SMF

I am a fan of smaller brushes, but in the interest of keeping the fragile economy afloat I have recently purchased larger brushes to put in my rotation. While the larger brush is clearly more impressive to look at, I believe the smaller brush does a better job of getting the soap/cream on ones' face. For me, there is clearly a point where a brush can be too large, but not too small. It's that whole motion of the ocean thing going on on my face..............

If you enjoy a good scrub and face lathering, a small short lofted brush is easy to control. A large brush is best for lathering in a bowl and painting on the the lather in light to and fro motions. It all depends on how you define large. The loft and shape of the brush head are important factors.

Fido wrote:If you enjoy a good scrub and face lathering, a small short lofted brush is easy to control. A large brush is best for lathering in a bowl and painting on the the lather in light to and fro motions. It all depends on how you define large. The loft and shape of the brush head are important factors.

The largest brush that I like is a Polo 8. The recently acquired Rooneys 3/3 is a beautiful brush, but a bit sloppy for me. What do you think is the finest example of a large, short lofted brush?

I for one never use a brush with a knot smaller than 30 mm diameter. One uses whatever he prefers, but in my opinion there is really no such thing as too big or too small. Regarding economics, my rotation consists of a single brush. It is a very expensive brush, but my previous one was making great lather after thirty-five years of daily use...doesn't get much more economical.

Buzz

I have two brushes: a MF Blond Badger, 23mm knot, and a Shavemac XL, 30mm knot. I like both of them. When I use Truefitt's Lavendar Shave cream, it seems that with the Shavemac, the lather is so decadently rich, thick, and explodes with scent. Using it with a shavebowl and heated up in the crockpot, warm to hot lather with this is an experience. Yet that little brush can lather like no one's business also. Sometimes, I think I'd like to trade or sell the Shavemac and go back to a Chubby 3 in best badger, but I dont know.

never2close wrote:

Fido wrote:If you enjoy a good scrub and face lathering, a small short lofted brush is easy to control. A large brush is best for lathering in a bowl and painting on the the lather in light to and fro motions. It all depends on how you define large. The loft and shape of the brush head are important factors.

The largest brush that I like is a Polo 8. The recently acquired Rooneys 3/3 is a beautiful brush, but a bit sloppy for me. What do you think is the finest example of a large, short lofted brush?

I think large begins with, say, a 27mm knot. That's the size of my Simpsons Best Chubby 2 which has a 50mm loft. The fan shape makes it feel quite large but the density ensures it is still practical to use. A lovely brush, and it's my "finest" example of a large short lofted brush. Although some would not regard 50mm as a short loft or 27mm knot as large. My other larger brushes have higher lofts.

My Polo 14 has a 34mm knot with a 57mm loft. A monster that I could not imagine many would wish to use regularly.

Fido wrote: My Polo 14 has a 34mm knot with a 57mm loft. A monster that I could not imagine many would wish to use regularly.

...though in case anyone would wish to use a Polo 14, Colonial Drug has in the window a Somerset PL14 set in best. Nice looking brush, but not as big as the Plisson EUW set in plexi in the window which is something like a #38.

Buzz

My Polo 8 2-bander specs out at 25.5/52; I was worried it was going to be too large. Well it is a handful, but easy to control and a real decadent pleasure to face-lather with, especially with P160 lather. I don't feel the need to up the ante any more. On the other extreme are my Colonels that I can turn to, and I wouldn't want to go any smaller. I suppose that leaves a gap in-between, and I know just the Savile Row that can fill it.

I like small brushes also, not wee small, but small, FWIW, I face lather. My largest is a handmade badger but it's really too large for my use, it appears to measure 20mm x 55mm. It was handmade by a friend so I use it.

The largest I've purchased is a Rooney 3/1 and that's large enough unless I begin shaving my head again. My smallest is a Simpson Special in Best and appears to measure 18 x 40. It looks like it could never do the job, but even that small brush makes plenty of lather for my 2 1/3 pass shaves.

I won't buy anything to save the economy, because my small purchases are completely meaningless when we have people seemingly hell bent on destroying the economy. Their trillions trump my $100.

I can't see myself going larger than my Kent BK4 (23/52). There may be a day when I shift to a denser brush, but not a larger one.

Removed my grumble about cr***y job situation.

I'm not finding any statistics on how the shaving brush industry affects world economy.

And in response to the original post: yes, my bigger shaving brushes are absolutely better in my opinion than my smaller shaving brushes.

My brushes are in the 22mm, 24mm, 26mm knot range. They all work great but I tend to use the 26mm less than the others. So, I guess bigger is not better for me.

Mike

Bigger IMO is definately more enjoyable.
I have in regular use a Kent BK12 and a Simpson CH3, which are my favourite brushes.

I will say that as much as I like amd enjoy my Simpson E3 long loft and my Coates Kennet they are not as . . . Fulfilling as the other two.

I like mine in the 22mm range.

sell the Shavemac and go back to a Chubby 3 in best badger,

Bigger is nicer and brushes like the chubby 3 are a delight to use, but one thing I dont like about the big brushes is the amount of lather they hoard. I split the difference between big and small and settled on the Tulip3...Polo8 is a nice medium point too

clive

Smallest knot in my "Arsenal" is 22mm, most fall in the 24-25 range and when I go full tilt and sling lather it's the Savile Row 3126 !.

I did some experimenting a while back and made a series of two band brushes from 22mm to 30mm. I PIF all but the 28mm and 30mm, I enjoy the bigger brushes. I have turned a few 30mm handles, getting ready to purchase a silvertip knot or 2.

I'm lucky to have received a PIF'ed Kent T12, which measures 30 x 58 by my calipers. I use it every couple of months, and when it's the right choice for the morning, it can't be beat.

I'm also lucky to have won a Wee Scott in one of Phil's early contests. It lives in my travel kit. I never use it at home, but I travel enough that it sees a good amount of use. Some say this brush is a disfunctional show-piece, but mine has lathered up in cities around the world.

That said, the brushes I use the most measure 21-22 by 53-58. (I'm going to stop there, because I'm starting to sound like those guys who judge women by their measurements.)

--Glenn

In general, medium sized knots tend to work best for me. Too small and it doesn't hold and release lather the way I like. Too big, and well, it's too big - uses up a lot of product, makes excess lather (for my two passes), and gets lather all over the place.

Funny - this is one area that I have never actually paid any attention to. I only have a couple of badger brushes and one boar (although about to add an Omega 1066 shortly, just because). All this talk of knots and loft, now I am wondering what I have been missing .....