Which TGN knot?

[Kevan]

I'm doing my first brush restore soon, giving a sad-looking "Stanhome Badger and Bristle" a new lease on life. But I'm a little confused about the knots at TGN.

My first thought was to get a extra-stuffed Finest 2-band, because that's the one grade of badger I've never tried and I was under the impression that it's a step-up from Silvertip, yet TGN classifies their "Grade A Super Silvertip" as the highest grade (or am I reading it wrong?). Also, the lofts look strangely high. So I need some advice.

I have a Rooney 3/1 Super and it's the only badger I use currently. I face-lather exclusively so I like that it's scrubby yet soft, and dense of course. For the knot that I'm going to put in the Stanhome, I want something along those lines. But since I've never had one of the "lux" badgers with the super-creamy white tips, that's what drove me in the direction of the Finest knot. Or should I be looking at the Grade A Super Silvertip? And bulb or fan shape?

Also, I'm used to the short loft of the Rooney, and the lofts listed on the TGN knots look quite high (60mm+). Is that because you manually set the loft yourself when you install the knot?

I feel like complete noob asking all these questions!

 

[nav]

The super badger fan is totally awesome!! Set it to a lower loft and it has backbone with the luxury of a soft massage due to the super soft tips.

 

[fidjit]

In terms of the Finest it's the best bang for buck knot that Tony sells @ TGN.

That and a Silvertip A are my goto restored brushes.

And yes, though the knots are 60mm, you can then set your own loft.

As a face latherer I like 45mm or below but YMMV.

If it's your first restore go for it !!!!!!

See my wiki for a whole swag of stuff that might hopefully help you out:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/User:Fidjit

 

[nav]

See my wiki for a whole swag of stuff that might hopefully help you out:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/User:Fidjit

In terms of the Finest it's the best bang for buck knot that Tony sells @ TGN.

If it's your first restore go for it !!!!!!

This is by far the best TGN knot resource on B&B. You would be wise to review it in detail.

 

[Hex]

See my wiki for a whole swag of stuff that might hopefully help you out:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/User:Fidjit

What a great reference guide Fidjit, thank you very much. It's a wonderful read.

 

[sffone]

What a great reference guide Fidjit, thank you very much. It's a wonderful read.

+1 I planning on a brush restoration also. Thank you for the info.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Finest or Silvertip Grade A.

 

[wimbouman]

Finest 22 mm is our favorite also.

 

[Joe Edson]

I would go with the finest or new Super Silvertip that Tony offers. I think the Super Silvertip (not to be confused with his regular Super knots) is a better knot than the Silvertip Grade A's.

For face lathering I usually set these around 45mm.

 

[Kevan]

Thanks for all the suggestions and especially that link!

 

[Legion]

I like the finest. My go to brush is a 22mm.

 

[filedog]

In answer to your question, here's some info from TGNs website:

Silvertip
Super Silvertip - Top of the line, soft creamy white natural tips well packed.
Silvertip Grade A- Soft creamy white natural tips, well packed.
Silvertip- Standard grade, not as soft as the above knots, greyish silver tips very well packed, good backbone, great value.
Super Badger
Super badger is treated silvertip. This makes the tips whiter and softer. Very high quality knot, soft tips well packed available in Bulb or Fan shapes.
Best Badger
Flexible and soft bristles with a bit of stiffness; great for massaging and exfoliation. Blend of dark and light badger hair to create a gray look.
Finest Badger
Creamy white tips that fade to black, sometimes refered to as two band. Fairly soft tips well packed good with soaps and creams. Available in fan & bulb shapes
Pure Badger Coarse dark hair with firm bristles, good for scrubbing and exfoliating, Value knot.
Boar Coarse hair with firm bristles.
Nylon Synthetic hair extremely soft tips with the look of badger.

Finest, in this case, is a couple of steps BELOW super. It is currently popular because it is "2 band", having firm shafts with soft tips.

I recently built a brush with one of their 22mm Finest knots, w/extra hair, and I have a Rooney 3/1 in silvertip (one step below your super). It is quite likely you will need to deepen, and widen (at the top) the hole in your handle. You will need a dremel-type tool for this, and a steady hand. I sunk mine quite a bit to get it to a 49mm loft. It is still not as dense as the Rooney, nor is it fan-shaped. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice knot, and makes up for the lack of density with the springiness of two band. The tips are about the same softness as my 3/1, but I still like the Rooney more. I can't tell you whether you'll like fan or bulb shaped better, I guess you just have to try them. I CAN say I don't care for the one I built as much as a fan shape, it feels too "focused" in a smaller area.