Anyone else disappointed?

I received my B&B 2008 LE Brush today. Now when I compare it to the 2006 edition some things are apparent.

The 2006 is a very handsome brush nicely weighted with a very thick fill of silvertip badger. The only issue with the 2006 that many had was the floppyness of the brush and yes it is very floppy. So the 2008 comes which is markedly smaller than the 2006, has probably less than half the fill of the 2006 and the bristles are cut short probably to reduce floppyness thought it still seems mighty soft to me. Oh, and it cost more than the 2006 edition.

yes I'm disappointed.

I only hop over to B&B occasionally so I'm not up on the latest. Is this the brush that was hyped ages and ages ago and took forever and a day to finally come available? I ask this in all sincerity rather than being sarcastic or rhetorical.

Chris L

Chris,

I believe that you are correct. It is the long awaited super brush, the ne plus ultra. I was going to order one since I've always had a soft spot things that are touted as being not just pretty good, but the best. I'm also learning to live with diappointment. :cry:

But I didn't order one :rofl2:

Are you able to return it? If so i would.

I'm still awaiting delivery of mine; I'll reply when I get it.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the floppy softness of both the B&B LE 06 & SMF III shaving brushes.

I sold my gift certificate the day before shipping started.

I am sure yours would be snapped up on that BST forum even used, for the price you paid.

"The perfect is the enemy of the good."

It is not hard to be disappointed when something is touted as the ultimate.

yea I'm sure I could sell it easily enough if I decide to. I was comparing it to a Simpson chubby #1 in best which is about the same size and probably a better brush and its cheaper than what we paid and this was a group buy from kent with like 170 or so brushes. Now I'm not going to say something seems fishy here.

I got my brush in, and am taking it with me for a travel brush (for which I also have a Simpson X3L, and a SCS brush). It's a nice brush -- handle design, hair quality, manufacture. It's nothing new for me, however, and the price was steep for what we got (considering this was a group buy). Perhaps the one-off handle was extra? It's my only Kent, and I can't see myself buying one of their regular models (especially now).

I like the feel of my 2008 brush, although I wish it were a little bigger. It reminds me a little of my Rooney Alibaba which was slightly more expensive, so I am not sure I would say this is overpriced. I find this brush to work VERY well for face lathering. I won't say it blows me away, but it is a fairly nice brush. It is now a regular part of my rotation with the Rooney and Shavemac for use with soaps. Not sure it would be a great brush for creams. I prefer a few of my larger less dense brushes for creams. I'm sure you will have no trouble selling it back on B&B

Brad

Buying a shaving brush is as complicated as buying a straight razor.

Size, shape, handle material and feel, is it for soap or cream, do you like hard or soft, exfoliating or not, badger and what quality, synthetic, boar.

In England and especially in London, we are blessed with being able to see and feel the differences and to understand what you get for your money. For the guys in the USA, the "shave my face" forum members know as much as anybody about brushes and will guide you in the right direction if you ask for help.

I would not buy a shaving brush without seeing, feeling and holding it in my hand first. I have looked at many and to be honest many just don't suit me but for somebody else they are perfection.

I know, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by English

Buying a shaving brush is as complicated as buying a straight razor.

Size, shape, handle material and feel, is it for soap or cream, do you like hard or soft, exfoliating or not, badger and what quality, synthetic, boar.

In England and especially in London, we are blessed with being able to see and feel the differences and to understand what you get for your money. For the guys in the USA, the "shave my face" forum members know as much as anybody about brushes and will guide you in the right direction if you ask for help.

I would not buy a shaving brush without seeing, feeling and holding it in my hand first. I have looked at many and to be honest many just don't suit me but for somebody else they are perfection.

I know, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

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I can not second this strongly enough. There is not a greater concentration of knowledge and experience in this area around, I believe. Some of these guys are personal friends with the brush manufacturers we all buy from, and there are a couple who I think have, or have used, pretty much every brush on the market, and a few that aren't.

I bought one, and it really is quite a nice brush. Kent is a quality operation, and the quality is evident here. That said, I sold mine Friday after using it for about a week. I kept going back to my old Rooney for some reason. :o $140 plus shipping is a bit steep considering that you can buy Kent's BK4, a brush of comparable quality and larger knot, for less than half the price. After selling the LE, I sprung for a Kent BK2. We'll see how that works out! :)

Maybe the allibaba is about the same price however the vendor is making a profit which is not the case here and I'm sure if you order about 170 of them you would get a steep discount.

What I've found as I used the thing more is its fine for creams and soaps that are renowned for lathering like Castle Forbes but otherwise the result just doesn't measure up to a fine medium sized brush. Also as far as the name kent goes when lumped with Plisson, Rooney and the original Simpson Kent is in left field.

Am I going to sell it? no. Usually when I use one of my other brushes with CF no matter how small a quantity of soap I use I have enough lather to shave a platoon. With the kent I have just enough for one shave.

I've used my B&B LE 08 for about a month straight. I agree with TBS in his points of view about this brush; I guess we're dinosaurs when it comes to these group buys. This will be my only Kent.

The brush has performed well, and I can see why it is enjoyed by many aficianados. I performed well with both creams and soaps, had good flow though of lather, and was comfortable in use. However, I've come to the realization that I prefer other characteristics in my preferred shaving brushes -- soft tips, little scritch, and significant backbone (like pre-05 Shavemac Silvertip, Simpson barbed Super, & Rooney Finest).

I myself got in on the B&B LE08 Kent brush. I have used it a lot sence I got it right befor Christmas. I do love it's look and feel very much. It is one of my favorite brushes, although I have not given up on any of my other's (Simpsons D3, CH1, Rooney 2/1, Emilion and several others not listed). But I do very very much use it a whole lot and have no regrets on getting in on the group buy. It was worth the long long wate.

Eddie