with Jeremy, "The B&B LE '08 is, my opinion, perfectly dense, meaning I am not constantly fighting the knot for the lather from the $20+ puck of soap, but yet there are enough hairs in the brush so it doesn't look like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree." Well said my friend!

Loft Height: My first thought when viewing pics of this brush is oh wow, that's really short. I admit I was skeptical. I can tell you there was no reason to be a skeptic. The loft of this brush gives it the perfect backbone to hold up to and load up even the hardest of soaps. Fantastic backbone and still amazingly soft and supple on the face.

Knot size: 20.5mm? This thing is surprisingly perfect. It is easy to lather in a mug (Old Spice for example) and still large enough to hold more than enough lather for a four pass shave.

I can't thank Joel and the crew enough for bringing this brush to fruition. It is a fantastic brush and definitely sits proudly in the top three of my collection.

Price: As others have mentioned I wouldn't be too keen on giving $140 or so if this brush was readily available. That is the sole reason I gave it a 9. At about $100 I'd rate it a perfect 10!

Quality: "Fit for a king!" 'nuff said!

Stiffness of tips: Ideal. They won't rough you up but aren't so flimsy that it would leave you wanting.

Softness of tips: Once the tips break in on this brush it is incredibly soft. Rivals the best out there.

Ergonomic: I'd vote eleven but that's not an option. This shape is fantastic!

Nigel Tufnel: What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?

Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.

Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly.

Latherability: If you are a single pass shaver you'll have more soap than you could possibly need. If you are a four pass shaver you'll have more than enough as well.

The Kent Stamp coupled with the B&B inscription and the red case make this a show piece as well as a work horse!

It took me a great deal of time to finally land one of these but the effort was worth the results! If you are able, I highly recommend scoring one of the beauties.

It's all been said. If this were the only brush I owned I'd not want for another; it has everything I want in a brush. An absolute, unqualified hit.

Edited from my other post

The Kent presentation packaging is first rate and very pleasing and then, Oh??? The Kent brush is smaller than I expected. I am first disappointed in its' size and it reminded me so much of the size of my first beginner brush. I prefer about a 2mm bigger size knot, but then again, I rather have a brush that is smaller then something too big. As I learned, It's triple dense 20.5mm knot is very acceptable to me.

When I quickly got over its size, I began to look at the form and function of its’ shape, materials and workmanship, more like serious craftsmanship. It is absolutely stunning, its' a real work of art. It is art! No BS, it is one of the most appealing eye candy shaving brush that I laid my eye on; and I have seen just about everything. It has a vintage, very high class, top notch, and old world quality and craftsmanship look and feel to it.

When I first pick up this brush, there is no subtleness about it. This brush has the most perfect and positive balance and feel. My palm and fingers naturally position itself comfortably to the curves of the handle. I can use more than one positions, thus reducing fatigue and also setting, adjusting and reflecting to whatever mood and energy that I may be in. The balance can best describe as a 45/55 balance ratio, with the fulcrum point slightly ahead to where my fingers rest, located at the ball of the handle; thus giving the brush an almost neutral, but slightly brush end heaviness, balance and feel. This brush is designed for full feel and control, and without any fatigue. It is right at home with my large hands and I can only personally describe it as most perfect. For years I have been looking for a high end, high quality replacement one brush that had a similar feel of a long wooden classic handle of my first brush, which I became accustomed for over 25 years. By a milestone, this Kent brush, without any intimacy, has already surpassed that comfort zone. Except for my personal desire for about a 2mm larger knot, overall there is something so right and so perfect about this brush.

THE SHAVE

I notice an impressive amount of water absorb, especially for its knot size; I squeezed the excess water and begin pasting it with Old Tailors’ Lavender shaving soaps. I filled my shaving dish half way with hot tap water and lather up until the brush can’t absorb any more water; again, it absorbs more than I expected.

At first, the brush tips felt stiff and harsh. The tips are not as soft as expected but I knew that will change once it gets broken in. There was a scrubbing sensation that I have never experienced before. Also new, after my first shave, for about an hour, I had a tingling sensation and a very mild and light discomfort pressure sore in the few spots on my face, I blame the hard and forceful brushing stroke technique that I developed from the backless, lighter dense shaving brushes that I have used and became accustomed. Before the second shave, the brush has a bloom that enhances the silvertips and the eye candy factor even further and the tips are noticeably softer. On my later shaves, I have experience and gained a more positive results when I experimented with different soap/water combination and techniques, just to find that sweet spot to match the characteristics of this brush. This time I was much gentler with the brush and what I got was a feeling that my face is getting a light message. I never experience that before. This brush will not come close or a replacement to a proper facial message, just the results are nice and unexpected.

With this little gem I was able to pricisely localize, focus and gained higher control in scrubbing, brushing strokes and applying lather. Also, there was alot less waste. A large brush may retain heat longer and apply the lather quicker, but only by about an extra minute or so. Again, I have quickly developed a distaste for large lofty brushes that remind me of a mop from each use; it useful if I have a face as large as my girlfriend peach fuzz big ***, but that is my own personal opinion

Conclusion

I am deceived, this brush is a real performer. I experience a close and comfortable shave eveytime. It seems to perform like a larger brush, but with the feel and characteristic of a small brush. This brush can pick up a lot of soap and water impressively and very quickly for its knote size and volume. Once I enter that soap and water combination sweet spot, it lathers beautifully. This brush work fine with creams, but it is more suited for soaps.This brush has to be one of the finest silvertip small brushes available, regardless of price point. Honestly, I am not qualified or knowledgeable enough to really judge or criticize as how high the quality this silvertip brush is and its’ price point and value. I just know what I am willing to pay and how well a shaving brush works for me. To me, it is the most perfect brush. The objective is met!!! This brush really get the job done and will be my daily user.

I can't say anything more after what I have posted, except now I feel that a bigger knot is not necessary. This brush became more amazing after it was broken in and its' performance seemed to continued and minutely peak and leveled off at about 6 months of use. Every time I forget how good this brush is, I get reminded every time I used it. Maybe a 2mm bigger knot size may be optimum, but to me, I don't think it really make a difference when it comes to satisfaction. It's like comparing the real and natural beauty queens, after a woman reaches a certain beauty, it makes no difference, there flaws become a beautiful uniqueness and pleasures.

Best regards
Rudy812

I was lucky enough to score one of the brushes from the B/S/T. Initially, when I saw these brushes I wasn't very interested and passed on the group/limited buy. A 20.5mm knot? Forget it, too small. After seeing all the pictures of these very stately looking brushes, I had to try one.

(Joel's picture, for more pictures look here)


Handle: Absolutely, positively, no questions asked the best handle I have ever, well, held. Form and function. Form - the handle has a very sexy and slim look, beautiful, and complements the hair (knot) nicely. Function - very comfortable and long! Usually, brushes with small knots have obnoxiously tiny little handles that I have trouble holding onto ... this one is very comfortable and keeps your hands dry.

Knot Density: Dense enough! So many at B&B are looking for the absolutely densest, couldn't possibly pack another hair into the knot, brush. Fine, but these dense brushes tend to hoard the lather and require a squeeze of the knot to release the lather. I find this attribute of uber-dense brushes rather annoying. The B&B LE '08 is, my opinion, perfectly dense, meaning I am not constantly fighting the knot for the lather from the $20+ puck of soap, but yet there are enough hairs in the brush so it doesn't look like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Loft Height: Perfect, for this hair. If the hair on this brush was longer I think the brush would be floppy. I am a soaper and this brush lathers the hell out of soaps.

Knot size: As I mentioned earlier, I passed on this brush initially because of the knot size, my bad. I don't know if it is the bloom, but this little brush acts more a 22mm or 23mm brush, to me. I couldn't be happier with the size. Agile enough for the soap dish without making a mess, but yet it doesn't feel like I am lathering my face with a Q-Tip.

Bonus - I really like the looks of the Kent stamp and the red Kent case. These small things really provide an overall regal effect.

To all of those involved with the design and manufacture of these brushes ... BRAVO! I cannot wait for the encore.

Some additional comments regarding the ratings
Price: If this brush was readily available I think $140 would a bit expensive. However, for such a unique limited issue item the price is a drop in the bucket.

Quality: What more can I say? This brush exemplifies quality ... fit for a king!

Density: See my above comments. Again, some might not find this brush dense enough, but please do not take that to mean that this brush is lacking in the density department.

Stiffness of tips: The tips on this brush are not overly stiff ... it's a lover, not a fighter

Softness of tips: Initially, I was disappointed with the softness of the tips. I expected, er ... assumed, the tips were going to extremely soft (you know what happens when you make an assumption, right?), but they were just a tiny little scritchy. After several uses the tips were broken in nicely and the scritch was gone!

Ergonomic: I wish I could have rated this much, much higher than 10, nuf said.

Latherability: Awesome! This little monster whips up enough lather for 3 passes + touch ups without blinking an eye. Soap or cream, it gets the job done. I'll say it again, I don't fight this brush for the lather; it just continues to provide creamy goodness!


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