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What’s the biggest knot you have on your shave brush?

I had to take a look. The largest knot by base measurement I have here is the Connaught Jade Omega Boar at 27mm knot. But as @Tomo notes, some badgers shave much bigger once bloomed. I knotted a Switchback 400 with a 24mm high mountain soft badger knot and it's really too big for me. I ordered another ferrule and a boar knot to see if that's better. I have a Vulfix 376 23mm knot that in use feels larger than the 27mm Omega. The tendency towards very large badger brushes over the past few years has me somewhat puzzled; maybe I get it with some synthetics, as they don't widen with use and might need a wider base to splay properly, maybe I just have less face, or maybe I'm just an old fart :straight: .
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
My largest brush is a 25mm Semogue LE. I have a 27mm Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic but the face feel is of a much smaller brush. I am always very disappointed in a brush when it blooms larger than it's size would suggest; my upper knot limit for natural hair is 25mm and if a knot blooms much larger than that then it will not get used.
I had to take a look. The largest knot by base measurement I have here is the Connaught Jade Omega Boar at 27mm knot. But as @Tomo notes, some badgers shave much bigger once bloomed. I knotted a Switchback 400 with a 24mm high mountain soft badger knot and it's really too big for me. I ordered another ferrule and a boar knot to see if that's better. I have a Vulfix 376 23mm knot that in use feels larger than the 27mm Omega. The tendency towards very large badger brushes over the past few years has me somewhat puzzled; maybe I get it with some synthetics, as they don't widen with use and might need a wider base to splay properly, maybe I just have less face, or maybe I'm just an old fart :straight: .
You are not alone, I prefer smaller natural knots and am very disappointed if a knot blooms larger than I am expecting. If I order a 24mm knot and it blooms to the size of a 27mm knot then for me it is not only visually very unattractive but is also unusable. From what I read here though, bloom seems generally to be a sought after quality, but certainly not for me. Having said all that, I am an old fart :straight:
 
My largest brush is a 25mm Semogue LE. I have a 27mm Simpson Chubby 2 Synthetic but the face feel is of a much smaller brush. I am always very disappointed in a brush when it blooms larger than it's size would suggest; my upper knot limit for natural hair is 25mm and if a knot blooms much larger than that then it will not get used.

You are not alone, I prefer smaller natural knots and am very disappointed if a knot blooms larger than I am expecting. If I order a 24mm knot and it blooms to the size of a 27mm knot then for me it is not only visually very unattractive but is also unusable. From what I read here though, bloom seems generally to be a sought after quality, but certainly not for me. Having said all that, I am an old fart :straight:
It's nice to have company! We seem to have a similar take on brush preference.
 
34mm Razorock F-400 for headshaving
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my 26mm Yaqi Moka Express blooms so big that I only use it rarely. This is not a problem with my 27mm Zenith Manchurian that is still a favorite of mine.
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27mm Zenith Manchurian is one of the finest dollar per quality brush around. I own the same brush but with a different color handle. If I could only have one brush, It would be Zenith Manchurian 27mm in my collection. Very versatile.
 
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timwcic

"Look what I found"
Two out of my collection, a rare Geo F Trumper I.B. 11 at 32mm and a Kent V-16 reknotted at 35mm. Originally came from Kent at 38mm but the knot was toast and needed a makeover

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Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Earlier in this thread I posted that a Chubby 2 was my biggest brush but just today I remembered this thing from Rooney. I forgot about it because I never use it. I'm saving it as unobtainium and will sell it for $900 sometime next year. The M7s are there for scale.
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Pics please, especially from the fuzzy Tennis Ball :c9:

As you wish. The top picture is the two you asked about. The middle picture is those two, two more 30 mm brushes with nearly as much loft. The white handled one on the left actually has the nicest knot. A Wee Scot and a reknotted Burma Shave with a 24 mm Silvertip are there for perspective. The last picture is the left side of my shave den with most of my active collection.

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Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
As you wish. The top picture is the two you asked about. The middle picture is those two, two more 30 mm brushes with nearly as much loft. The white handled one on the left actually has the nicest knot. A Wee Scot and a reknotted Burma Shave with a 24 mm Silvertip are there for perspective. The last picture is the left side of my shave den with most of my active collection.

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Do I see a number of Whipped Dogs there? You don't hear much about WD anymore, now that the shaving brush market has essentially been taken over by the Chinese. I thought they were good brushes at a fair price, and the WD owner was a gentleman.
 
Do I see a number of Whipped Dogs there? You don't hear much about WD anymore, now that the shaving brush market has essentially been taken over by the Chinese. I thought they were good brushes at a fair price, and the WD owner was a gentleman.

Mostly you see Whipped Dog handles that I knotted myself. Over the years I have purchased handles, knots , and complete brushes from Whipped Dog and he has always been a complete gentleman. The most recent was a 30 mm Silvertip brush that I had shipped unassembled so I could space the knot up. It was for my step grandson. He absolutely loves it.
 
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