The Kent brush and comb is another small thing Bond notices in Marc-Ange Draco’s bathroom in Marseille, in Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The novel describes a very masculine brush and comb by Kent, without naming a model.
In the books
Fleming lists the bathroom’s English kit: Pears soap, Trumper’s Eucris and the Kent set. We have not found which model he meant, so we describe the closest match rather than claiming it is the exact set.
Using it now
Kent has made brushes since 1777, and its handmade combs are sawn by hand from sheets of cellulose acetate with rounded teeth, which the maker says glide through the hair without scratching. The range covers pocket, folding and men’s combs, with a separate range of beard brushes and boar-bristle hairbrushes. We would choose a plain handmade acetate comb and a boar-bristle brush in a dark finish, which gets closest to the book. Kent’s own site gives free delivery over £30. For the other bathroom pieces, see the Trumper Eucris shaving soap, and for the screen Bonds see the Bonds.
Specifications
| Maker | Kent Brushes |
|---|---|
| Comb | Handmade, hand-sawn cellulose acetate, rounded teeth |
| Range | Pocket, folding and men’s combs; beard brushes; hairbrushes |
| Founded | Brushes made since 1777 |
| Link to the book | Maker named, model not specified |
