Knot size

What’s your ideal knot size, or the size you use the most.


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100% badger. Own mostly 28+ but honestly prefer badger in dense backboned soft verging gelled 26 hybrid shaped bulb/fan

26 to 28mm is my sweetness although I don’t shy away from 30mm.  24mm knots have to act bigger than they are for my preference.  For example, 24mm in a boar brush works just fine for me as the boars are generally lofted higher thus splay more and thus act bigger than the mm designation would indicate.  What don’t I like?  Super dense knots lofted short!  I’ve got a brush maker son which has given me the opportunity to monkey around with lots of knots, densities, loft height, and I conclude that we have gone too far on the density quest and that high to medium density knots actually perform better than super high density knots especially when lofted shorter.  I dislike knots where density and short loft make them feel “pointy”.  Feels like using a broom handle to lather with.

This is a very personal question....I have brushes from 20-31 mm in size, and use them all. But, I would guess the majority is in the 24-28 mm range.

Have from 18-28mm but sweet spot for me is 24-26mm

For me it's a 26mm Bulb

26mm is the perfect size for me

A loaded question as with most brush questions. If I keep the loft shorter like in a chubby brush I need more diameter. 28mm is really my minimum, but for most of what is availably commercially 30mm is better. I can get around this with a brush with a longer than usual loft like Plisson, VP Leonhardy, and Vielong has some multiple brushes. I forget the Silvertip model I had in the past, but decided to purchase it again awhile back as it was on sale for an excellent price, and it works better this time. The one I had before was too long and not enough density. This one had a much shorter loft, probably 7mm shorter, and while it is too short for my tastes to use most times, when that time I can tolerate the smaller handle, it works much better. I have a VP Leonhardy 700050 brush I think it is, and I wouldn't want it any larger really and it has like a 27mm knot. The loft is exceptionally long, but enough hair was packed into it, and also the hair used has enough backbone to help it retain its shape while being extra soft, and it can match up quite well with a 35mm Shavemac in a fan shape I have. Not as dense, but it is a unique knot and the hair is set deeper into the handle from what I understand on that, and from what I hear of the makers of VP Leonhardy the same is done with their brushes standard. I have another small VP Leonhardy that has a quite small handle, but its shape and the length of the knot really works quite well, and I would reach for it over some 22-24 brushes. I go through phases with my brushes as well. I've definitely been reaching for bigger brushes in terms of knot diameter, as well as knot height or loft, however you would like to refer to it, and that's after using smaller brushes. On average I feel 24mm is a good middle ground.

I have a couple of brushes that are less than 24mm in size; but I do not particularly like them. Most of my brushes are 24-26mm. I bowl lather, so I prefer bulb shaped brushes. Many face latherers prefer a fan shaped brush.

I do have one 28mm brush. It is a Maggard SHD knot. Because of the brush density, it blooms to cover my entire cheek. It also holds a ton of lather. I wish I had gotten a 24-26mm SHD instead. In a normal density brush, I would probably be OK with a 28mm brush.

If you like using triple milled soaps, especially using a shaving mug, then smaller diameter brushes might work better.

My smallest is 25mm and my largest is 33mm.  If it's all about my enjoyment, then I definitely like using a very big brush. Even the 33 mm brush it is not too big. I think I could enjoy a much bigger brush even. Using a large brush is a luxurious and enjoyable experience.  Doing that is a big part of why I wet shave in the first place...pampering me.  The only time I use the smaller brush is when I have a soap that is running low, can no longer get, and I am trying to conserve the soap. If it's about me and my enjoyment then I am going bigger for sure.

Here's one more thought. When you ask about knot size, know that it may not be a good measure of the shaving experience with a brush.  Knot size is measured as the knot comes out of the handle but that is not the part that touches your face. Two 26 mm knots can have very different shaving experiences.  One could have a bulb shape with high density and feel kind of small and the other could have a fan shape with a lot of splay and feel huge. You really have to take the shape of the knot and how it splays into consideration. In other words,  there is far more that goes into how the knot will feel than just the knot size.