Flat top knots

I have been enjoying the Stirling Finest fan brush and it's very close to a flat top shape I had only ever seen in badger brushes that Shavemac makes.

I've seen boar brushes obviously over the years with extreme flat top shapes, but rarely a badger brush.

I was browsing The Golden Nib and saw that they are now offering two knots in Silvertip Grade A badger with flat top shapes. A 22mm and a 24mm.

They're close to $40, but not even approaching the cost of a new Shavemac knot shipped from Germany.

I have a couple Grade A from TGN and like them.

I'm interested.
I was really hoping to see the two band finest hair offered in this shape. Silvertip is a little weak with backbone for my taste.

I might try a knot from TGN. It's only a few bucks more than the bulb and normal fan in Grade A silvertip.

I do have a great handle I'd like to see it in.


Do any of you have a flat top? What's the pros and cons to using one? Is silvertip a good candidate for this shape?

I thought the flat top Shavemac only came in D01. Which I have understood is much stiffer hair than silvertip. I wonder how it compares.


Here's a link to TGN.
http://www.thegoldennib.com/silvertip-gr...-22mm.html

That is very, very interesting. I've always wanted to try a flat-top knot, but never wanted to spend the money just to see how it feels. Now it's probably just a matter of time before i cave.

My Stirling fan knot JUMPED into top position in my rotation. The softest, thickest, strongest brush in my rotation. This knot is so fantastic, that I may also pick up a TGN fan for my Rubberset handle...

And frankly, at $40 for the Stirling butterscotch(or black if you like that), in my humble opinion, you can't possibly go wrong...

That is very, very interesting. I've always wanted to try a flat-top knot, but never wanted to spend the money just to see how it feels. Now it's probably just a matter of time before i cave.

You know you will... ha-ha..!

I'm ordering one, no doubt about it. Stirling's knot is really really good.



OT: I have a D0-1. It's nice, but like you said it is really stiff. I must admit I haven't been using it as much, but it's really the most flat top badger I have right now.

I don't have their silvertip, but among the ones I have, I can probably liken the feel to.. Nathan Clark's White Envy.

I have a couple Thater fans that are close to being flat topped - in their 2-band silvertip.  I really like them. I know that Shavemac distinguishes between fan and flattop but like you, I'm not sure i want to drop that much cash to try out their flattop knot. After the D0-1 experience I'm sticking to the known and loved Thaters. For now.

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That's a 20mm, feels like a 24mm on the face.

Cool Shavemac. How does it feel?

I got the TGN knot in the mail.

I have been really busy and just got a chance to test lather it.

It's as good as, if not better hair, than the Silvertip Grade A bulbs I have. Absolutely gel tipped. Totally flat. Flatter than the Stirling Finest fan brush. It's also got a much thinner band. Totally three band.

I test lathered it in my hand by holding the plug. I don't have the handle yet that I want to put it in. I also didn't know really what loft to go with. So I didn't want to mess it up by temporarily glueing it into a handle with silicone or anything.

It's early and I don't have much feedback yet. I didn't put it to my face or spend a lot of time with it this morning. Just ran it under warm water, lathered it with hand soap and then MdC. I rinsed it well and then rinsed it more as I thought it still had soap in it. Nope- not soap. GEL tips! Big time!!!

I might see if I can get it into my Rubberset 400 ferrule without getting any glue on the hair. My gut instinct is to set it very low so it doesn't feel floppy. I don't know though for sure.

I was in a hurry and will see how large it's bloomed when I get home. Lathering it by hand like that, it was hard to get a feel for it holding the knot alone by the glue plug.

So far I'm happy with it.

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That's a 20mm, feels like a 24mm on the face.

Yup, that's so flat it looks like you could cut yourself on the edge

It's soft but gives a good massage, have to be careful when loading the brush as it picks up soap very fast.