Brush knot size. Is bigger better. Does knot type determine knot width or height

[Mr. Shavington]

Zombie thread, but what the hell….

I think knot size depends more on loft than diameter. Shape also has a big effect on knot size. I have 22mm, high-lofted, fan brushes that are massively bigger than 30mm, medium-lofted, bulb knots. I mean maybe twice the size.

 

[Ravenonrock]

For boars I keep coming back to 22-24mm with a 55-57 loft hitting the sweet spot for me.

 

[Bsamps]

Not much I can add, everyone else is on target. I don't have that much real estate to cover, so I like 20-24mm knot and even the 24mm feels like it swallows up my face sometimes. However, since I've been traveling a lot lately and have become very close with my travel brushes... the X1, and the CASE. Both are 19mm and I'm often reaching for one of those more frequently than I ever have.

 

[Ron R]

UPDATE from my post #17 in 2017!
A few year's later and using different brushes with slightly different sizes of knots, This is just general information I have observed using them.
-Synthetics , 24-26mm knots are my sweet spot. 24 mm is a nice general all purpose shaving knot & 26mm is a nice luxury general purpose knot and is not a lather hog I discovered.
- Badger, 22-24mm is a nice knot size because they do bloom a little more in diameter and some even more depending on how the knot makers want the knot to perform. 22-24mm, 2band badgers are a great all purpose general shaving enjoyment type knot & 24mm 3band badger (silvertip) are more a refined luxury knot that offers a softer face feel because the hairs are slightly finer size and still offer a great overall general shaving brush.
- Boar, 22-24mm are a great overall general purpose shaving brush that will offer some fine lathering when they are broken in(hairs tips become split ends) and perform just as good face feel as other natural hair shave brushes.(I have not tried horse hair brush yet).

Just some general observations of my brushes I have used and most are Yaqi brushes I bought on various sales over the years.

 

[gpjoe]

My upper limit is 26mm.

I use a RR Plissoft Monster and an Omega 10049 on my head, but generally stay at 22-24mm for face lathering. On my face, anything larger feels like overkill and unnecessary.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Isn't the old saying....size don't matter, the technique does....!!

 

[Spy Car]

(I have not tried horse hair brush yet).

I recently acquired my first horse hair brush. I must admit that I'd had somewhat negative connotations about them being floppy and prone to tangles, and otherwise not that great. And perhaps that's true of some? I dunno. No expert here.

But I added a Zenith 506N N 50/50 (mane/tail) to a recent order of boar brushes, from a vendor in Spain (Your Shaving) which ships worldwide, as sort of a "lark."

50/50 is not the most "premium" option in the Zenith equine line, as they also make "all mane" extra-soft knots, which I have not tried yet.

Horse brushes are often knocked for being "floppy." The Zenith 50/50 is not floppy. Nice degree of backbone, has no tangles, and the hairs are soft. Perhaps not as soft as the "extra-soft" variant, but...

Stock photo:

I'm really enjoying this one. Far beyond my highest hopes.

ETA: The knot comes in at 27mm in diameter with a 51mm loft, for those keeping track.

Bill

 

[Phoenixkh]

Some of you know, I ended up with 23 brushes at one point. I'm now down to 6 badger brushes. I rotate 2 of them for pre-shave application and 4 of them for the shave lather. All of them are 26mm or 28mm. I do have a Zenith Manchurian badger I bring out on occasion, just to remind myself how nice it is for a relatively inexpensive 27.5mm badger. Mine has the 506 solid copper handle.

I still have 4 Zenith boar brushes I bring out for DecemBOAR. They aren't totally broken-in, but they are far enough along in that process to enjoy using them.

I still have 2 synths.... but not really. They are now my wife's. She loves them both: a Rudy Vey handle with a STF XL knot and a Alpha Shaving group buy with a G5 "D" creation knot.

 

[GR5233]

I have only used synthetic and badger brushes. For both of them 24-26m is the sweet spot for me. Anything smaller than that and the handle feels too small for me and isn’t comfortable to hold