Thread: does knot size matter!!

I find my biggest brushes, ~28-30mm, are lather hogs - they seem to want all the suds for themselves. I find that the smaller brushes, around 22-24mm deliver the lather to my face more generously and easily.

And there you go: another FWIW

I have the following:

1. 22mm knot - Vulfix #375 Super Badger Shaving Brush
2. 25mm knot? - Vestavia (new from John Crowley)
3. 25mm knot - custom Shavemac D01

These are my observations (The good, bad and ugly side of each):
Compared to the Vulfix and the Vestavia, the Shavemac D01 is an extremely dense brush...Man, this thing rocks. I like the Vulfix. The Vestavia is OK, but to me, it doesn't look like a 25mm knot...it looks similar to my 22mm Vulfix. Also, the Vestavia is handle heavy...i.e., the weight of the handle far outweighs the bristles, giving it an uneven balance. This always makes the brush tip over in the mug and feels awkward handling, but I must say I am getting used to it.

The drawback of the 25mm Shavemac D01 (which I love BTW) is it's huge. I am thinking about getting a D01 of 22mm or 23mm.

I recommend getting a D01...you will not regret it...Prices are extremely reasonable. Bernd (who runs the show from Denmark) is great to deal with.

Best,
-Robert

I am glad this topic came up, I have have been contemplating a new brush for quite a while. When I started I tried to skimp on a brush without skimping so I went with the simpson wee scott which has a 16mm knot IIRC. The brightside is after 5 or so months I am still on my first tub of cream, but I do find myself trying to stretch the lather from time to time. Thanks Obie and Del1r1um for your posts, you've helped me to finally decide on the 22mm Obie mentioned so glowingly. Or should I say thanks a lot for finally helping me decide, and on such a cheap one too.

A balanced brush that can do it all efficiently is always apppreciated. My Vulfix Super Badger 22mm does all that and would continue to work efficiently in a 24mm size. The bigger the size, the more soap and cream will be consumed.

Pabster

I have collected a wide variety of brushes. I'm a fairly big guy and I find a 22 mm knot with around a 50 mm loft just about ideal. But now and again it's great to feel a larger brush on your face. There's only one way to find out what suits you. Buy several brushes.

Its really personal preference. I dont like huge mop-like brushes, so I usually go for the smaller knots as I like the scrubby ones.

If you can, go to a store and try a few out and see what you like..!

Originally Posted by BladeRunner001

I have the following:
CUT
2. 25mm knot? - Vestavia (new from John Crowley)The Vestavia is OK, but to me, it doesn't look like a 25mm knot...it looks similar to my 22mm Vulfix. Also, the Vestavia is handle heavy...i.e., the weight of the handle far outweighs the bristles, giving it an uneven balance. This always makes the brush tip over in the mug and feels awkward handling, but I must say I am getting used to it.
-Robert

It’s •NOT• a 25mm knot! A bit of false advertising, I'm afraid. I have the brush, and currently the knot is separated from the handle. I’m going to glue it back in at a shorter loft than what it came with. Measuring the knot with a caliper shows that the knot is 21 and a half mm, not the 25mm it is advertised as being. It’s not a very dense knot. They could have/should have put in a lot more hairs. The hairs are very soft though. The bottom, silver part of the handle is what adds all the weight. The silver part is attached to the ivory looking plastic part by means of a big screw passing through the ivory plastic part, into the silver bottom part. I of course can’t increase the number of hairs in the brush, but I'm hoping that a lower loft will somewhat increase the density and make it a more usable brush.

I’ll let everyone know how it goes, and I'll post some pics as well.

Im trying to decide between a 22mm and a 24mm Thater. At the moment I have a 21mm Mühle, and I would like a bit bigger one, but mostly better backbone. Wondering wether 24mm might be a bit big, or if I should go for that one. I dont need a big improvement on the 21mm Mühle, and if the Thaters are packed better it might be enough with a 22mm?

Changing the loft has nothing to do with the density. Only more hair will do that. Changing the loft can make it less floppy though.

Brush size is the same as razor size. It's all a matter of personal preference.

You could look at it this way 25mm is 1 inch now take into consideration the loft mm. Imagine that spread out on your face, it'll cover a good bit of area. Brush density, Loft and hair type all play a part.
IMO if you go to big, you might cover your face with lather in record time, but might miss out on the other benefits of applying lather to your mug with a brush of smaller size. Exfoliating, lifting hairs and working the lather more.

I'm for 22 -24mm knot at about 50mm loft in finest badger