Hi Gentlemen,

The title pretty much says it all... I've got my beady eyes on a Thater brush. I prefer to face lather (more on that below), and the most important element for me is that the brush have no scratchiness whatsoever (Thaters are reputedly the best brushes available in this regard), so which one do you recommend? I've read a couple of reviews online that say that the fan shapes are very poor face latherers, but these reviews refer to an early prototype brush with a much flatter top than the brushes that are currently available.

Another question: which size knot would you recommend? And, BTW, does anyone know what is the size of the knot in the brush that Lynn Abrams uses in his face lathering video on YouTube?

And, a final question: I know that Thater recommends against face lathering with their brushes. Could anyone here who face lathers with a Thater comment on any deterioration that you've noticed in your brush?

Gents, my apologies for the length of this post, and the amount of questions I'm asking. It's just that I'm not likely to buy another shaving brush for quite a while, and I'd really like to get it right! Thank you kindly, in advance.