Higher loft or larger knot makes it...?

[mrmoonbeam]

As are most of us I am on the hunt for the perfect brush.

Here's what I've used thus far:
Tweezerman Pure
Edwin Jagger Best
B&B Ltd 2006
Rooney 1/1 Super
Rooney 3/1 Super
B&B Essentials

I use both creams and soaps, but prefer bowl lathering rather than face lathering.
That being said, thus far I am most happy with the B&B Essentials, all around for size, feel and usability for my needs.
The only flaw I can see with it, is it is a bit too scritchy for me, and I might like a tad more density.

Speaking in generalizations, what could I expect of two similar brushes, as I make the knot larger? Obviously the spread would increase, but would it perhaps make it more dense as well?

Seems like a higher loft makes it easier for bowls and creams, but also adds to floppiness - correct?

What if I were to take a brush, and shorten the loft while also increasing the knot?

Higher grades of hair increase softness alone - correct?
Thanks fellas!!

Happy New Year

 

[djh]

Speaking in generalizations, what could I expect of two similar brushes, as I make the knot larger? Obviously the spread would increase, but would it perhaps make it more dense as well?

As the knot size increases the brush will logically tend to splay more when you put it to your face. Density is just a measure of how much hair is stuffed into a given knot size- if the two brushes in question are the same style, I would expect them to have the same density.

Seems like a higher loft makes it easier for bowls and creams, but also adds to floppiness - correct?

A higher loft (and a longer handle) is normally suggested for bowl-lathering with shaving cream and a shorter lofted brush is normally the recommendation for soaps and face-lathering. The downside of a longer loft is that if the hair is soft and not too dense, the brush can easily become "floppy".

What if I were to take a brush, and shorten the loft while also increasing the knot?

Both of these steps individually will help to make the brush firmer- performing them both at once should make a drastic difference. It is a good idea to look at the same model of brush offered in different sizes- as the knot size increases, the loft normally increases as well.

Higher grades of hair increase softness alone - correct?

Higher grades of hair have different properties. One of the universal goals of the brushmaker when specifying silvertip (or super or finest) is to have soft tips - lots of BIS (Brush Idiots Savant) also look for a brush with soft tips and lots of backbone which often requires special hair. Higher grades of hair also tend to retain more water thereby making them easier to lather.

Thanks fellas!!

Happy New Year

You're welcome and a happy new year to you as well.

 

[kbuzbee]

Well said, David!

For comparison, I have 3 30mm silvertip brushes. You can see all three here:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2661487&postcount=575

The Kent BLK 12 has the highest loft and lowest density. It is the "floppyest" of the three but not negatively so.

The Shavemac is much more dense. It's a bulb so its longest hairs may be as long as the Kent but the shorter surrounding hair and added density virtually remove any trace of floppiness.

The Rudy Vey, by contrast is easily as dense as the Shavemac, possibly more so. But it has a much shorter loft and is more like a soft solid than a "brush". Kinda hard to describe, really. It is SO different. With the shorter loft, it also feels much smaller than the other two, on my face, which surprised me a bit.

All three are very soft on my face and do a great job face lathering hard soaps.

Cheers,

Ken

By the way, I like big brushes!