What the heck???

Ok, so I got my new brush yesterday - the Kent BLK4.

I open it up, all excited, and I enjoy every bit of it - the color, the logo, the red tube that Kents come in, the British Royal Warrant proudly displayed on everything, the sheer awesomeness of a genuine Kent Silvertip brush in all its glory.

I shave with it this morning and - I could not be more disappointed. I know, in an instant, this brush is not doing it for me. It's too soft, too floppy. It's all over the place, putting lather in places I certainly don't intend to shave, and it splays so wide and so thin that I can't even paint it on with reasonable accuracy, much less enjoy the feel of the brush on my skin. I'm like what the heck!!!

So, today, I had to run an errand out to the city for work. I actually had to pick something up for my boss at the fancy mall near Vanderbilt, so I stop by Crabtree & Evelyn. I find the men's section, locate the much-lauded Best Badger Brush, ask about their return policy (lol), and I purchase one Ivory BBB and one matching faux-Ivory stand.

I take it home, lather up, (ignoring the smell), and Holy Crap!!! This thirty-five dollar, entry-level brush from the mall not only fits my face better, but it lathers up in half the time of the Kent!!! The lather is not as large as the Kent's, since the BBB is a smaller brush and holds less water, but it's remarkable how quickly this thing makes thick, foamy lather. And when I paint it on my face, it not only goes where I want it; it feels good, too.

I am not happy.

I'm not upset with the Kent - I'm upset with the C&E. I was hoping that my experience with the C&E would reassure me that the Kent was the superior brush.

I love the Kent. I just wish it had some backbone. It's beautiful, it's stylish, it's British; it's everything I want except for the most important thing. It doesn't suit my face.

Now, some of you may think me childish for saying this, but I don't just want a brush that gets the job done. I want an experience. I want the style, I want the handsome design, the bold logo. I want the Royal Warrant and every last ounce of British goodness that my Kent exudes.

For better or worse, these things matter to me. I want my brush to be British, as I love the UK so very much. I want my brush to be handsome and sophisticated in its looks. I want my brush to be Silvertip.

What I really want is my Kent. I just wish it had strength.

I can't be the only person here who's felt this way. Frustrated, because something has all the qualities you want, except the performance you desire.

I don't know what I'm going to do at this point. I need a good brush, and I don't want to start a collection. I don't want to give up this brush - I almost want to keep it just because it was my first real brush, but that sounds an awful lot like collecting, and I don't want that. I want to find a brush that fits me, but I don't want to have to purchase 6 or 7 before I find the one I like. I wish so bad that we had a proper shaving store in town.

I'm thinking Savile Row, although I might have to abandon my Britishness and get a Shavemac. Or maybe I could even stay with a Kent and just get a BLK2, with the same looks, style and origin, just a firmer experience. Then again, I could always get one from one of the other various British firms.

Seriously, what the hell?




Edit:
Hmmmm... spending more time with the brushes now, and maybe my opinions are changing. I'll give this some time before I commit to any decision.

 

Wow! Sorry to hear you are less than pleased with the Kent. I have a BK8, BLK4 and BLK2. I had a BK4 as well, but sold it because I didn't need two 4's. I love 'em all!

I can make mounds of lather with any of them - soaps or creams, it makes no difference. There are times when I enjoy something with more backbone, but to me, the purpose of a brush is to make lather and to apply it softly and gently to one's face. Kent brushes do that exceedingly well. I love the luxurious feel of the Kent line. I also had a BBB and while it's not bad, it doesn't hold a candle to any of my Kents.

I never understood comments about "lather all over the place". Even with the BK8, which is pretty much HUGE, the lather goes where I put it. Period.

As with all such things though, YMMV. Some love 'em, some do not. However, G. B. Kent & Sons has been making shaving brushes since 1777. They must be doing something right.

 

Just to make it clear - I'm not trying to bash the Kent. I still like the brush, and I wish like everything that it did what I want it to do. It is a brush that I want to keep, and more than that - I want to enjoy it. However, it just doesn't feel "right" to me. Honestly, I love its "Kentness" so much that I'm really thinking about getting a BLK2, if a BLK2 will have that firmer feel on the face and maybe be a little more dense. I don't want to give up the look, the style, the heritage of the Kent. I just wish I could go and stuff it with double the hair so it would do what I want.
Hmmm.... I wonder if Shavemac would let me send it in for them to refill it with some of their Silvertip in a nice, dense bulb shape!!! :whacky011

 

There are other British brush makers besides Kent. Check out R. A. Rooney & Sons brushes.

 

Frankly, I find little difference between the 2 and the 4. Rick and I seriously disagree about this, but I really don't notice much difference. Given your comments about the BLK4, I would not recommend the 2. You will be disappointed...again.

As for Shavemac, yes they will refill a socket for you. See this thread. Pics and pricing included.

If it were me though, and I wanted something with more backbone, I would consider selling the Kent and buying another brush.

 

Yep, shaving brushes are most definitely one of them YMMV things!

I just recently bought a BLK4 after reading post after post giving both it and it's BK4 sibling extremely high marks in every describable way. I must say the BLK4 is in a league of its own. I've only lathered up with it three times now using creams, but she is a most luxurious brush IMHO. I wouldn't call her 'floppy' or 'moppy', like I would one of my Vulfix brushes. Even though she's only slightly more dense than a Vulfix, her touch to the face has better feeling 'spring' and 'feedback'. The BLK4 just feels really good against my face when saturated with nice warm lather. And that's what matters to me.

I've got 2 ShaveMacs and a Savile Row which are favorites of mine, but sometimes I like the 'less dense' feel of the BLK4. And I love the size of the BLK4! I personally don't think I'd want a BK2, 8 or 12 after using the BLK4. To me, the 4 is the 'Sweet Spot' of the Kent line. I'm not at all trying to contradict your view of your BLK4, 'cause I know how personal a thing selecting the 'right' shaving brush can be. It really is a YMMV thing!

I tried a Rooney 3/1 Super. Way too dense and scritchy for me. Others think they're just grand and love 'em. I knew the first time I lathered up with the Rooney she was 'out-of-there'! I sold her and bought a Savile Row 3722. Absolutely love it.

Call me a heretic, but I've even sold my C&E BBB since the BLK4 came to live at my house!

Just givin' my BLK4 a little love! British-Black-Beautiful/Luxurious/Kent!

 

let's not over-dignify england. Most barflys are WAY hotter than any queen england has ever had. Rarely do barflys get beheaded.

Rejoice in the fact that the C&E brush has set a benchmark for you. You now have something to compare every brush you buy for the rest of your life to. (please excuse my ending a sentance with a preposition)

Sell the Kent. Recoup the losses. Somewhere, someone has ranked every brush ever made against the BBB. I'm a huge fan of that evil other blog's 2007 EJ silver tip. It's floppy, but I love it. If floppy is bad for you, there's non floppy out there. Rooney's come to mind....

Best of luck

 

Sorry to hear you don't like the feel of the BK4. I gotta say I own one and would never consider selling it...
Try to griß the brush with the tips of your fingers at the beginning of the hair, just over the knot. This way it'll be stiffer.

 

Hmmmm... I'm trying to think of the least-stupid way to say this.

I think I may have spoken too soon. Maybe it would have paid off to keep my mouth shut and spend a little more time learning something new before I start complaining about it.

In short, the Kent is still very much different than I expected it to be, but maybe that's not such a bad thing after all. Maybe using a Silvertip requires a different technique than a boar brush. And maybe there's more to shave prep than just "putting on" lather.

After revisiting all three and really focusing on what I was doing without time constraints, I can see them all more clearly. The boar lather is trash. The BBB lather is fastest, but smaller than the Kent. The Kent lather takes more time to build, but once it gets there, it's much "creamier". The Kent also absorbs the lather in a way that the other two don't; I took more care building my lather this time, and I discovered the Kent has a hidden stash that it stores with it inside its bristles. It's like a whole second lather inside there. And it puts better lather on the face. Hugs the face. Still harder to control, but maybe I shouldn't shove the Kent at my face the way that I shoved the boar brush. The boar brush is still the most tactile, and I still like the firmness of it, but maybe it's worth giving up the firmness to get the smoothness. Also, I tried grabbing the Kent by the base of the bristles intead of the base of the handle, and that made a big difference. Also let me fan out the bristles into a very nicely dense arc pattern that really not only painted the lather on more accurately, but gave a nice hug and caress to the skin.

I've got some new creams and soaps coming in this week, and they should really step up the quality over what I've been using.

So, I guess this post was a waste of time. Not really that necessary. I think I figured out that the Kent doesn't work with the same dumbass technique that passes with a boar brush. Maybe it requires a more sophisticated method and rewards technique rather than pressure. And the BBB is different to me, as well. It's much smoother and a way better lather-producer than the boar brush, but it lacks a comfort and refinement of the Kent. Also, it's so much smaller and a lesser grade of hair than the Kent, so it doesn't do that awesome hidden lather part. There's no secret stash of lather in the brush like the Kent has. I guess they're all different to me now.

So, now that I've successfully convinced everyone that I'm a moron, maybe this will go a teeny way towards conveying some sanity.

 

just remember...(I sound like Grandma now)

"Practice makes perfect"

Best wishes to ya!:happy108

Susie

 

I've found some products I didn't like were better off put on the back shelf for a while. I got them out later and things worked better with them. I've found I have too many unreal expectations and it takes some time to approach things from an objective view!

 

I know my Kent is an absolutely great brush (to look at). I prefer a stiffer brush. I find that the Kent is very floppy and soft. For me...SIMPSON. The Duke and Chubby range is awesome.

 

Buy a BK2

 

+1

Never used a Kent brush, so I can not help you in that department, but I can say keep trying. Also, remember, it takes time to learn to know the strengths and weaknesses of any piece of equipment.

My story is one of anticipating a C&E BBB only to find it was to scratchy for my taste so it is now packed away, in it's box, while I use a cheap boar brush for soaps and a Superior Brush for creams. I think it is about time to retry the C&E BBB; which I soon plan to do.

 

Oh.. the C&E BBB is British too, it's made by Edwin Jagger! It's a hell of a brush! I have the EJ version and, bar my Simpson Rover, it kicks any other brush I have tried out the window! I hate floppy too! Sell it and get a Simpson Rover!

 

Now don't leave us hangin'! What's so much better about the BK2?

 

I was being cute. I know I am way too ugly for that. :ashamed001

The specs may be closer to a C&E Best but with the luxury the man wants from a Kent.

Could always sell the BK4, buy the BK2 and if that doesn’t work he can sell that. It may be a loss in a little cash but may be worth a shot.

 

OR...just like your favorite cereal toys...Collect 'em ALL!

 

Yea, pretty much any new product relating to shaving be it cream, soap, razor, brush, aftershave even cologne requires some practice to learn how to best use it. I was kind of surprised at your knee jerk reaction to the brush after only using it once..

And yea, that lather in the middle of the brush is heavenly isn't it (oh.. and I get this with my cheap boar brush..)

-Mason