Shavemac D01 3-band advice

[Rainy]

Hi there,

I'm after a new silvertip brush to accompany my current finest badger and boar. I mainly face lather a combination of soaps and creams. Having experienced Kent's grade of silvertip, I'm after something with a little more backbone but similar softness of tips with minimal scritch. Not that I don't care for a bit of scritch/scrub, you see, as I enjoy my boar and two band badger, but I'm after a slightly different animal.

I've narrowed it down to D01 silvertip in three band as having the properties I'm after. What I do need, however, is advice on the shape and size of the knot. Aesthetically, I prefer bulb knots - but I have read plenty of other face latherers who prefer a fan knot. Similarly, as part of my research, I see that it is advised to request a smaller knot from Bernd - but the same size loft - as you normally prefer. I hope that the phrasing isn't too unclear. I reckon I prefer small-to-medium knots, so was thinking that a 22mm knot would be appropriate here. So I arrive at a few questions:

1. Does a 22mm knot sound appropriate for my preference?
2. Is a fan knot much preferable to a bulb as a predominant face latherer?
3. What loft length if a) bulb or b) fan is selected?

My initial thoughts are 22/50 in bulb but, clearly, I could do with your input!

Regards,

Rainy

 

[sgtd]

A 22mm should be fine. I have a 24mm set at 50mm loft and it's the perfect blend of backbone and soft tips. As far as the fan vs bulb it's all in what you prefer. The fan knot will make it feel like a bigger knot because it should splay more but it's really a preference thing. At 22mm, I'd think somewhere around 47-48mm loft would be fine but 50mm would work too. I generally tend to try to get my lofts a little lower, especially if I'm using the brush solely for facelathering soaps because the lower loft generally equates to more backbone. Good luck with your search Rainy. No matter which you decide, you can't go wrong with a Shavemac.

 

[Tim_McD]

Kudos for going with the shavemac - you will not be disappointed. Here is a thread that covers custom orders and knot diameter-to-height ratios. I found the opinions very helpful and perhaps you can gleam some info as well.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/334743-Custom-Shavemac

 

[jazzguy]

I have a Shavemac with almost the exact knot you are describing and it is excellent for face lathering.

 

[cooltide]

i have a 24x52 knot, a great all rounder, well worth a punt,

 

[Teddyboy]

D01 3-band is fantastic. With a 22mm knot, I would personally go 46-48mm because I like firmness. My D01 3-band is one of my favorites (26mm/48mm).