I've previously posted about my APShaveCo Cashmere 24 mm and SynBad 30 mm brushes; I just received 2 more knots to see which I preferred most - the 30 mm Cashmere knot and the 24mm 2BED.
Pictures (keep in mind that these are still damp, so they look clumpier than they would if they were completely dry):
In the top picture, left to right: Cashmere 30 mm knot, 2BED 24mm knot, 30 mm SynBad brush with faux marble handle, 24 mm Cashmere brush with Blue Lagoon handle. 2nd picture is top down, 3rd picture is clustered for ease of comparison (the 2 knots are on a soap tin to try to elevate them to more similar heights).
The Cashmere 24 and 30 mm knots are pretty similar; it's a little hard to tell, but the 30 mm Cashmere may have very slightly more backbone than the 24 mm knot (but then, I'm also lathering with a knot and not a true brush). Low on the backbone scale so it splays easily and nicely on the face (but definitely not floppy in my opinion), soft tips, and feels bigger than the 24 mm as expected. Feels excellent overall.
The 2BED is, frankly, disappointing. It looked less dense compared to the 30 mm knots (it's a fan knot) but felt close to a 30 mm bulb in terms of size on my face. Backbone was more than the Cashmere, possibly less than the SynBad but to be honest I wasn't focused on that very much. My big problem was that it felt prickly. It was not pleasant, and I took an immediate dislike to the knot. I will say that the 24 mm fan shape felt relatively close to a 30 mm standard/bulb synthetic in terms of size, so the lower density makes sense since it's spreading over a larger area. I've always wanted to try a fan brush, but after this experience I'll probably stick to denser feeling brush shapes (bulb) and simply go for larger sizes.
In short, the Cashmere 30 mm seems like a bigger Cashmere knot that is also an excellent knot/brush (I'm going to get this set into a custom handle and will see if it does have slightly different backbone or that's simply a consequence of not having a handle). The SynBad also continues to be an excellent brush with mildly more backbone but still splays easily. The 2BED is a knot that, frankly, I'd stay away from - it's prickly, less dense, and doesn't really feel like it has any advantages over the other two.
Hope this was helpful!
Pictures (keep in mind that these are still damp, so they look clumpier than they would if they were completely dry):
In the top picture, left to right: Cashmere 30 mm knot, 2BED 24mm knot, 30 mm SynBad brush with faux marble handle, 24 mm Cashmere brush with Blue Lagoon handle. 2nd picture is top down, 3rd picture is clustered for ease of comparison (the 2 knots are on a soap tin to try to elevate them to more similar heights).
The Cashmere 24 and 30 mm knots are pretty similar; it's a little hard to tell, but the 30 mm Cashmere may have very slightly more backbone than the 24 mm knot (but then, I'm also lathering with a knot and not a true brush). Low on the backbone scale so it splays easily and nicely on the face (but definitely not floppy in my opinion), soft tips, and feels bigger than the 24 mm as expected. Feels excellent overall.
The 2BED is, frankly, disappointing. It looked less dense compared to the 30 mm knots (it's a fan knot) but felt close to a 30 mm bulb in terms of size on my face. Backbone was more than the Cashmere, possibly less than the SynBad but to be honest I wasn't focused on that very much. My big problem was that it felt prickly. It was not pleasant, and I took an immediate dislike to the knot. I will say that the 24 mm fan shape felt relatively close to a 30 mm standard/bulb synthetic in terms of size, so the lower density makes sense since it's spreading over a larger area. I've always wanted to try a fan brush, but after this experience I'll probably stick to denser feeling brush shapes (bulb) and simply go for larger sizes.
In short, the Cashmere 30 mm seems like a bigger Cashmere knot that is also an excellent knot/brush (I'm going to get this set into a custom handle and will see if it does have slightly different backbone or that's simply a consequence of not having a handle). The SynBad also continues to be an excellent brush with mildly more backbone but still splays easily. The 2BED is a knot that, frankly, I'd stay away from - it's prickly, less dense, and doesn't really feel like it has any advantages over the other two.
Hope this was helpful!