bristle question...

Is there a bristle count or some other rating system for brushes? Other than the type of bristle?

I am not aware of any such system.
Are you trying to compare brushes of different makers, or knots from different stores?

Both, i suppose. I only just found out about knot vs bloom widths. my last brush was very full and soft and lathered well. It was a gift and i didn't know anything about brushes. That got tossed out by mistake and i bought a new one that I dislike thoroughly (more than the one i originally had from wal mart). its thin, its prickly, and it doesnt lather well.

I see
there are several grades of Badger hair made into knots, they vary in hair stiffness and therefore how they feel on the skin.
You can read a bit about each kind here:
badger hair shaving brushes and knots, wholesale pricing
Most custom brushes use knots from that store, the big companies that make brushes have their own suppliers, but the general properties of the types of badger are the same. Some factors that play role in how the brush feels are:
hair type
loft
size

Bristle may have grades but I have not seen any info about that on the forum or other online sources.

Hope this helps

Thanks, I'll keep looking into it :-)

These knots looks nice, and I think I can make a handle. I might have an idea cooking here.

There is no universal rating system. That's why manufacturers all use different names for their grades which contradict each other. As far as fill goes I imagine they weigh it since within manufacturers lines the hair seems to be pretty much the same from brush to brush. For instance, if you look at a Plisson HMW size 12 they are all pretty much the same hairwise.