Most of my favorites are 22-24 mm badgers!! These are just great for face-lathering!! 
Knot size - large or small?
- Thread starter Ridpath
- Start date
It seems like 23-26mm knots suit me best.
IMightBeWrong
Loves a smelly brush
I like variety. Sometimes I like a small brush, especially since they are so easy to load. Sometimes I like a larger brush. I wouldn’t want something enormous. A Chubby 3 would be too large for me for example, but I enjoy 26-28 knots also.
My sweet spot: 18 - 22mm boar, lofted short (in the upper 40s - low 50s) and scrubby. I have badger, mixed, and horse as well. 25mm is a big knot for me. I wear varying amounts of beard, so I usually need less lather than someone fully clean-shaven. My Simpson Duke 1 is plenty of best badger for my purposes.
Around 24mm is a great all-round size IME
Smallest I go is 23mm, anything smaller just feels "wrong" to me
I only lather on my face, and never in a bowl, it just doesn't do anything for me.
I almost always reach for my Duke 3 manchurian, im gonna get another Duke 3 in best because I lovve the Duke 3 so much.
I have tried a Chubby 2 (borrowed one from a friend), and I like that a lot too, but i still prefer the Duke 3.
I only lather on my face, and never in a bowl, it just doesn't do anything for me.
I almost always reach for my Duke 3 manchurian, im gonna get another Duke 3 in best because I lovve the Duke 3 so much.
I have tried a Chubby 2 (borrowed one from a friend), and I like that a lot too, but i still prefer the Duke 3.
I've been spoiled by large-ish brushes; 26 mm is my favored size. I have some 24 mms that I like a lot, but I do wish they were just a wee bit bigger. Anything smaller seems, well, insignificant.
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
I much prefer smaller knots 22-24mm.
My brushes range in diameter from 22mm to 27.5mm, but I have recently been using my SOC 2 band finest and my newly acquired Semogue 2015 HD. I seem to be drawn to higher density brushes on the left side of the size spectrum.
I use 24mm and 26mm synthetic brushes now I face lather. I had a couple 22mm badger brushes but they always felt a bit small. I love my 26mm Yaqi Rainbow but I wouldn't go any bigger.
All of mine are 24mm, with the exception of a 22 mm 2 band badger fan. It is at least as big, if not bigger, as my 24mms when using it, so 24mm is my answer.
I face lather with a relatively small brush (SOC badger 24 - but it stays tight) which is big enough to be efficient but small enough to do a relatively neat job.
For bowl/scuttle lathering I want a considerably larger brush. I have tendonitis in my elbow and a big brush gets the job done faster, as well as delivering some quantity of lather to the face.
For bowl/scuttle lathering I want a considerably larger brush. I have tendonitis in my elbow and a big brush gets the job done faster, as well as delivering some quantity of lather to the face.
I like "chubby" brushes and most of them end up being 24-28mm, depending on the loft height.
18 to 22mm for me. My 24mm APShaveco Brushes Synthetics are as large as I want to go. If they were badgers they would have way too much splay for face lathering. My EJ Medium Super is perfect at 21mm for badger brushes.
I also like smaller synthetics. 22mm feels really good and they are nice for travel as well.
I've had a bit of a turnaround. I tried a Duke 3 synthetic and really like it even though it is a bit bigger than my smaller brushes. Then I tried a Chubby 2 synth and fell in love with it big time. Got a bit carried away right enough, but considering the 27mm knot, they are not exactly huge. Because they don't bloom they feel middle of the road size wise. Luxury in plastic.
M
member 119848
With time I developed a preference for large knots.
My synthetic Yaqi Tuxedo 30mm is the best brush I´ve ever had. And I face face-lather.
My synthetic Yaqi Tuxedo 30mm is the best brush I´ve ever had. And I face face-lather.
I prefer brushes with short loft. The Semogue 610/620 are two of my favorite brushes, so I would be tempted to say that I like smaller knots (21mm). However, my absolute favorite brush is the Omega 011842 and its knot diameter is 27mm. The knot size is small though since my copy has a 48mm loft based on my measurements.
@Sotiris_A: When you use your (21mm x 50mm) 620 do you find that you need to keep going back to your puck for more soap - assuming you face lather?
Yep, dedicated face latherer here. Indeed, I find that I can get enough lather for 3 passes with most of my soaps (MWF, Tabac, Arko, MdC, Speick). With Dr Harris, I have to go back to the puck for the 3rd pass, but this is common with all of my boar brushes.
