AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I have several (five) Kent hairbrushes, but you're quite right, long haired men aren't their target audience 
Is Kent worth it?
- Thread starter stewart
- Start date
I remember when I started out shaving everyone basically warned you that even though Kents are quite dense, they all had insane lofts so they were very floppy. The B&B LE were the exception.
The sad part is I’ve gotten a number of vintage Kents, and they are the most consistently dense and well lofted brushes. The knots pretty much all remind me of a Simpson chubby.
It’s really a shame that they changed that. It would be nice to have some of the vintage brushes I’ve bought available for sale today.
The sad part is I’ve gotten a number of vintage Kents, and they are the most consistently dense and well lofted brushes. The knots pretty much all remind me of a Simpson chubby.
It’s really a shame that they changed that. It would be nice to have some of the vintage brushes I’ve bought available for sale today.
Absolutely - BLK8 and BLK12. Strictly a bowl latherer, so loft and backbone not as critical, but ideal handles, magnificently soft for that purpose.
Kent handles narrow into a small "waist," which I really don't like; they look fragile, like they might snap in two with some vigorous lather-making.
I purchased a BK8 many years ago from a UK vendor.
I use it only in a scuttle and it has plenty of backbone for that use. It has absolutely the softest tips of any brush I've tried. There have been days when I have to remind myself to stop with the brush strokes and get to the shave. It hasn't lost a hair in the past 6 years.
I don't use it a lot any more, only on days I'm in the mood for extreme luxury for the face. I would never face lather with it, although some do. It's big, and I like that, but most of the time now I use a boar in the scuttle.
I have never regretted the price. I expect my son will enjoy it when I'm gone.
I use it only in a scuttle and it has plenty of backbone for that use. It has absolutely the softest tips of any brush I've tried. There have been days when I have to remind myself to stop with the brush strokes and get to the shave. It hasn't lost a hair in the past 6 years.
I don't use it a lot any more, only on days I'm in the mood for extreme luxury for the face. I would never face lather with it, although some do. It's big, and I like that, but most of the time now I use a boar in the scuttle.
I have never regretted the price. I expect my son will enjoy it when I'm gone.
I had a BLK4 and hated it. Sold it off after a year or so. I'm not a big badger guy. I only kept an old Shavemac pure badger, and a Savile Row 3324 Silvertip. Both I do not use very often, the 3324 maybe a few times per year. Most of the time it's an Omega 48 and some synthetics.
So, me disliking the Kent could be because I'm not a big badger guy.
So, me disliking the Kent could be because I'm not a big badger guy.
admittedly, i'm not a brush expert, but i've never had a bad experience with any of my kent brushes!
always enjoy these plush, soft furry creatures! handles are classic and great! they last for countless shaves and, imho, very worthwhile!
always enjoy these plush, soft furry creatures! handles are classic and great! they last for countless shaves and, imho, very worthwhile!
Space_Cadet
I don't have a funny description.
certainly, thanks!
somehow the old v23 didn't make the group photo, perhaps hiding somewhere.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
It's all Paccar to me. LOL
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
I've always heard Kent were floppy and not that dense, so avoided. That said, I talked myself into a top grade Plisson badger shortly before 2020 hit. Had to have one last hurrah before the Sabbaticals and restraints kicked in. I knew the Plisson was more loft and a softer brush than I generally preferred. I have a Shavemac D01 2 band flattop that is the firmest I've ever used.
My point is the Plisson has really grown on me and I though I'd never like a brush like that. So if you like the looks / style of the Kent and can live with the type of brush they are (that sounds condescending, I don't mean it to - I mean if you aren't looking for something to punch holes in drywall with (my Shavemac), don't be afraid to try it, especially if they are discontinuing their badger line. )
My point is the Plisson has really grown on me and I though I'd never like a brush like that. So if you like the looks / style of the Kent and can live with the type of brush they are (that sounds condescending, I don't mean it to - I mean if you aren't looking for something to punch holes in drywall with (my Shavemac), don't be afraid to try it, especially if they are discontinuing their badger line. )
garyg
B&B membership has its percs
I've only one Kent brush, and I will never part with it ..
ps: the picture is somewhat dated ..
ps: the picture is somewhat dated ..
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
That is a great handle style. I have a Simpson Persian Jar which is similar, but not as pronounced.
Off-topic, but I love my classic Kent hairbrush.
IMightBeWrong
Loves a smelly brush
Went ahead and used my BLK8 tonight. It’s going to be a real shame to see these discontinued.
Kent are a veritable institution in England, having been round for several hundred years, with numerous royal warrants to their name. At one time, they produced nearly every kind of brush known to man, hair-brushes, tooth-brushes, shaving brushes, shower-brushes, nail-brushes, grooming brushes, clothes-brushes, cleaning brushes & dusters, art & paint brushes...you name it.
Their lines ran the gamut from very affordable to high-end and some were the most common of their type to be found in the Commonwealth. What English gent didn't have a G.B. Kent oval military-brush in his kit?
In my youth, I dare say Kent shaving brushes out-numbered Simpsons, Vulfix and Rooney combined. You could get one at the local chemist's as well as a posh West-End shop. They competed both with Boots and Harrod's.
Alas, like so many other famous British brands, they are no longer run by the original family, and their lower-end lines are produced in the Orient.
Nevertheless, their better brushes are still made in England, some even by hand!
Admittedly, my experience with Kent brushes is a bit out-dated now, but I never found them to have any quality issues, such as losing hairs.
The discussion here seems to be centred on their "luxury" badger lines, which are very soft and quite pricey, but their bread-and-butter back in the old days was badger brushes for under a tenner, and boar brushes for well under a fiver. Also, they produced every size and type of badger brush, from thicker pure bristle, to finer, softer best bristle, to incredibly soft grey or silver-tip; so it's confounding to read posts describing their lofts and softness, as though they only made one kind of brush.
We're spoilt to be able to spend so much on a badger brush to-day. I could only dream of such a brush when I was young.
In the end, it is a matter of personal choice...but one could do a lot worse than a Kent best or silver-tip!
Their lines ran the gamut from very affordable to high-end and some were the most common of their type to be found in the Commonwealth. What English gent didn't have a G.B. Kent oval military-brush in his kit?
In my youth, I dare say Kent shaving brushes out-numbered Simpsons, Vulfix and Rooney combined. You could get one at the local chemist's as well as a posh West-End shop. They competed both with Boots and Harrod's.
Alas, like so many other famous British brands, they are no longer run by the original family, and their lower-end lines are produced in the Orient.
Nevertheless, their better brushes are still made in England, some even by hand!
Admittedly, my experience with Kent brushes is a bit out-dated now, but I never found them to have any quality issues, such as losing hairs.
The discussion here seems to be centred on their "luxury" badger lines, which are very soft and quite pricey, but their bread-and-butter back in the old days was badger brushes for under a tenner, and boar brushes for well under a fiver. Also, they produced every size and type of badger brush, from thicker pure bristle, to finer, softer best bristle, to incredibly soft grey or silver-tip; so it's confounding to read posts describing their lofts and softness, as though they only made one kind of brush.
We're spoilt to be able to spend so much on a badger brush to-day. I could only dream of such a brush when I was young.
In the end, it is a matter of personal choice...but one could do a lot worse than a Kent best or silver-tip!
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I have seen you state as fact that Simpson brushes are 'largely manufactured in China now' - do you have anything to back up these claims or is it simply speculation and conjecture?
Some shaving brushes.
That is to be expected, they are currently a hairbrush maker first and foremost (the oldest brush maker in the world), that's what their current Royal Warrant is for and I would highly recommend their hair brushes!
It is odd if they are dropping badger hair, the majority of their hair brushes are boar so it seems strange to be dropping badger. It's not like they can argue it being an "ethical" choice or due to sustainability.
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He is correct, but it's not as straight forward as the family being bought out or shareholders have taken over like has happened with other companies. The last of the Kent family line that had run the business for 6 previous generations passed away and the company was bought by Eric Cosby in 1932. The Cosby family still own and run Kent, grandson Alan Cosby is the current Managing Director and Chairman, and there are two other Cosby's listed as the other Directors of the company. So its still a family run business, just not the Kent family anymore.
I am skeptical about the claim they manufacture "in the orient" though. Their own website states "Kent Brushes are amongst the very few hairbrush manufacturers left in the UK. Although we experience continual pressure from cheaper foreign imports branded with ‘designer’ labels sold at extortionate prices, we will never settle to selling a lesser product at a high price point "
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
Thank you. I was more interested in the similar claim made by the same poster that Simpson brushes are 'largely manufactured in China now'. I own several Simpson brushes and place high value on them being manufactured in Great Britain and formerly in England. I would be disappointed to find this was not the case but I suspect it is not. It seems to me to be nothing more than unnecessary speculation without any foundation. Poor form in my view.
