Thread: 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.

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.

+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..........

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

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