Should I buy a bigger brush?

When I was looking for a brush when starting I really wanted a high quality badger brush, however I had already spent my budget on all the other needed items and was getting pretty discouraged while looking through SRD. I found the wee scott brush which was cheap enough so I decided to buy it. Its kind of funny cause I didnt think anything about the name until it arrived. I quickly understood where the name came from, it is a wee little thing. It didnt come anywhere near fitting the brush holder I had purchased so I fabbed a holder out of ty-wire and solved that problem, but I digress.
I think I might be ready to step up to a full sized brush, however this brush seems to be working alright. My lather(cream) seems to dry out quickly and it seems to take a while to cover my face, so my question is would a larger brush help with the lather not drying out as quickly since I figure it would hold more and would leave it thicker on the face. I am sure a bigger brush would cover my face quicker. What are some of the advantages of a bigger brush? Do my assumptions above hold true? If I remember right it seems the bigger brushes are quite a bit more expensive, are they worth it is what I guess I am looking for. Any suggestions on size or maker? Thanks in advance.

Brush size is quite a personal choice. If you're getting good lather from yours then there's no real need to go bigger. It is always nice to try a few though. I've got a large Dan Capshaw that a beauty, but it gets through an awful lot of cream compared to my smaller ones.
Brushes I've liked include the Capshaw, Plisson, Simpson & Edwin Jagger.
I bought a mate a Simpsons Polo 8. It's the smallest size, but a big, man sized brush. I can't imagine how huge the largest must be!

In a way choosing and finding the right size, hair type and characteristics of a shaving brush is like trying to find the perfect width, grind and characteristics you like in a straight razor. It will mostly turn down to personal preference and budget. There's also the 'I use more soap or cream debate' as some brushes will tend to work easier with soaps or creams. Then we have the different hair types which all give the brush their lathering and face feeling characteristics. Honestly it's another AD if you don't watch out. But the good thing like most if not all shaving related stuff, if you don't like your purchase there's a nice open market to sell or trade and try/buy something else.

The Wee Scot pretty much defines the small end of the functional size range for brushes. I have one and know that it will work, but just barely IMO. Bearing in mind that the brush size and material dictates how much water and lather it will hold it's no surprise that you are getting a dry lather that isn't really doing the job. When you can, I would give a larger brush a try. Maybe get something in the 20 - 22 mm range and see what you think. I bet you'll enjoy it more than the WS.

IME, the larger brush will 1) hold more water, 2) hold more lather, 3) cover more of your face quicker. For #1 - You can easily wind up with thin lather if you aren't used the amount of water the bigger brush holds. As for #2 - my 24mm brush holds a lot of the lather deep inside the bristles. It's a plus for face lathering as the bristles hold about 3 passes plus plenty for a touch up pass. For bowl lathering, the brush eats a lot of lather and I find myself squeezing the bristles every 20 or so swirls. #3 is an easy plus - my brush covers whole cheeks at a time.

I hope this description helps. Try a bigger brush and see if you like it. In the end it's whatever makes the experience more enjoyable.

Thanks for all the input guys, especially max's warning of this being another AD, God as well as my pocketbook knows I dont need another one of those. At first I couldnt let a razor pass through ebay without atleast bidding, I finally got a handle on that when I read a post on here, but I cant remember who, that said when he first started he was worried about the supply of razors running out but soon found out that wasnt the case, they just keep coming and coming. Now it seems like I cant see a Jnat without wanting to buy it. Good thing about that AD is it cleans the bank account pretty efficiently, so I guess for this one spot I had better be happy with what i have got, well for a little longer any way.

Thanks again guys.

Jasongreat,

The previous posts are correct...Brush size is largely a personal preference. I have several small travel size brushes that whip up excellent lather that stays moist on my face while I shave.

I don't believe that the size of your brush is the problem. I have several large brushes, in terms of both height and knot diameter, and I encounter the same problem of lather drying out on my face. This always seems to happen during the winter months because central heating tends to make the air in my home quite dry.

When the lather dries on my face, I dip the tip of the brush in the water in the sink and apply it to the lather already on my face. This often takes care of the problem.

I have also begun using a bit more water when I begin mixing my lather during the winter as well as adding a few drops of glycerin to the lather to address this problem.

Finally, the amount of time you spend shaving may also play a role. This is the case with me sometime since I switched to a str8 razor and my efforts to be VERY careful when using it. When the lather dries in a particular part of my face, I wash it off and reapply fresh lather from my shaving scuttle/mug.

I have been dipping the brush in water and re-applying over the dry lather. I was wondering about what the protocol was, since reading a post by JimmmyHAD where he said he rinses his face before reapplying. It seems like he was talking about useing soap whereas I use cream, should I also rinse before re-applying? Another question is I usually load the brush then build the lather on my face, is it better to do it in a mug or scuttle instead. Thanks again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

I have been dipping the brush in water and re-applying over the dry lather. I was wondering about what the protocol was, since reading a post by JimmmyHAD where he said he rinses his face before reapplying. It seems like he was talking about useing soap whereas I use cream, should I also rinse before re-applying? Another question is I usually load the brush then build the lather on my face, is it better to do it in a mug or scuttle instead. Thanks again.

---

Jasongreat,

Given your previous description of your dry lather problem, I would at least wet the face again before reapplying lather.

As for your second question...Like you, I prefer shaving cream. If you have a coffee cup or a small cereal bowl you could use that to mix your lather. That way you would have a receptacle in which to add water and/or glycerin to your shave cream. Doing so might give you better control over the mix of shave cream and water for your lather.

Just my 2 cents.

I will give these suggestions a try tomorrow. Thanks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

Another question is I usually load the brush then build the lather on my face, is it better to do it in a mug or scuttle instead. Thanks again.

---

For some creams I rub it over my beard until it's an even paste then go over it with the brush to whip it up. It's tough to load a brush with a dense cream, and this works really well for me. Plus, it just about works as it's own prep.

My opinion:

Larger brushes can be 'floppy' when full of lather and they lose their umm... turgor (for lack of a better word). Sometimes it almost seems like the bristles wilt under the stress of so much water and lather... they just aren't rigid, so rather than massaging lather onto your face you end up painting it on. For this reason, I don't like big brushes.

Shorter bristles maintain their stiffness, and if you have nice, soft bristles (like silvertip) you can really work your lather against your beard and it can feel really nice against your face.

You won't really know what you like until you try, but a giant brush is not the way to go IMO.

If you plan on getting another brush, I would go with something mid-sized to start with.

From the few I've tried, some of the bigger ones with finer hair can be a bit mop like and eat lather like its going out of fashion..!

I like the medium to large sized ones with slightly stiffer bristles. They make good lather, they dont soak up loads of suds and water and they get the lather onto your face well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

.... since reading a post by JimmmyHAD where he said he rinses his face before reapplying. It seems like he was talking about useing soap whereas I use cream, should I also rinse before re-applying?

---

I believe Jimmy was referring to in between passes. After you apply lather and complete a pass, rinse your entire face with hot water. This goes for soaps, creams and uberlather. I also take this time to map my face a bit and see if I can expect shorter or longer whiskers in certain parts. After the second pass, the HWR will tell me if I need another full pass, half pass on just a certain area or if I can go to touch-ups. The hot water will also facilitate the next lathering.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

Thanks for all the input guys, especially max's warning of this being another AD, God as well as my pocketbook knows I dont need another one of those.

---

I'm sorry - I have to ask. You carry a pocketbook? I figured Jason was a boy's name... Not that there's anything wrong with that! :)

Stephen's woodworking...fantastic...I have the 28mm...perfect balance of long soft silvertip with a 'stiffness' to it as well...highly recommend it...