Thater for face lathering: bulb or fan? Two band or silver tip?

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.

I've got both fan and bulb in two band. One is 50mm loft and the other 52. IMO that size loft is what you want for face lathering ..... or bowl .... with soap. Maybe a taller loft if creams are your huckleberry.

I do everything the thater instructions say not to do. I twirl the brush, use pressure loading it and lathering. So far no problems. I would say between 24 and 26 for the knot No scritch at all BTW. The general consensus is that the bulb is better but I find one to be as good as the other. YMMV.

Gentlemen, I have five Thater brushes, one in 24 mm. and the rest in 22 mm., and all except one with a bulb knot. Since I face lather, the 22 mm. Thater is perfect. Incidentally, the Thater is about as delicious as a brush can be. No Scritchy brush for me. That's why the Thater silvertip rules in my shave den.

I face lather 100% of the time,You need a knot with some backbone which is mostley determined by loft.
My prefferance is 48/50mm.

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

I face lather 100% of the time,You need a knot with some backbone which is mostley determined by loft.
My prefferance is 48/50mm.

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+1 on the loft. The thing about Thater two bands is that even though they are very soft they have tremendous back bone.

I have a 3 band bulb, and I always face lather with cream.
Works perfectly.

I heard the one Lynn used in that video was a 26mm knot..........:w

I hear he really likes it too...........:tu

Have fun

I have 3 silvertips. 2 are bulbs and 1 is a fan. As far as size goes that's a personal preference thing. Mine are medium and I think they are the best. I've found big brushes make too much lather and just a big mess and can be harder to work with unless you have oversize bowls or dishes.

I know some like to use bulbs for one purpose and fans for another but I don't worry about such things and they all work fine no matter the soap or cream.

If you're not a fan of scratchy, Thater is your brush. Gel like tips, it's the ultimate luxury shave brush. I have the small and always face lather. I have noticed no degradation in the brush's shape or performance. I think Thater is being overly cautious in their recommendation, perhaps because they don't want their brushes to be exposed to harsh handling.

i have one and i'm wel chuffed with it...You won't be disapointed i can tell you that much

gary

I tend to prefer brushes on the larger side. My Thater 3 band has specs of 28/56 and is bulb shaped. I only use creams. If using a soft cream in a tub I dip the brush in and face lather. If using a firmer cream in a tube I bowl lather. My Thater is equally good at both. It also has a beautiful octagonal ivory handle.

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Originally Posted by Lynn

I heard the one Lynn used in that video was a 26mm knot..........:w

I hear he really likes it too...........:tu

Have fun

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:tu Cool info, thanks for that! I kind of expected to hear a bigger number, cos that looks like a nice big brush in the video!

Thanks very much for all the replies, gents! My apologies for disappearing from this thread for a few days; I had a bit of a crisis at the office, and I haven't been able to get to my PC until now.

While I'm seeing a lot of love for the Thaters (which seems to be well justified), I'm not seeing a clear winner between the two hair types, and the two knot shapes available (as far as softness goes)...? Are they that close that it comes down to my own preferences for the aesthetics of one or another, or will one of the options definitely work better (or be softer) than the others?

Just to provide some extra background, I'm currently using a New Forest 2201 badger brush. While I've enjoyed using it very much the last couple of years (and I think it was a terrific bargain at the time), I find that it does scratch a little, and it's a bit too small - it holds JUST too little lather for my liking. So I'm guessing I shouldn't go smaller than 24mm (the NF brush is 22mm), and I should perhaps be aiming for 26-28mm. Is a fan shape knot effectively larger than a bulb (i.e. could I get away with a slightly smaller knot if it's a fan?).

Thanks again!

is really no answere to your questions IMO,shaving brushes are what they are.
Are like wimmin,some work,some don't.
You want a face lathering brush?? loft is your friend, 48/50mm.
fans, bulbs? makes not a hill of differance.at least not any that you will ever notice.

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Originally Posted by NOSferatu

or will one of the options definitely work better (or be softer) than the others?

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From your description I would say the fan two band in a 25 or a 26mm knot. I'll stick with a 50 or a 52 loft but that is only my preference. If you find a Thater that scratches you'll be the first one who ever did.

Okay, I've pretty much settled on the 26mm two-band fan... now the problem is that it's out of stock at SRD, and the only other place I could find it is Royal Shave, who want to charge me around $150 for shipping and handling alone (!). Does anyone know how frequently SRD usually restocks these things? :confused:

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Originally Posted by NOSferatu

Okay, I've pretty much settled on the 26mm two-band fan... now the problem is that it's out of stock at SRD, and the only other place I could find it is Royal Shave, who want to charge me around $150 for shipping and handling alone (!). Does anyone know how frequently SRD usually restocks these things? :confused:

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I hear they constantly have them on order with the Thater folks..............:rock:

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Originally Posted by Lynn

I hear they constantly have them on order with the Thater folks..............:rock:

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When in doubt, go to the source :)

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Originally Posted by Lynn

I hear they constantly have them on order with the Thater folks..............:rock:

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Thank you kindly, sir! I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and be patient :boohoo:

Well, after a very long and painful wait (and having to cough up $50 for customs!!), my Thater 26mm two-ban fan arrived today! I'm happy to report that it is FANTASTIC, and beautifully crafted—I'm almost afraid to use it for fear of messing it up:rolleyes: I'm in the middle of moving, so it will be tough to put up pics, but I'll see what I can do...

One thing I've noticed in the couple of test lathers I've done is that it seems to hold a lot of water in the base of the knot, which doesn't get mixed into the lather. Is this something that will go away after the first few uses, or will I need to adjust my technique?

And finally, I also received a tub of SRD Opus X, which is awesome! (I'll make sure to give my impressions in the soap & cream forum). Thanks again to all of you fine gentlemen who helped to push me over the edge!