Fan=face, bulb=bowl

[Ad Astra]

Recently acquired a beauty of a finest badger, and it suddenly struck me it was the first fan-shaped knot in my small collection. I'd mostly settled on synthetics - and bowl lathering.

For the first couple days I was bowl-lathering with it, and frowned. It soaked up so much water and soap, something synthetics and bowl users don't need.

So I tried face-lathering, and been smiling ever since! It holds enough lather for three passes - no bowl needed! Think that's where a badger shines. Synthetic, you need to keep returning to the soap bowl.

Yes, I have another decent finest badger, a Maggards. Bulb shape, and water absorbtion is controllable. It probably does both methods well.

But the fan shape is just really better suited to face-lathering - or is that just me?


AA

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Recently acquired a beauty of a finest badger, and it suddenly struck me it was the first fan-shaped knot in my small collection. I'd mostly settled on synthetics - and bowl lathering.

For the first couple days I was bowl-lathering with it, and frowned. It soaked up so much water and soap, something synthetics and bowl users don't need.

So I tried face-lathering, and been smiling ever since! It holds enough lather for three passes - no bowl needed! Think that's where a badger shines. Synthetic, you need to keep returning to the soap bowl.

Yes, I have another decent finest badger, a Maggards. Bulb shape, and water absorbtion is controllable. It probably does both methods well.

But the fan shape is just really better suited to face-lathering - or is that just me?


AA

Unfortunately, I’ve got a couple things working against face lathering. First as I’ve gotten older, something happened that I didn’t think possible. I got more uncoordinated. I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, much less keep a brush going in a circular motion. The second thing? I’ve got baby skin that gets irritated when I try to face lather. My brush is a super Badger and I have a synthetic. I almost never use the synthetic. Although the knot is bigger than the Badger, the handle is smaller. It goes back to that uncoordinated thing.

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

@Ad Astra ive been meaning to ask. Are you really Brad Pitt or Tommy
Lee?

 

[Ad Astra]

Unfortunately, I’ve got a couple things working against face lathering. First as I’ve gotten older, something happened that I didn’t think possible. I got more uncoordinated. I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, much less keep a brush going in a circular motion. The second thing? I’ve got baby skin that gets irritated when I try to face lather. My brush is a super Badger and I have a synthetic. I almost never use the synthetic. Although the knot is bigger than the Badger, the handle is smaller. It goes back to that uncoordinated thing.

Think I also prefer bowl-lathering; you can fine tune and tweak a lather to perfection before shaving. Water/soap ratios to correct.

Had enjoyed using a stick soap and face-lathering a synth when traveling. But the fan shape just seems made for it.


AA

 

[Ad Astra]

@Ad Astra ive been meaning to ask. Are you really Brad Pitt or Tommy
Lee?

Yeah. No. Still haven't seen that space movie!

I'll also deny being an actual astronaut, though I've met a few.


AA

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

Yeah. No. Still haven't seen that space movie!

I'll also deny being an actual astronaut, though I've met a few.


AA

So surprised. I thought I was the only one that hasn’t seen it. Outside of wet shaving and photography I’m a tightwad and don’t like spending money on movies. I also refuse to finance those nut jobs in Hollywood.

 

[Leverspro]

So surprised. I thought I was the only one that hasn’t seen it. Outside of wet shaving and photography I’m a tightwad and don’t like spending money on movies. I also refuse to finance those nut jobs in Hollywood.

I haven't seen a Hollywood movie in 15 years. Really brain insulting stuff.

 

[Badgerstate36]

IMO, its just what you like. You could face lather or bowl later with either just as easily and they would work just as well.

 

[BigJ]

Recently acquired a beauty of a finest badger, and it suddenly struck me it was the first fan-shaped knot in my small collection. I'd mostly settled on synthetics - and bowl lathering.

For the first couple days I was bowl-lathering with it, and frowned. It soaked up so much water and soap, something synthetics and bowl users don't need.

So I tried face-lathering, and been smiling ever since! It holds enough lather for three passes - no bowl needed! Think that's where a badger shines. Synthetic, you need to keep returning to the soap bowl.

Yes, I have another decent finest badger, a Maggards. Bulb shape, and water absorbtion is controllable. It probably does both methods well.

But the fan shape is just really better suited to face-lathering - or is that just me?


AA

Interesting observations!!

This is close to my experience. I prefer face-lathering with badger knots! I have a couple of 2-band Shavemac fan-shaped knots that are becoming favorites around here!!

 

[global_dev]

I like the fans for face, but rely much more enjoy the bulbs or hybrids for face lathering much more.

 

[KW Driver]

I didn’t have a fan when I gave up the bowls.my boars are essentially fans, badgers half and half. A good badger fan on the face is nice, especially when it’s cold out

 

[Bhugo]

I very rarely use a bowl to lather. I also find the fan shape to make a wonderful face lathering brush. I like a smaller knot when fan shaped as well.

 

[gdavila]

I prefer more backbone for face lathering and I feel like my bulb shaped brushes have more backbone than the fan shaped ones.

 

[Shavely Manden]

Interesting notion...come to think of it, I do have a lot of fans, and I almost exclusively face lather. Then again, my favorite brush of all time, a vintage Ever Ready reknotted with TGN finest, is very much a bulb, so YMMV, I guess.

Though I think you've really hit the nail on the head with the face lathering = badger (or boar)...I always wondered why people seemed to swear by synthetics when it just seems like all the lather would slip out of them. If you're not trying to hold multiple passes + touchups worth of lather in the brush, having a brush that gives up the lather super easily wouldn't be a problem.