Big Brushophiles - What's The Rumpus?

[Scritchnscrub]

I'm not being critical here at all - I've never owned a big brush - but I'm interested in the appeal. For argument's sake let's call a big brush anything over 24mm.

Why spend the money when you can get brushes 24mm or less that can hold several passes worth of lather and feel pretty big on the face?

Do I have a small face?

Actually, now that I think of it, I have owned two 26mm brushes - they came larger than the 24mm spec - so let's change the reference point to 28mm and above.

 

[cessnabird]

It really is personal preference, I too used to prefer small brushes and thought of a large, dense brush as not necessary. That is until I bought a Chubby ll... The way a large/dense brush picks up tons of soap on a whim, the large knot encompasses (hugs really) an entire cheek, the thicker handle also gives the brush a feeling of worth, body, a little weight to it. After using larger brushes for so long, I feel almost let down some when I use my smaller Rooney or a similar brush and I feel like I have to cover so much territory in order to lather my face and neck. Using a Chubby lll for instance, the knot hugs half of your face making lathering almost effortless while still allowing you complete control of the brush without putting lather where it shouldn't be. I am sure many others will chime in with their thoughts, but these are some of the things that come to my mind when I think "why a large brush." Jeremy-

 

[Scritchnscrub]

It really is personal preference, I too used to prefer small brushes and thought of a large, dense brush as not necessary. That is until I bought a Chubby ll... The way a large/dense brush picks up tons of soap on a whim, the large knot encompasses (hugs really) an entire cheek, the thicker handle also gives the brush a feeling of worth, body, a little weight to it. After using larger brushes for so long, I feel almost let down some when I use my smaller Rooney or a similar brush and I feel like I have to cover so much territory in order to lather my face and neck. Using a Chubby lll for instance, the knot hugs half of your face making lathering almost effortless while still allowing you complete control of the brush without putting lather where it shouldn't be. I am sure many others will chime in with their thoughts, but these are some of the things that come to my mind when I think "why a large brush." Jeremy-

Great explanation - thanks.

 

[edgerunner]

For those that use Wee Scott and similar, your 24 mm brushes are too big.
I also prefer brushes in 23-24 mm range knots but also have a Kent BK8 which is my only biggest brush. Every time I use it, I feel special, and wonder why I don't use it more often. It's a special treat to my face. I can't explain it. I guess it's just different. It whips incredible lather quickly, and spreads it very well on my face. I don't have any problem with it keeping it under control. The lather, water and heat retention and release are different with big brushes.

 

[GDCarrington]

If you head shave a larger brush comes handy to create lots of lather without having to go back to whip up more. It also feels good against larger skin areas (back of the head).

 

[BrookR1]

For me, it was mainly handle size. I have large hands and really appreciate XL handles. They also feel much nicer on my face, especially a nice, warm lather on a chilly morning.

 

[Agravic]

It's the American way - bigger is better! ... especially in Texas

 

[njpaddy]

All my brushes until now have been in the 14-22 mm range, but earlier this morning I ordered a 26mm Thater. For me, 22mm was a large brush so this new one should be quite interesting.

 

[takeshi]

I'm not being critical here at all - I've never owned a big brush - but I'm interested in the appeal. For argument's sake let's call a big brush anything over 24mm.

Why spend the money when you can get brushes 24mm or less that can hold several passes worth of lather and feel pretty big on the face?

Personal preference/YMMV but that's always the case with any "Why spend the money...?" question. Worth is always highly subjective. Some will never see the point in doing so. If you're wondering then try one -- same as any other topic.

I prefer the size of a 28mm knot. I like the density, the "effective added backbone" of a dense brush and how the tips feel as I face lather. My 28mm M&F also seems to build lather very easily. All that said, my preference is just my preference. You really should rely on first hand experience and not just random opinions.

 

[Kooze]

The way a large/dense brush picks up tons of soap on a whim, the large knot encompasses (hugs really) an entire cheek, the thicker handle also gives the brush a feeling of worth, body, a little weight to it. After using larger brushes for so long, I feel almost let down some when I use my smaller Rooney or a similar brush and I feel like I have to cover so much territory in order to lather my face and neck. Using a Chubby lll for instance, the knot hugs half of your face making lathering almost effortless while still allowing you complete control of the brush without putting lather where it shouldn't be. Jeremy-

I need to stay away from this subforum . Just when you thing your sbad is under control..........

 

[shanman]

It's like a 4X4 of hair plunger on your face. Hard to explain, but it just rocks.

 

[Loric]

Before I got into "big brush love fest" mode, I would like to point out that loft is almost as much a factor in observed brush size as the knot diameter. A low loft brush will feel much smaller than the same knot size at a higher loft. Plus, 3 band, 2 band, and synthetic all bloom different, so they feel smaller (the former being the biggest and the latter feeling the smallest at the same knot size)

Some of you may recognize the photo (no cheating), but can you guess witch of these is the 30mm, 22mm, and the 28mm knot? The lofts are different, but even so, not radically different on these brushes.

I'm a very tactile person, I like my food hot (hot enough to scare Thai and Indian waiters/cooks), I love my beer dark (enough to scare my beer drinking friends), and my brushes big and dense. For me the best part of wet shaving is the tactile experience of the brush on my face. I love a big scrubby mess of hair massaging my face, and backbone is the biggest factor in that scrubbing massage. The more bristles you can cram into the same space under your face, the better IMO. In the same way that a person can lay on a small bed of nails about 1 inch apart, a bigger bed of nails closer together is safer. A big brush with lots of bristles to distribute the forces across feels amazing to me.

Plus, as mentioned above a big brush loads and lathers easier IMO (even if it takes more product). You can lather a big swath of face in just a couple strokes. They hold heat better, they moderate the feel of skritch. Plus, they feel better in the hand. The more brushes I use, the more I realize that, I love, big dense short loft brushes.

As a side note, I dont like big tall loft brushes. Application gets sloppy with a taller loft, and even though I like a big face feel, there is a point where it gets to be to much. I like lathering most of my cheek at once, but not my ear, neck, and cheek.

 

[Face&Head]

All my brushes until now have been in the 14-22 mm range, but earlier this morning I ordered a 26mm Thater. For me, 22mm was a large brush so this new one should be quite interesting.

And when that 26mm Thäter arrives it will likely be a least a 28mm knot and more likely 29mm.

 

[oscar11]

No, I can't really explain why I like larger brushes but I do. The soft density, maybe. As Loric said when you start playing with the loft sometimes the bigger brushes really don't feel that big. I make all my own brushes so they aren't really a whole lot more expensive.

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

What Loric said, and cessnabird too.

 

[OldGreyGuy]

I need to stay away from this subforum . Just when you thing your sbad is under control..........

Me too, since reading this I have been obsessing about knot size.

 

[Samjax]

I've tried a variety of sizes and I lean towards 26mm and up. My son on the other hand, thinks that 24mm is really pushing it and stays 20 to 24mm. Different strokes for sure...

 

[Redman667]

24 or below for me but I have a small face.

 

[Dirk-Lerxst-Pratt]

24 or below for me but I have a small face.

Thats what I used to think.

 

[Str8 Shaver]

now that I have a Chubby 3, even the Chubby 2 seems small!!