Monsta_AU
...can I interest you in some vintage blades?
Staff member
Forum Administrator
Grand Society
After the enjoyable little ribbing that has been evident over the last little while, I have been away and shaving with my 'travel kit'. The contents of my travel kit varies often, and usually at the the whim of my ever-changing desire for variety. And yet one thing is constant. One thing remains in my small shaving wetpack.
The Kent VS80.
And a stick of La Troja, but that has it's own thread already.
Now, I own a few boars. Not all are considered good, I am looking at you Omega 10029. Not all are reliable. And yes, I am casting a furious glare at my Semogue 830 right now.
Only one boar has always performed, without the need for borax and vinegar baths, or to be broken in with a sheet of sandpaper. It's the smallest knot, the lowest loft, and it sheds hair like a Brazilian model at a beauty salon.
The Kent VS80.
It's a sad looking thing. Wooden handled, it doesn't exactly ooze the air of expense. It is well lacquered though which is super important. A small royal coat of arms along with the wording for a royal warrant is the only thing that gives this quite nonchalantly unassuming brush any hint of the true greatness that lies beneath the bulb-shaped knot.
One would assume that the generally ragged appearance of the two VS80 brushes in my possession (one is as yet unused) is attributable to the fact I actually purchased 'seconds' via the Kent Brushes eBay store. The unused one in front of me appears to have had the glue spill over and onto the handle. The wood seems less 'nice' and finished much rougher than what is shown on the Kent website. The brass collar seems to also be slightly warped. The base is not flat and therefore wobbles on the desk. The actual knot itself is not even either, the bulb has 'chunks' out of it around the edge.
All told it is a pretty sad looking thing. This is the brush that was never asked to the school formal, was always picked last on sporting teams during P.E. class. It's not as pretty as the Semogue that everyone wants to date but you then have to put up with the whining when it mentions how it isn't getting it's borax bath. It's not the strong, muscular and well-coordinated, yet ultimately unrefined Omega which after the game smells like it should be condemned to the incinerator. The Kent VS80 us the quiet geeky kid that was a bit weird and liked to play chess.
But it has heart. More heart than Phar Lap. It's a tenacious little thing, that will take the modicum of faith you have in it and repay you a thousand-fold. It just does what it was designed to do, and does it very well.
I've used soaps, I have used creams. I have used croaps. And while my trusty Muhle Pure Badger tends to deal with the creams better and suits my 'taste' in bowl-produced lather from a cream, across the entire selection of products the little VS80 is the best performer.
Face lathering La Toja - it is easily the best.
Picking up a crema off the puck of MWF - the 830 is put to shame.
Putting a pea-sized dollop of Trumper Violets from a tube while travelling and face lathering - win.
I am constantly amazed by the unattractive little brush that could. It picks up the right amount of cream from a bowl every time. It just has that magical property imbued into it where it turns almost any product into a nice, slippery lather and is still controlled, unlike the Omega which tends to simply 'regurgitate' the suds on your cheek like a drunk uni student.
So, £5.10 RRP for a brush like this is a small price to pay - that's $7.90 in the mighty Aussie Dollar these days. Cheaper than the brute Omega 29 which was over $13, and much less than the Semogue which tipped closer to $30. But I didn't even pay that much.
I paid about $22.40 delivered for a VS80 and a 'Kent Shaving Soap' in a wooden bowl. Now, when you consider that the aforementioned 'Kent Shaving Soap' is a rather famous and well-loved, UK-manufactured triple-milled soap known for the lanolin content it contains.... well I don't have to tell you that is quite a deal when we can pay that much just for the soap refill here.
I encourage you all to get one, or even a few of these magnificent brushes and give them a go. They are cheap and make excellent 'new shaver' gifts, and are also truly excellent to use as a travel brush.
I wish I had never put the ones I got into Christmas presents.
The Kent VS80.
And a stick of La Troja, but that has it's own thread already.
Now, I own a few boars. Not all are considered good, I am looking at you Omega 10029. Not all are reliable. And yes, I am casting a furious glare at my Semogue 830 right now.
Only one boar has always performed, without the need for borax and vinegar baths, or to be broken in with a sheet of sandpaper. It's the smallest knot, the lowest loft, and it sheds hair like a Brazilian model at a beauty salon.
The Kent VS80.
It's a sad looking thing. Wooden handled, it doesn't exactly ooze the air of expense. It is well lacquered though which is super important. A small royal coat of arms along with the wording for a royal warrant is the only thing that gives this quite nonchalantly unassuming brush any hint of the true greatness that lies beneath the bulb-shaped knot.
One would assume that the generally ragged appearance of the two VS80 brushes in my possession (one is as yet unused) is attributable to the fact I actually purchased 'seconds' via the Kent Brushes eBay store. The unused one in front of me appears to have had the glue spill over and onto the handle. The wood seems less 'nice' and finished much rougher than what is shown on the Kent website. The brass collar seems to also be slightly warped. The base is not flat and therefore wobbles on the desk. The actual knot itself is not even either, the bulb has 'chunks' out of it around the edge.
All told it is a pretty sad looking thing. This is the brush that was never asked to the school formal, was always picked last on sporting teams during P.E. class. It's not as pretty as the Semogue that everyone wants to date but you then have to put up with the whining when it mentions how it isn't getting it's borax bath. It's not the strong, muscular and well-coordinated, yet ultimately unrefined Omega which after the game smells like it should be condemned to the incinerator. The Kent VS80 us the quiet geeky kid that was a bit weird and liked to play chess.
But it has heart. More heart than Phar Lap. It's a tenacious little thing, that will take the modicum of faith you have in it and repay you a thousand-fold. It just does what it was designed to do, and does it very well.
I've used soaps, I have used creams. I have used croaps. And while my trusty Muhle Pure Badger tends to deal with the creams better and suits my 'taste' in bowl-produced lather from a cream, across the entire selection of products the little VS80 is the best performer.
Face lathering La Toja - it is easily the best.
Picking up a crema off the puck of MWF - the 830 is put to shame.
Putting a pea-sized dollop of Trumper Violets from a tube while travelling and face lathering - win.
I am constantly amazed by the unattractive little brush that could. It picks up the right amount of cream from a bowl every time. It just has that magical property imbued into it where it turns almost any product into a nice, slippery lather and is still controlled, unlike the Omega which tends to simply 'regurgitate' the suds on your cheek like a drunk uni student.
So, £5.10 RRP for a brush like this is a small price to pay - that's $7.90 in the mighty Aussie Dollar these days. Cheaper than the brute Omega 29 which was over $13, and much less than the Semogue which tipped closer to $30. But I didn't even pay that much.
I paid about $22.40 delivered for a VS80 and a 'Kent Shaving Soap' in a wooden bowl. Now, when you consider that the aforementioned 'Kent Shaving Soap' is a rather famous and well-loved, UK-manufactured triple-milled soap known for the lanolin content it contains.... well I don't have to tell you that is quite a deal when we can pay that much just for the soap refill here.
I encourage you all to get one, or even a few of these magnificent brushes and give them a go. They are cheap and make excellent 'new shaver' gifts, and are also truly excellent to use as a travel brush.
I wish I had never put the ones I got into Christmas presents.
Got some pva style wood/craft glue on hand that I chucked in though already anyway. If it doesn't work, who cares. Only bought it for the soap. But the bristles are pretty good, just saying, shame to see them all fall out.