Perfect loft for a 30mm knot?
- Thread starter ambrose
- Start date
My initial response is to say 61mm, as that is the loft on my (old) Simpson Chubby 3 Super, which has a 30mm knot, and which I find is perfectly proportioned. Having said that, it's got a LOT of backbone, so if you want less backbone, you might want a bit more loft. As it happens, my CH3 has roughly the same loft as a Rooney 1/3, the latter of which has a 26mm knot. You can imagine how much stiffer a brush would feel with the same loft, but with a knot cranked up to 30mm. (Of course, mine is a two-band Super, which is going to make it stiffer anyway; something to keep in mind.) So, if you like the feel of the Rooney 1/3, but want a brush with a 30mm knot, then you might want to bump the loft up a few mm - say 63 or 64? That's just a guess.
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- Thread starter
- #3
The Rooney measurements I posted above came off of Vintage Blades. In looking a little further, I just realized Jim made a point of saying the loft on that particular brush (the 60mm one) is taller than normal. I just looked at Classic Shaving, and their diagram for the Rooney 1/3 Supers they sell shows a loft of 55mm on a knot of 26mm. I hope that doesn't muck things up too much for you. I still find my CH3 two-band to be the stoutest brush I own; if that sounds appealing to you, then the measurements I provided should give you an idea of the dimensions to shoot for. Again, keep in mind the old Simpson knots were extremely dense, the two-band hair was very stiff, and the semi-dome shape gave it even more backbone. That thing is a tank.
- Thread starter
- #5
30mm? 
That I gotta see
That I gotta see30mm?
Here are a couple for you:
Left to right: Pre-Vulfix Simpson CH3 in Super and Manchurian
Wow, you don't see those Manchurian brushes very often. Nice!
Glad to show you.
It's interesting how much softer the Manchurian hair is compared to the regular 2-band Super. I suppose that was its selling point, but I don't find the softness to be an improvement; it makes the brush too floppy for my preferences. I have to say, though, I find CH3s to be too big. I use a CH2 or a Plisson 16 virtually exclusively now. On those rare occasions I break out the CH3, it feels way too big and unwieldy. I'm just advising the OP on what I think a good loft is for a 30mm brush he is already intent on making. I wouldn't actually recommend a 30mm knot to anyone as a top choice.
