^^^This^^^
Dear Face Lathering Badger Brush Users, which KNOT SHAPE do you prefer?
- Thread starter Cal
- Start date
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I think knot.
Therefore I am knot -René Descartridge
I prefer to face lather soaps. The 20 or so badgers I've bought over 9+ years (mostly Simpsons, Rooneys & Thaters) have all been bulb. Maybe my old Rooneys are sort of a hybrid bulb/fan that I still like. I've been tempted to try a pure fan, but I always wind up ordering what has worked best for me so far. When you get up to Thaters costing $150+, I have a hard time experimenting.
- Thread starter
- #26
I love your explanation (not to mention the science) Rave. Thank you.
Us telepathists know things that others don't, that's for sure, Uncas. 
If you go from flat top to full bulb, you gain less and less initial surface area of the tips touching the face. The flat is suited for circular buffing motions for the tips to make lather. The fan benefits from oval and lateral motions, that way all the tips get to work on the surface. Bulbs are the traditional bowl lathering then painting type of brushes.
If you go for a bulb or bulbish fan knot for face lathering, you may tend to splay it more than what's good for the brush in order to increase surface area working on the face. Based on brush design, flat tops with stiff backbone and soft tips would be ideal knots for face lathering. If only they weren't so aesthetically challenging...
If you go for a bulb or bulbish fan knot for face lathering, you may tend to splay it more than what's good for the brush in order to increase surface area working on the face. Based on brush design, flat tops with stiff backbone and soft tips would be ideal knots for face lathering. If only they weren't so aesthetically challenging...
Fans are just not right, the ugly stepchildren of shaving brushes
I've never bowl lathered in my life, but I find my little bulb knot to be the perfect face lathering brush. I also never splay any brush beyond what's good for it, but the face mashers have stated that the glue bump on a bulb is too big for them to face lather with. I find the ease of use of a bulb for loading product and face lathering with is superb unless you are prone to face mashing brushes.If you go for a bulb or bulbish fan knot for face lathering, you may tend to splay it more than what's good for the brush in order to increase surface area working on the face. Based on brush design, flat tops with stiff backbone and soft tips would be ideal knots for face lathering. If only they weren't so aesthetically challenging...
They come in red?Fans are just not right, the ugly stepchildren of shaving brushes
Redheaded
I grew up face lathering creams, or a bar of soap if nothing else was available. I only learned to bowl lather when I returned to wet shaving and it had a learning curve like everything else. It's an unwinding zen ritual that I enjoy now.
Only reason why people do it is to speed up lather building on their face by increasing surface area. If it's a large knot then this mitigates the issue somewhat. 28mm bulbs feel like 26-24mm fans or 22mm flat tops. But one can force any brush to work the way they want it. I've seen on Youtube Omega 48's 65mm loft smashed down to the glue bump for face lathering. It was entertaining to watch.
I'm preferably (not exclusively) a FL guy.
In the last decade I've used all sort of shape / fibre.
Specially for natural ones, I can't understand fan, or worst flat knots.
A little better on synth, but I don't like these shapes.
For me, best choice:
· BL with bulb Silvertip badger
· FL with hybrid Cashmere synth
In the last decade I've used all sort of shape / fibre.
Specially for natural ones, I can't understand fan, or worst flat knots.
A little better on synth, but I don't like these shapes.
For me, best choice:
· BL with bulb Silvertip badger
· FL with hybrid Cashmere synth
I believe people are mashing their brushes the same way they treat everything else. Rough.
The quickest way to destroy a brush, beside insufficient rinse.
I doubt anyone could flatten an Omega 48 down to the glue bump. That thing is massive.
The quickest way to destroy a brush, beside insufficient rinse.
I doubt anyone could flatten an Omega 48 down to the glue bump. That thing is massive.
In larger knot sizes - 26mm or more - I prefer bulbs. Smaller knots I think benefit from the easier splay of a fan.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I'm not following the logic here, Rave.
If the centre is splayed, surely that pushes the side bristles out too. If anything, you'd want a dished top (reverse bulb) to achieve tips in contact even if part of the brush splayed. I'm having trouble getting my head around the centre splaying, but the outside not splaying.
I can understand it for painting strokes, like someone mentioned above, where the lower tips may be in play, followed by the taller hair laid down, but not the centre of the brush splayed from a circular motion.
I'd definitely want to watch!
It's out there in Youtube land for everyone's viewing pleasure. Usually it's in the early stages of shaving channels, so look up older videos. It's hilarious.
