This is an attractive, functional, reasonably-priced, luxurious, do-it-all shave brush. Despite being soft and anything but scrubby, this brush has "mysterious ways" with lathering up the shave soaps. On the other hand, it does exceedingly well with creams. This brush is perfect in a multitude of ways. I wouldn't be without it. Many thanks to Fergie for pushing me to get one
I consider the BK4 the next step up from the C&E Best Badger Brush in the must have category. I use the Kent BK4 as part of my normal rotation. Don't let the size full you. The brush can hold it's own against much more well known or hyped brushes for both soaps and creams.
Kent has been around as long as men have been shaving with clam shells. They make a very solid product and at a fair price. This "little" brush has become my go-to for creams , altho many claim it has magical gifts when soap is applied. The knot does not feel very dense to me (as compared to my CH1 or Rooney 3/3) yet it holds it shape very well (little bloom post-shave). Tips are soft and the brush has some backbone; I would not call this brush "floppy" at all. Flexible, yes. Great brush.
I traded my BK8 for this and I must say it was a good idea, loved the BK8 but she was a little too big. This one fits just fine.
I did a lot of research and asking around before finally getting a BLK4 as my first "high-class" brush and I'm glad I did. I love it. It's super soft on the face but whips up crazy good lather and doesn't seem 'floppy' to me. And it looks great on the shelf! For the price I feel like I got a great value and it seems like it will last me quite a while. It hasn't lost any hairs at all in the first month. Dave
This is a very good brush and I use it regularly. I'm disappointed with the handle though. Light weight plastic that seems out of sync with the quality of the bristles and the luxurious cylindrical box. Cheers Jeremy
Kent BK4 I had the opportunity to buy this brush from a friend for $45. He let me try the Vulvix SuperBadger as well. I settled on this brush (the BK4). For a soft Silvertip Brush, it is not as dense as other brushes, but surprisingly it holds water quite well. It does lather soaps well. The handle could have been made better. You could face lather or lather it up in a bowl. It is so soft on the face. This brush is definately a step up from the E&J Best Badger. Depending on where you look , the price is high; however, if you look around, you can get it for $65.
I really like Kent BK8 "Silvertip" much more. Stiffness of Tips on this one is not sufficient for me.
Kent BK4 I bought a Kent BK4 from a member of a similar Forum. I have a few SImpsons, shavemac, and a few rooneys but this has been my daily brush. I moved up from a AOS Pure Badger (my first wet shaving brush) and this has been very enjoyable. It's perfect for creams in my opinion. Most recently I've been using it with some NOS Castille that I happened to come across. I've also used it with soaps but I've noticed that if I soak it in hot water first, the badger hair is just not firm enough to lather the soap well, especially with EP tallow or Tabac (the only types I've used with this brush). Overall, I find this to be a perfect size for me, even if Kent advertises it as a travel brush. I have a BK12 that I got just because I couldn't resist the price on an auction site recently. I haven't used it but it seems to be just too big. I guess size does matter after all :happy102 I did notice the cheapest it can be purchased new is $153 before shipping. I bought mine used for less than half that amount. Only issue is a bit of wear on the Kent stamp. Otherwise, it's perfect. If you can handle a little wear to the logo, used is the way to go IMHO JUST FOUND ONE LISTED FOR 50 POUNDS BRITISH STERLING @ kentbrushes.com I had to change one of my ratings. that's a great price and much closer to what I paid. I'm not sure why it's twice that on Amazon. Maybe shipping is high from Kent? who knows? any ideas from the forum?
I won a BK4 during the 2009 Kent FB Giveaway, thanks to my friends here at TSD. I really love this brush, not only because it reminds me of the folks that helped me win (you know who you are!), but because it's a great brush. It holds plenty of water, is nicely soft, and is dense enough to still lather soaps if held at the base of the knot. I really like the handle shape because it keeps me from throwing it at the bathtub when I'm shaking out the excess water. I think it's a bargain at £50.
Congrats! I think you will like it. I have the BK4 and BK8, and I enjoy both of them. The BK4 is my 'go to' travel brush. I face lather soaps and creams, and the Kent knots feel great. The handles are also very comfortable and easy to grip.
I'm thinking I should have ordered the BK8. It was $70.00 more but I'm starting to think the 4 might be too small. Your opinion?
Love my Kents. Call them floppy if you want but mine have never shed, lather anything, and are beautiful pillows of shave nirvana to the face.
I think you'll be happy either way. I'm quite content to use my BK4 for weeks at a time. It could easily be my one and only shaving brush. Since I use both, I'd give the edge to a BK8 due to its larger size, but I can't say it would be worth an extra $70. I actually purchased my BK8 first, and then my BK4. I found the best prices and free shipping here: http://www.feelunique.com/brands/kent/for-men-shaving Good luck, and please let me know what you decide.
I ordered from Fendrihan.ca as I'm in Canada. I checked out the website you sent. Very nice supplies but since I'm across the pond I expect it would be cheaper to order from here. I could have canceled the order and changed it to a BK 8 but I decided to go with the 4. I have a Vulfix pure badger roughly the same size as the 4 and it's fine so I cannot see how I wouldn't be happy with it. I'm looking forward to trying a silvertip. Thanks for the advice. Cheers. Jeremy
It arrived today. Can't wait to try it tomorrow. I posted a photo on "The Haul". I think it's going to be plenty big.
