Sure this has been asked before. Do you prefer a big knot like a 27mm, or a small like a 22 ? I'm finding myself liking 24 and 25 mm, although I do like my 27s, just different.
Why did you leave out the 18 and 20mm knots? My favorite size is probably the 20mm, and I have three brushes I restored with 18mm TGN Finest knots, and an Ever-Ready that I put a TGN 18mm Best in that also work very well. I even have a small Ever-Ready 250PB that I put a 16mm Finest in that doesn't work bad at all. I also have a Dubl Duck and a C-Mon that I put 27mm Omega boar knots from TGN in and they are outstanding performers.
Most of my brushes fall between 20-22. I have an order for a couple of brushes from WD that are 24. I like mixing things up.
For badger 22 is ok for me but I like 24 just a little better. 28 is way too big. For boar, the biggest I have is a SOC which I think is about 24mm and it's perfect.
I put 24 -25 because three of my favorite synthetics and two of my favorite two bands fit this range but I like brushes with knots from 20 - 30 mm depending upon hair / fiber, handle and loft.
I find myself gravitating towards the bigger brushes in the rotation. My poor little WeeScott gets neglected…
For every brush, there is a purpose... I guess I don't really have an overall favorite. I tend to choose the brush based on what is required for the task at hand. If I've been able to shave each day, my beard isn't too heavy and I tend to favor the 22-24mm. (boar or badger) If I've missed one or two days and the beard is beginning to get a bit rough, then a 24mm boar with a short loft (for a bit of extra backbone) is in order. If it's been a week or longer, then out comes the Omega 49, no question. At 26-27mm that brush holds plenty of soap, and the shorter loft makes for plenty of scrub. When I'm in a good mood and just ready to "slather the lather", then out comes the Omega 48 Pro and either Omega soft soap, Cella, or Ogallala Bay Rum & Orange. (it depends on the day of the week.....) I've not tried the small knots (<22mm) in either boar or badger. But as soon as I dig up some vintage brushes that need a re-knot, I'm planning to. I think a 20mm best or pure badger may be just the thing to get my neighbor lady to switch to DE.
I have used all sizes but now I just use 30mm silver tip badger they are so much easier to make lather with
I'll go 24-25mm as well, with the caveat that the loft not be too high. ±50mm is usually good for me. Though I have recently picked up a 27mm Omega knot that looks like it might be interesting in a lower set loft...
Not quite sure I understand. What other purposes are there for a shave brush than lathering up the face or legs? To me it comes down to a matter of personal preference.
Well, that did lose something in the translation... Actually, I have shaving brushes that I bought for specific chores other than shaving. For instance, I wear eyeglasses. To clean them, I use VDH deluxe soap and an Omega 11575 boar brush. I'm forever getting grease, dirt, and other crud on my glasses and I've found nothing better than this little boar brush and some VDH soap to get them clean. If you wear glasses and you get tired of using a "special" cloth and spray cleaners that just smear the gunk around, I suggest you try this. It works really well. I also use 2 Omega 49 brushes at work along with Dawn dish soap to clean the glass covers that protect some delicate electronic sensing equipment. These bigger brushes are just the ticket to scrub the large glass covers quickly and after 22 years, I've not found anything that works better. Strange though it may seem, to me every shaving brush has a purpose. They aren't just for soaping your mug anymore...
Oh, I forgot. Have you ever gotten something sticky on the rear view mirror or instrument cluster in your car? I once got choked whilst slugging down some very strong coffee laced with cream and sugar while driving and I spewed all over the dash of the car. Of course I tried cleaning that up with a damp cloth, but it just didn't work. In the end, I wound up using an Omega 10066 soaked in soapy water and a miniature shop vac. This allowed me to scrub every bit of those irregular areas and get all the coffee, soda, and boogers out without scratching anything. It gets into all the crevices and does a super job. Ok. Sorry to be so graphic. I guess that's enough yuck for now.....
22-23 mm just seems perfect for daily face lathering and 3 pass shaves. Because I just love variety, it's fun to use larger and smaller brushes, and different soaps and creams. Unfortunately, with larger brushes, there seems to be more product wasted.
After so many tests: NO less than 24mm for Badgers and 28mm for Synthetics The Boar is in the middle in 25mm but many depend from the bristle not from the base knot as the above brushes.
For me, 21-24 has been my sweet spot depending on the make and material. In a badger, my Vulfix 2235 at 24x55 gives the right balance between heft and flow-through, whereas my 28x48 Rooney Stubby 2XL is luxurious as heck on the face but only seems to lather well with creams, loads far too slowly with soaps, and has poor flow-through for my taste. Alternatively, my Vulfix 404 (badger/boar mix) at 21x53 lathers soaps much better than my Ever Ready boar at 21x50 with similar flow-through. I plan to try some boars in the 22-25 range, but find it is difficult to generalize on knot size alone since different makes perform so differently.
