Help in deciding Loft

[tomcj2]

I am assembling a 30mm Two Band Finest Badger Knot XH from TGN in a Whipped Dog Resin handle for a friend. He is new to wet shaving; his only experience is with a TGN 22mm 2-Band Finest XH knot set at 48mm that I loaned him for a couple of months ago. My problem is that I have never used that brush, I had loaned him the only "new" brush that I had at the time. He is 6'9"", 350+lbs former NBA player. The 22mm EverReady 200 that he has been using looks tiny when he holds it. He has only used the brush for bowl lathering soap and claims he likes the loaner except for the size of the handle.
Now for the question.
Without drilling the handle the loft would be 58mm. I am thinking that a 50mm loft would be more appropriate. What is your opinion. (I do not have the option of setting it temporarily with hot glue et cetera so the the first time will be with epoxy.)

 

[Doc226]

I have a brush with the same knot Shaverjoe made for me set at 49, for me it is perfect.

I like backbone in my brushes but a soft feel. This knot and loft provide both, I face lather 99% of the time.

 

[shaverjoe]

I think you would be fine anywhere from 48-50mm. For my personal tastes, I wouldn't go any higher than 50mm with that knot. The 30mm knot is a beast, and quite dense so it should have nice backbone anywhere in that range. I just hope you will be able to widen the hole enough to accommodate the knot at a loft of 8-10mm lower than what already exists. The 30mm knot gets very wide very quickly as you ascend towards the top of the knot. Good luck and finished pics are a must!

 

[mattdenicola]

I'm also curious to see how this turns out. It seems that people set these 30mm knots relatively "low" compared to other knots. By this I mean that it seems for a 24mm knot, for instance, people recommend 46-50mm loft. For a 26mm brush, 48-54mm loft. So with this massive 30mm knot, is it that if the loft is any higher than 50mm that it simply becomes too "wide" up top to manage?

 

[shaverjoe]

I'm also curious to see how this turns out. It seems that people set these 30mm knots relatively "low" compared to other knots. By this I mean that it seems for a 24mm knot, for instance, people recommend 46-50mm loft. For a 26mm brush, 48-54mm loft. So with this massive 30mm knot, is it that if the loft is any higher than 50mm that it simply becomes too "wide" up top to manage?

I base the recommendation based on how the user wants the brush to feel. Doc wanted a brush with a lot of backbone so I recommended a low loft. I think you can get away with a higher loft with the Finest knots, but the same loft with a TGN Grade A Silvertip would feel very different IMO. The Finest XH knots are pretty dense so you can set them a little higher. The Silvertips Ive used are not as dense so with a higher lofter, then start to feel floppy. Just my opinion based on my limited experience.

 

[mattdenicola]

I base the recommendation based on how the user wants the brush to feel. Doc wanted a brush with a lot of backbone so I recommended a low loft. I think you can get away with a higher loft with the Finest knots, but the same loft with a TGN Grade A Silvertip would feel very different IMO. The Finest XH knots are pretty dense so you can set them a little higher. The Silvertips Ive used are not as dense so with a higher lofter, then start to feel floppy. Just my opinion based on my limited experience.

Absolutely my experience as well with the Finest XH vs. any of the TGN Silvertips. That's why I was curious about the loft recommendations and how it will turn out in the end!

 

[catherix]

Based on the large knot size a loft of 49 or 50 would likely be ideal. I think the density and size of the knot will help with backbone and TGN Finest knots can have plenty of backbone already. If he's looking for the same feel as the 22mm knot but just with a larger knot size I'd probably go with 49. A tiny bit less backbone, go with 50. A 22mm Finest XH is full of backbone at a 48mm loft.

 

[Chadao]

I am assembling a 30mm Two Band Finest Badger Knot XH from TGN in a Whipped Dog Resin handle for a friend. He is new to wet shaving; his only experience is with a TGN 22mm 2-Band Finest XH knot set at 48mm that I loaned him for a couple of months ago. My problem is that I have never used that brush, I had loaned him the only "new" brush that I had at the time. He is 6'9"", 350+lbs former NBA player. The 22mm EverReady 200 that he has been using looks tiny when he holds it. He has only used the brush for bowl lathering soap and claims he likes the loaner except for the size of the handle.
Now for the question.
Without drilling the handle the loft would be 58mm. I am thinking that a 50mm loft would be more appropriate. What is your opinion. (I do not have the option of setting it temporarily with hot glue et cetera so the the first time will be with epoxy.)

My next silvertip will be 50 loft.

 

[taco8slo]

Bob Farvour made this one for me with the TGN 30mm Finest knot, the loft is set at 50mm, it is a fun brush to use.

 

[tomcj2]

I would like to thank all of you for your input. I set the knot in epoxy tonight; it measures 50.6mm.

When I received the handle it would have measured about 56mm as seen here


I drilled out the handle and the final product is


It looks so good I hate to give it away. The total cost was $44.90

As a side note, Shaverjoe was concerned about the knot fitting; I only ground a touch off. TGN measures their knots at the widest point while Whipped Dog measures the diameter of the "glue" plug.

 

[catherix]

That's a great looking brush! I think you decided on a great loft all things considered.

Also, 7 votes for a 58mm loft??

 

[tomcj2]

Is there a similar, ready made brush available from a "top drawer' manufacturer?

 

[Big Jim]

That's a great looking brush! I think you decided on a great loft all things considered.

Also, 7 votes for a 58mm loft??

I like lots of loft and I'm not ashamed to say so.

 

[catherix]

I like lots of loft and I'm not ashamed to say so.

Okay good. I figured there must be some opinion behind it. Now I'm not too sure about a 30mm knot with a 58mm loft. That's a lotta brush!

 

[Big Jim]

Okay good. I figured there must be some opinion behind it. Now I'm not too sure about a 30mm knot with a 58mm loft. That's a lotta brush!

Isn't that why they call them beasts?

 

[Porp]

Is there a similar, ready made brush available from a "top drawer' manufacturer?

Simpson Chubby 3

 

[Larsson_Power]

I hope thats not to low, I have the same knot but 26mm first set at 50mm and it was like piece of rubber on the face, so i steamed out the knot and dropped in a Swedish enkrona there. (enkrona is 1SEK coin) and the loft is now 52mm and works great. Please tell us what your friend thought about it. It looks fantastic!

 

[Big Jim]

Okay good. I figured there must be some opinion behind it. Now I'm not too sure about a 30mm knot with a 58mm loft. That's a lotta brush!

Whipped Dog has 30mm knots back in stock so I was able to order my very own beast. I ordered it without the knot glued to the handle so I can play around with loft before permanently setting it.

 

[Eeyore]

I would prefer a bit more: 52 or 54mm.

 

[Big Jim]

The knot and handle arrived this week (while I was traveling) so I was able to set the knot today. It came out at 58 mm. I'll post pictures after use so I can show bloom. It doesn't seem to be as beastly as I thought it would be.