Creating Lather With Large Brushes

**Justinsane** · 08-03-2010, 05:04 PM

I just received a monster 28mm in the mail today and I'm a bit frustrated with it. I let it soak while I showered as normal however, when I went to create a lather, it took a lot of effort to whip something up. My experiences with a 23mm E&J Super Badger and a Omega Boar brush required much less effort to create something. Is this because the brush is soaking up a lot of the lather as it's being created in which it takes longer to lather into the bowl? After the shave, I did squeeze from the handle up and I was very surprised as to how much sat in the brush.

**Mr. Igg** · 08-03-2010, 05:06 PM

Larger brushes need more cream/soap and hold more lather, generally. If you use the dip-and-twist method to load the brush (dip brush in tub of cream and give it a half twist or so), the brush will pretty much self-regulate how much cream it loads.

**Justinsane** · 08-03-2010, 05:14 PM

Is there a special technique to actually creating the lather also? I found that mixing some up and down's in with some regular CW and CCW rotations worked great.

**Mr. Igg** · 08-03-2010, 05:17 PM

Sounds like how I do it. Anyone else?

**Loric** · 08-03-2010, 05:24 PM

I love my 28mm. I find it works best with hand lathering though. When I swish the brush over my slightly splayed fingers, it seems to help quite a bit. Also I feel the lather that escapes to the back of my hand, back onto the brush. Typically into the side wall of the brush. This seems to get lather to saturate the whole brush, and at that point I get an explosion of lather.

Longer more dense brushes do seem to hold onto lather more. There is also the possibility that your brush still needs some break in period. Give it some test lathers and try some different things.

What kind of brush did you pick up? Do we get to see some pictures of your new monster?

**mkc1mjb** · 08-03-2010, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Loric

I love my 28mm. I find it works best with hand lathering though. When I swish the brush over my slightly splayed fingers, it seems to help quite a bit. Also I feel the lather that escapes to the back of my hand, back onto the brush. Typically into the side wall of the brush. This seems to get lather to saturate the whole brush, and at that point I get an explosion of lather.

Longer more dense brushes do seem to hold onto lather more. There is also the possibility that your brush still needs some break in period. Give it some test lathers and try some different things.

What kind of brush did you pick up? Do we get to see some pictures of your new monster?

Yes...pictures please

**Justinsane** · 08-03-2010, 06:04 PM

It's a brush that's part of a trade with a member here. It's a #177. This is a pic next to a custom D01 in a 20mm

**Mr. Imperial** · 08-03-2010, 06:13 PM

I have the exact same brush, and I absolutely love it! (credit to RU4Scuba? For the awesome PIF too!) It does suck up the lather compared to my other brushes, but on the whole there really isn't much difference to the lather process. You can feed it water a bit faster, too, since the larger size generally produces lather faster.

**Loric** · 08-03-2010, 07:04 PM

I like the super bulb there, I dont have one in that shape yet. How is the backbone on a big guy like that?

**Justinsane** · 08-03-2010, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by Loric

I like the super bulb there, I dont have one in that shape yet. How is the backbone on a big guy like that?

I've only tried the brush once, but it's decent. It really just felt like a big pillow on the face to be honest.

**Scott0079** · 08-03-2010, 07:16 PM

Well when I had a 28mm Silvertip the way I had to create lather was to trade the brush for a 22mm in Finest

, Hope you have better luck and don't mind the feeling of using a mop to lather up, if it isn't obvious I HATE BIG BRUSHES!!!

ymmv of course

.

**Justinsane** · 08-03-2010, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by Scott0079

Well when I had a 28mm Silvertip the way I had to create lather was to trade the brush for a 22mm in Finest

, Hope you have better luck and don't mind the feeling of using a mop to lather up, if it isn't obvious I HATE BIG BRUSHES!!!

ymmv of course

.

I had a 25mm E&J that I had to use 4 O rings on to maintain it's floppiness. This one here, probably because of the bulb shape, isn't like that at all. It does suck the lather up like a mop but it doesn't feel like what I expected a 28mm to feel like.

**Ru4scuba?** · 08-03-2010, 07:32 PM

I actually dont mind the 28mm size of the brush at all...think its kinda neat in its own way as a super huge fatty.

That said, it soaks up the lather some what, but after bowl lathering and about a minute (maybe less) of lathering up the face I never felt I had any issues.

More product is perhaps the culprit in your issue?

**Justinsane** · 08-03-2010, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by Ru4scuba?

I actually dont mind the 28mm size of the brush at all...think its kinda neat in its own way as a super huge fatty.

That said, it soaks up the lather some what, but after bowl lathering and about a minute (maybe less) of lathering up the face I never felt I had any issues.

More product is perhaps the culprit in your issue?

I'm thinking that's the case. I may just have to put some more time into it then I'm used to, but for the pillow effect it gives on the face, it should be worth it.

**huntmol** · 08-03-2010, 08:44 PM

Yep, whenever I pull out the big CH2 I have to remember to use much more soap and much more water. Stick with it though! Large brushes are the bee's knees for a luxurious feel when lathering!

**kooshman7** · 08-03-2010, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by Justinsane

It's a brush that's part of a trade with a member here. It's a #177. This is a pic next to a custom D01 in a 20mm

This brush has been making it's way around! I believe this is now on the sixth owner, me being the fourth. The funny thing is the 5th owner of this brush I traded back with him for my Shavemac 177 I sold to him.

It's actually a 410 model which seems to be a bit different in the handle to the 177 for some reason.

It's definitely a brush you need to give it more soap or cream than you usually would to get it working good, but once you get it going it's like a pillow on the face. That brush actually has good backbone and density going for it. It definitely beat out a Kent BLK12 I had for one use which I sold when I found out about the B&B 09, but I'm thinking I may have been a bit hasty perhaps.

That brush was absolutely the most luxurious brush I have used to date. For me I've found that you don't get that pure luxurious feel as much if you have an extremely dense brush. You need to let it have some room for the medium in use to mix and have good flowthrough to work. And then having silvertip just adds to it along with a longer loft. You can get it pretty nice by going dense, short loft, and still silvertip or something else, but it just doesn't seem the same.

I actually think the experience for the Shavemac brush would go better if it was just a tad less dense. Of course YMMV, just my observations. Big brushes have their place for sure, but they're not for everyone. My Chubby 2 two-band is my only large brush remaining which is very nice to use, but still can't compete with that Kent luxuriousness I had.

Just can't get that one use out of my head.

Even more so it was a delight to look at and hold. I love looking at the big brushes and the weight behind them, but they wouldn't be an everyday brush for sure. The only other big brush that has piqued my interest is Savile Row. Not sure which I would want though the old loft dimensions or the new... My mind is on brushes constantly I assure you.

**maxman** · 08-04-2010, 09:00 AM

Originally Posted by kooshman7

This brush has been making it's way around! I believe this is now on the sixth owner, me being the fourth. The funny thing is the 5th owner of this brush I traded back with him for my Shavemac 177 I sold to him.

It's actually a 410 model which seems to be a bit different in the handle to the 177 for some reason.

It's definitely a brush you need to give it more soap or cream than you usually would to get it working good, but once you get it going it's like a pillow on the face. That brush actually has good backbone and density going for it. It definitely beat out a Kent BLK12 I had for one use which I sold when I found out about the B&B 09, but I'm thinking I may have been a bit hasty perhaps.

That brush was absolutely the most luxurious brush I have used to date. For me I've found that you don't get that pure luxurious feel as much if you have an extremely dense brush. You need to let it have some room for the medium in use to mix and have good flowthrough to work. And then having silvertip just adds to it along with a longer loft. You can get it pretty nice by going dense, short loft, and still silvertip or something else, but it just doesn't seem the same.

I actually think the experience for the Shavemac brush would go better if it was just a tad less dense. Of course YMMV, just my observations. Big brushes have their place for sure, but they're not for everyone. My Chubby 2 two-band is my only large brush remaining which is very nice to use, but still can't compete with that Kent luxuriousness I had.

Just can't get that one use out of my head.

Even more so it was a delight to look at and hold. I love looking at the big brushes and the weight behind them, but they wouldn't be an everyday brush for sure. The only other big brush that has piqued my interest is Savile Row. Not sure which I would want though the old loft dimensions or the new... My mind is on brushes constantly I assure you.

I have a BK12 and it is luxury all the way. But really, you can't use a big brush all the time. It's nice to pop it out every once and a while.
It makes lather enough for 10 people and takes half a tub of TOBS to get it going. I feel like I could paint my house with it.

But, when it hits your face and you only need to wipe it across once to get completely lathered (head to toe), well... that's just fun.

Everyone should own a big brush for the novelty and luxury.

**kooshman7** · 08-04-2010, 10:04 AM

Yeah that brush left an impression with me to say the least.

Maybe a Kent BLK8 will be more of an everyday brush with the same luxuriousness.

**Ru4scuba?** · 08-04-2010, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by Justinsane

I'm thinking that's the case. I may just have to put some more time into it then I'm used to, but for the pillow effect it gives on the face, it should be worth it.

Make no mistake, its a different monster than the smaller brushes you may be used to. But hey, whenever you get a new brush...do what I do, do several "practice lathers" to get everything to click.

At least, thats what I tell the wife when I'm lathering soaps for no good reason!

**ssultan** · 08-04-2010, 04:48 PM

My CH2 2-band is a 28mm knot and is an absolutely luxurious experience! Yes, it definitely uses more soap/cream but then how else am I supposed to get through my ever-increasing soap/cream rotation?! :)