bigger not always better?

Background first: Started DE shaving with a cheap Wilkinson sword synthetic brush, fine but not anything special. Later given very nice gift of Large Silver Tip methinks from Taylor Bond Street. Found when making lather that lots ended up outside bowl due to size and also when finished and washing out brush seemed to be rather wasteful how much lather I was washing out of said large brush. Have now ordered, still en route, small best badger from Edwin Jagger.

Query: What do others on here find best size wise for brushes?

P.S. couldn't resist bad joke for title.

24mm,JMO>>>>>>>>>>>

Personally I don't want a badger knot smaller than 22mm and not larger than 28mm. Something in the middle ground is just about right for me.

Bob

just got the post few minutes ago. Think you may be right. Measured both badger knots, what I now have is one 20mm and one 30mm

To me the issue isn't as much the diameter of the knot as the loft (height). I have 21mm knots, 26mm knots and some in between. I use more soap/cream in a 55mm loft than with a 48mm loft. The taller loft works with hard soaps, if it has the backbone, but excels with creams. The shorter loft works with creams but excels with hard soaps. I tend to prefer something around 23-26mm diameter with a 50mm loft. YMMV.

Was not even aware that different lofts existed. Thanks for that helpful post. Will persevere with my wee brush for a while, loft of 45mm roughly, should be good for soap which i use. Need to stop buying more bits. May be developing Overall AD where straight shaving is concerned.

An interesting question, really. There are a number of things to be factored in:

1. A brush with less than 22mm knot size will not hold enough lather for a three pass shave for me.
2. Most containers will not accommodate brushes with a knot size larger than 26mm.
3. Shorter knot height means more lather will end up where it belongs, ie near the tips.

I do own exactly one 22mm brush, and that is a travel size one. It works, but I find working with it a bit more cumbersome than with wider brushes. Most of my brushes are 26mm. I do have significantly larger ones, too, but they see very little use (because of #2 above). That said, these IKEA containers are great for storing soaps and creams, and will accommodate larger brushes, too.

The "works better with soaps than with creams", or vice versa, issue is a non-issue for me. My brushes work equally well with both. But floppy brushes in particular can be a real problem in this regard.

Am using Tabac soap with the bowl it comes in, seems acceptable to me. Think will gain better idea of what i really want if i stick with what i have for a while. Plus spent enough for now on all involved.

My personal taste a 24mm fan shaped knot with a loft of 48mm good flow through with no floppiness as I only face lather and use soaps no creams an excellent example in my opinion of a great little brush regarding ergonomics plus great performance would be the Simpsons P8 just about perfect in everyway.

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/w...2.jpg~original

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Originally Posted by dmnc

Am using Tabac soap with the bowl it comes in, seems acceptable to me. Think will gain better idea of what i really want if i stick with what i have for a while. Plus spent enough for now on all involved.

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Sounds like a good plan, staying with what you have for a bit. It takes a while to find out what you like in a brush and took me quite a few buys to get there. Enjoy the journey. You can't go too far wrong with Tabac either, love that soap. The Tabac AS and EDT are very good too.

Bob

As Jimmey says,loft is everything,all my brushes are 24mm knots (I have a seven day set,all are Identical) with lofts set at 48mm.
All will lather anything.

I like the smaller, 20mm badger knots, probably because I usually face-lather. The smaller size with a moderate loft is a nice combination for adequate backbone and softness of the top.

Size + Density + Loft = the right brush for you,

I intentionally left out the type of knot since that is personal too...

I have to agree with many of the gents above though a 24mm High Quality Badger, with a dense knot set at or slightly less then 50mm is a good starting target..

The problem with that description is it is pretty useless to those that are not making brushes :(

I have liked using a brush as small as 20 mm with a loft of 46 mm.
Right now my favorite is 24 mm very high density best badger with 52 mm loft.
I love the brush but would maybe would like it even more with a loft of 48-50.

Gentlemen,

I have shuffled up and down the knot size spectrum and finally settled with two Thaters at 28mm, one a two-band, and one two-band at 30mm. I also have a 30mm Savile Row silvertip. My other preferred size is the 26mm with about a 55mm loft, but I no longer have any. Anything with a smaller knot is wrong for me. So the four brushes will do fine for a while.

My favourite brush is a Simpsons 55... 18mm knot, and 41mm loft. Pretty small brush!

I like em nice and tight and compact. :)

Another thing to consider is the knot style, usually bulb or fan but flat can be found too. If I were to order another badger I would be looking to get a 2 band fan knot. I have one fan shaped knot and enjoy it very much for face lathering, more so than the bulb shaped knots.

Bob

I've tried them all and have settled for around 26 mm knots. I like em dense with a loft in the 40s.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I like em dense with a loft in the 40s.

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I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole. That's the way I likem too. :nj:w

Bob

If Quality Silvertip Hair,a shaving brush is a shaving brush if constructed properly.
You can spend alot of money on say a ???????? that has a 99cent extruded plastic handle that anyone can buy.
You can buy a solid Ivory Plisson for 2000+ euros,you can buy a one off custom.
At the end of the day,a well made brush will do what it is supposed to do,Make lather,pretty simple stuff me thinks.

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Originally Posted by BobH

Personally I don't want a badger knot smaller than 22mm and not larger than 28mm. Something in the middle ground is just about right for me.

Bob

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Similar to Bob, I am most comfortable in the 23-25 mm range, but the way you hold the brush also has a lot to do how much lather ends up on your face and how much elsewhere.

B.

You are all so sensible.
Me, I tend to enjoy a bit of variation in my brushes. Much like with my razors.
Big or small, floppy or stiff, I find myself enjoying them all if properly made.
Simpsons, Plissons or Rooneys in anything between 20mm and 30mm works just fine for me.

What does concern me though is build-quality.
Shedders, like one of my custom brushes and a couple of others from various smaller outlets that I have had, gets thrown out pretty quickly from my shave den.

I like a smaller brush, myself, but I've only had the opportunity to try out 2 different brushes. As a couple other have said, the loft has been a bigger difference that I've noticed than the knot size. But again, I don't have a whole lot of experience.

Yikes, I recognize this talk of knot size and loft but can't use the language intelligently. :p All I know is I recently acquired this model, I think it is, of Parker brush and find it suits me well--kind of stiff, bigger than the poor tired wisp I'd been using but not too big. But then I have a goatee (or Van Dyke if you will) and shave around it, so a smaller brush is more suitable for that.

Rich

I am a 2 band kind of guy, 23-25mm with 24mm being optimum works best for me. Everyone has there own sweet spot, but I am a goldilocks kind of person. Not too big, not too small.

I believe that when it comes to brushes also YMMV. They all serve a different purpose.
To be specific with badgers, I have and enjoy from 22mm to a deep seated 30mm WD. They are amazing when I chose to use them.
Also, it will depend if you are going to face lather or bowl lather. Either way you will find the sweet spot on each brush's character.

24mm for Badgers
Boars and Synthetics at least 27mm.

I forgot to post this in my first reply...

A small Simpson Vee Scot and a 38mm Vulfix;)

Attachment 187327

Most anything will do:)

24-26mm knots for me. I really like firmer knots with soft tips so that I can use for both soaps and creams. I have used 28mm and 30mm, but just too much suds flying all over da place.

Have fun.

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Originally Posted by Birnando

I forgot to post this in my first reply...

A small Simpson Vee Scot and a 38mm Vulfix;)

Attachment 187327

Most anything will do:)

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Birnando, these brushes look like a Mother brush nurturing her offspring!

I started with a Wilkinson Sword synthetic, which to be honest, was perfectly fine for years. It did its job! I recently treated myself to a Edwin Jagger XL best badger! It's a beauty and I love it. I may get the same brush as a small for travelling.

I like mine 26mm up to 30mm but it's just personal preference.

Also prefer 24 mm. General cheapness, I guess. If the soap is really cheap, I don't mind using a lot of it so much, but my biggest knot is 26mm and very dense - it just holds so much soap.

That said, with the big one, you literally can shave and wet the brush the next day if the prior day was a good soap (and you didn't wash it out) and shave two more passes with it.

I don't like the really big ones, and I don't like the really little ones.

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

As Jimmey says,loft is everything,all my brushes are 24mm knots (I have a seven day set,all are Identical) with lofts set at 48mm.
All will lather anything.

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May I ask, what is the point of a seven day set?

New persons opinion, so add grain of salt. Seven day set, if one likes always shaving with identical razors and only hone once a week. Also same point as fancy wood/ivory/bone scales, beautiful presentation in box and driving a good looking car.

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Originally Posted by Smyth

May I ask, what is the point of a seven day set?

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That was back in the day when I shaved 7 days a week, and mistakenly felt brushes should be hung and dried.