Has anyone heard of Landy's Chemist? I just landed a Kent BK8 for 74.50 pounds shipped to the USA. That's less than $100 shipped for a brand new Kent BK8.
Congrats! You got a good deal. I got a similar deal from a UK on-line vendor that unfortunately isn't carrying Kent shaving brushes anymore. It's a great brush, particularly for shaving creams, although I use mine for soaps as well. I have the BK8 and the smaller BK4. I'm using the BK4 tomorrow. It is usually my travel brush. I've logged many miles with it.
Thanks. I was a little off on the exchange. It ended up being $102. That is still about $90 less than what a typical US or Canadian vendor sells them for. I considered the 4, but since the Kents have a reputation of being a bit floppy, I felt that the 8's loft to diameter ratio might fight that a little. The knot in the 4 has a loft that is 2.26 times the diameter. The 8's is 2.19. Those numbers are probably too close to make a difference alone, but the extra diameter by itself could lend some support as well. I also looked at a hardly used 12 on a BST, but the reviews on that one are that it is way too big for anything but heads, legs, or just display.
The Kent brushes are softer (floppier) than my other badger brushes. I don't see a lot of folks using them, but it's nice to alternate between my Kents, my Chubby 2, and my Shavemac. @Screwtape and @Keithmax have Kent brushes in their rotation, and they may have some comments as well.
I like, and have, variety in my brush rotation including one or two that have some flop. I've done the research and I'm prepared for the Kent to be floppy. That is not necessarily a bad thing if you adjust your technique accordingly. Like my D01 Silvertip, I will use it when I want a soft brush and am not looking for any scrub. I have read that Kent's are nicely made, and they do have a long history, so I want one in my den.
The brush arrived after about two and a half weeks. My office is closed on weekends and it was delivered on a Tuesday after a Monday holiday, so that is really not bad considering it was shipped across the pond. Landy's packaging was excellent with a strong small box filled with paper all around the brush. Kent's presentation is sweet, consisting of a classy looking cylindrical box with a red lining. The knot is high lofted compared to most brushes today and has modest density which results in little perceived backbone. However, the hairs must have at least a little springiness as the brush splays nicely rather than flopping all in one direction. The tips are beautifully soft and I imagine you could face lather without worrying about irritation. I will face lather with it eventually. The brush really excels in creating the lather quickly and releasing it readily. I won't rank it above some brushes I have that offer more density and backbone, but I do like it a lot and will keep it in the rotation.
Very nice review, thank you! I like the shape too, a little more bulbous than a traditional tulip shape.
Thanks. I like to describe the handle as voluptuous. One nice benefit of the tall loft is that the big round ferrule didn't hit the sides of my bowl once during the lathering process.
