I would like some help picking out a knot.

[boogieman_]

I am looking into buying a badger knot. I want a local guy to turn a handle for me. I read the wiki but still am unsure of how to proceed.

I finally bought a badger brush a while back, here are dimensions:
Finest Badger
Knot 20mm
Length of hair: 55 mm

I really was surprised how well it worked for the price (~$15). It really lathered well (bowl or face). I am really happy with it, except it seems really small, and I would like a bigger handle.

I really liked how the finest performed, is "best" better, and if so, can anyone explain what makes it better?

Some pics make silvertip seem floppy, if I am liking "finest" is silvertip a different animal?

I 20mm knot is quite small. Would 24 or 25 mm really be much bigger? That sounds stupid, but I guess a better question would be, what diameter knot would seem big, but not a monster?

And loft, what's good?

I plan to bowl lather and face lather, so something good at multitasking would be nice.

I am leaning towards bulb shape, as that's all I have used, anyone have any thoughts on this?

Regarding extra hair knots, how does this effect performance?

 

[GladiusGSF]

Well...for me and my personal preference, I prefer a smaller knot as they are not lather hogs. What you whip up you can get ON your face and OUT of your brush. I also like the scrubbier varieties of badger trimmed to a short loft. This makes it scrubby, a quality I myself enjoy as it helps exfoliate and clean your face better. Some find this combination irritating so keep that in mind. I prefer bulbs to fans also, they just seem easier to use for me. Anyhoo...good luck!

 

[merkur59]

It seems you prefer higher loft. You should go for 24 knot/54-55mm loft, which should allow you to go for bowl and face lathering.
Having experienced whippeddog 24/45 and 24/50, I have concluded that I really prefer a higher loft for better flow-through and feel on the face.
My FS Finest at 24/53mm (and not as dense as WD) has better flow-thro and feel on the face as compared to both the WD.

 

[boogieman_]

O.K. I'm gravitating towards a 24 knot and 54/55 loft now.

So, knots with extra hair, does the extra hair retain lather more, make soap faster, or anything like that? I am just wondering why there are extra hair options and how they effect usability.

Edit: Now I am unsure of the "finest" and am wondering about silvertip. A silvertip is not a lot more money when talking just a knot. I really don't want another AD, should I just go with silvertip? Any reason not to? Finest vs. Silvertip?

 

[merkur59]

My silvertip is only a tad softer (in the tips) than my finest. I read in this forum that many prefers TGN finest, something I can't comment on since I don't have any TGN knot at all.

If it were me, I would go for silvertip as (to my mind) the determining factors are the density of the knot and the knot/loft ratio.
I am not sure you'll like extra hair (density) since the cheap badger you like is unlikely to be dense. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to gauge whether you'll like what is recommended until you have it in your hands.

To play it safe, you should get something closer to your old badger knot/loft ratio and density first. Either that or you can get to the nearest brick-and-mortar store to test them out yourself.

 

[Gingerbread]

The TGN 22mm Finest 2-Band XH is the most agreed upon knot on this forum. If you like backbone it's there. If you like a little scritch, but not too much it's there. It's just a great everyday, every use knot.

 

[celestino]

24mm knot 48mm loft sounds like the brush for you; fantastic face-latherer.