opinions on knots

[gmgaj]

I'm in the middle of my first restore. I have an old, abused and nasty everready 500BN. I've cleaned it up, chopped off the knot and removed most of the knot inside the handle. I think I will be able to clean up the hole using a 3/4 inch forstner bit, so it looks like I'm going to be looking for a 20mm knot.
I don't have a ton of experience with brushes. So far, I've had a VDH brush that I didn't like at all, a tweezerman badger which is great for bowl lathering, but is too scritchy, IMO and a Omega pro 49 that is a dream for face lathering. I would like a brush that can show me what a quality badger knot can do, preferably as an all around brush.

My choices at this time are WD silvertip (65 loft), and TGN in ST (64), ST grade A (67), super ST (64), and finest (60). I've heard great things about all of these, but seem to hear most about WD, TGN finest, and ST-A.

Can anyone give me recommendations for any of these for my first restore? This handle is far from perfect, and is missing all of the original black color on the upper portion. I don't think I'll paint it at this time. I sort of like the white but was also considering giving it a faux granite paint job.

BTW, here is the before and in-work:

 

[Loric]

How deep is the knot bed? If you cant cram ~15mm of knot into it, get the TGN Finest because it has the most backbone and IMO will be the best at a higher loft. The three band options might be fine too if you bowl lather and like some loft in your brush, but your much safer with the Finest.

 

[gmgaj]

Right now, the bed is at 3/8" approx (10 mm). I can probably get a bit more than that when I do my cleanup drilling. The finest does get a lot of good press, and has the shortest loft. Is the finest a softer feel, or is it a bit more scritchy? The finest does appeal to me for the backbone, but I also would like it to feel fairly soft and luxurious at the same time if that is possible.

 

[deruitem]

The finest has just a touch of scritch a good back bone. I like them a lot! The grade a is nice if you dont want that scritch. Nice and soft but you need to set them lower if you want some backbone

 

[Harry Snider]

I just got a custom brush today with a 24mm TGN finest fan XH set at 48mm and wow it,s perfect for me and I'll be putting 3 more in current restores, no question.

 

[gmgaj]

How much lower do you need to set the grade A? Also, how does the super badger compare to the ST grade a? I'm really having trouble distinguishing between the grades since I've never seen one firsthand. And exactly where does the WD fit in to these?

 

[Harry Snider]

I don't know what WD is, just looked for it? I guarantee the 20 mm Finest would be great for this brush, it would let you see a nice 2-band for peanuts. You can play around with the loft before setting it, with hairbands or gearclamps. I also have a best badger 22mm short loft from TGN that is real nice with just enough scritch. It just stopped shedding a couple weeks ago. I will try a ST in one of my restores but LOVE the cheaper finest.
Goodluck hope this helps, I'm still tryin' to figure this out too!

 

[gmgaj]

WD is whipped dog. It gets good reviews here as well, but only comes in pure and silvertip grades.

The finest may be a good options since it is my first. If I think it is too scritchy, I can probably resell it. The finest is actually $1 more than the basic silvertip, but less than the super or ST-A by $7-$9. So the TGN finest is better than the TGN silvertip? Pricewise, the whipped dog sits right inbetween the finest/silvertip and the super/gradeA from TGN.

 

[Kostas1]

TGN Finest is softer than the TGN silver tip, but not as soft as the Grade A. Personally, I'd go with the Finest. I've had a few in that grade of hair, and to me, they're pillowy soft with good backbone. Loft on the Grade A would have to be super short for good face lathering (probably around, or under, 45mm for a 20mm knot). Then, you run into issues with density and flow-through. The Finest could be set a little higher (around 49-50mm) and would work well for bowl and face lathering.

In case my enthusiasm for TGN Finest isn't 100% apparent, I really love that knot!

 

[gmgaj]

I think this site has convinced me to try the finest. I guess it is time to make an order and see how it is firsthand.

 

[wagstaff]

I think this site has convinced me to try the finest. I guess it is time to make an order and see how it is firsthand.

I'd love to know your impressions when you get it. I did the same thing -- this site convinced me. Recently bought a brush with a TGN Finest knot from Bob Farvour. I think it's great. I love the handle. I'm not sure how to rate the Finest alongside Simpsons in Best or Whipped Dog Silvertip. They're all different, and all really good brushes.

 

[gmgaj]

I'll be sure to report in. The knot has been ordered.