Fan or rounded knot?

[Toddy]

Going to re-knot a brush, what do most people prefer and what's the difference in use?

 

[brucered]

i use Fan for face and bulb for bowl.

but they can be used for both and others prefer it the other way around.

most of my shorter handled brushes that I use for face lathering have Fan knots. my longer handled brushes that I use for bowl lathering have Bulb knots.

 

[Toddy]

I am presuming therefore it's more down to personal preference than anything else?

 

[Mick]

I am presuming therefore it's more down to personal preference than anything else?

+1

I have both types of knots in brushes and I do not have a preference to either. Both work well for me

 

[brucered]

See the following threads...especially the first 2:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/274163-Bulb-or-Fan-Preference
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Bulb_Shaped_vs_Fan_Shaped
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...contrast-for-a-new-brush-user-What-about-size
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/279522-Fan-shape-vs-Bulb-shape
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/250599-Fan-vs-Bulb

that recent poll shows they are pretty much neck and neck in terms of what people like and use.

to be safe, buy one of each

 

[German]

I prefer bulb over fan and face lather only. A fan will cover more face, i.e. better to use the fan one size down vs. the bulb. For example if you prefer a 22mm fan then your bulb should be 24mm...

 

[Danricgro]

I much prefer fan. To me dense bulbs feel pointy. It really is ymmv.

 

[ras120]

I use whichever knot is the most aesthetically pleasing when I restore a brush. Some handles look better to me with a fan, some look better with a bulb.

I lather in a scuttle and the performance seems all the same to me.

 

[Toddy]

I see the topic has already been done to death previously so conclude it's pretty much what I feel like I will go with. Thanks for the replies.

 

[JeffOlson]

I haven't yet tried a fan-shaped knot, but I like how my bulb-shaped knots can be fairly precise when applying lather (at least my shorter-lofted, denser brushes). Wouldn't a fan-shaped knot apply lather rather sloppily?

 

[brucered]

Wouldn't a fan-shaped knot apply lather rather sloppily?

all depends on the quality of the knot. My D01's are Fan Shape and very precise as they are dense and don't splay all over the place, unless I really face mash it.

a cheap fan knot will feel huge. a quality fan knot will feel big, but still allow you to control where the lather goes.

 

[MaxP]

I am presuming therefore it's more down to personal preference than anything else?

Indeed. My preference is clearly for bulb shape. You get to choose what suits you. And, you can change your mind at any time!

 

[cessnabird]

I am presuming therefore it's more down to personal preference than anything else?

You hit the nail on the head, there is no "right answer". It is all up to you and your preferences.

 

[ChiefBroom]

Just to confuse things a little more, there are knots that more or less split the difference between fan and bulb shapes. I'd say the brush on the right is more of a hybrid shape than pure fan. It's probably my favorite shapewise. I definitely don't like pointy bulbs -- not the way they look and not the way they feel. But that's purely subjective preference.

 

[brucered]

Ahhhh yes....the Hybid Knot. not quite bulb, not quite fan...hence, Hyrid. It's one I can use for both face and bowl lathering and it does both well.

here's an example of my FAN, BULB and HYBRID