TGN vs WhippedDog

I was curious as to how the knots from these 2 brush manufacturers compare, so I ordered a 30mm from each and here they are as delivered and unwashed.

SWMBO rates the WD as being softer and so do I. The TGN is whiter.

Loft: TGN=66, WD=67
Knot measured: TGN=30, WD=29
Diameter: TGN=55, WD=60
Weight: TGN=26gm, WD=33gm
$$$$$$: TGN=$42.95, WD=$19.50

I plan to give them each about 5 washes and re measure them. I have never tried soaping them up without them being in a handle so I am not so sure how that will work, but nothing ventured, etc.

Are there any suggestions as to what else I could try ?

I don't really have a handle large enough to hold them though I reckon I could fake one for these tests, maybe different lofts starting at 54.
Thanks Ken for a good beginning loft number.

What does TGN stand for?

Jack Straw said:

What does TGN stand for?

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The Golden Nib, a member here who has a great line of knots that are well thought of.

I'd like to know how they hold the lather.
That is to say, when the lather is made, how much does each knot "drink up" the lather and keep it.
This is one of the factors I look for in a face lathering brush.

you could try a couple 1.25" id pvc couplers or caps as makeshift handles

Nice project George! Is your TGN a ST or STA?

The one Rudy made me is an STA. Butter soft with decent backbone.



Ken

Thank you, I think knot to knot comparisons are overdue. I don't have the cash to do it myself so once again thank you.

kbuzbee said:

Nice project George! Is your TGN a ST or STA?

The one Rudy made me is an STA. Butter soft with decent backbone.

Ken

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It's an ST-A Ken.

Do you have a means to weigh them?

I doubt the epoxy plugs are identical but the heavier knot could have more hair. Just eyeballing the pics it looks like the WD knot might have more.

I like the idea of lather testing these guys.

PS - Ken your Kent style 30mm is getting to me....must buy a 30....aaaauuuuuugggghhh

Greg1911 said:

PS - Ken your Kent style 30mm is getting to me....must buy a 30....aaaauuuuuugggghhh

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I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that, with the right hair, 30/54mm is the perfect size brush Yeah, Rudy did a great job with it.

Ken

Hex said:

It's an ST-A Ken.

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If I'd read the bottom, I'd a known that Thanks. I think you'll find the face feel very soft. Do you remember that HUGE thing Vlad had made a while back?

Ah, found it:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=189340&highlight=Chubby

Ken

Greg1911 said:

Do you have a means to weigh them?

I doubt the epoxy plugs are identical but the heavier knot could have more hair. Just eyeballing the pics it looks like the WD knot might have more.

I like the idea of lather testing these guys.

PS - Ken your Kent style 30mm is getting to me....must buy a 30....aaaauuuuuugggghhh

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Yes I do and will edit the original to include these. Thanks.

TGN=26gm, WD=33gm

I was surprised that there was that much difference.

maxman said:

I'd like to know how they hold the lather.
That is to say, when the lather is made, how much does each knot "drink up" the lather and keep it.
This is one of the factors I look for in a face lathering brush.

Click to expand...

Hmmm, how to measure this.

After the 5 cleaning lathers, and remeasuring the softness and sizes, I had planned to whip up a lather with MWF and TOBS Eton.

Maybe set some ground rules like:
1) 2 minutes for building lather from the same amount of TOBS, then see what the bowls look like.
2) 2 minutes to load the brush with MWF then see what each brush looks like. Squeeze out the lather and see how much there is.
3) Let them sit and see how long it takes until the lather starts to run out.
4) See how many face lathers I get from the MWF.

Of course I will need to get some faux handles and the PVC suggestion is a great idea. Tomorrow to Home Depot.

Can anyone suggest how else to go about this or another step I might include that could be measurable other than, "It feels nice".

You could wet, shake, and load both of them with lather from the same bowl then paint on a mirror or piece of glass to see which one holds more/transfers better?

Mr.Oak said:

You could wet, shake, and load both of them with lather from the same bowl then paint on a mirror or piece of glass to see which one holds more/transfers better?

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That's a good idea.

Though I will need to do this when SWMBO is absent. I can imagine her reaction as she sees me painting the mirror.

You have 2 different grades od hair it looks like. zthe TGN is a Silvertip and the and the whipped Dog is a Super. I know silvertip is softer than best but I don't know where Super fits in.I think the Sivertip is is the better of the two but not by much. Both knots are tops in my book.

Ok, enough testing for my taste.

I clean lathered them each 5 times and let them dry overnight.
There was minimal hair shedding, I think 4 for TGN and maybe 3 for WD.

After the 1st clean lather the WD bloomed to a huge size, so much so that it would be difficult to get into a MWF container.
I put an O ring on it to try and down size it.

These pictures are after the 5 clean lathers.

Though WD is softer when dry, both SWMBO and I say that TGN is softer when wet. Additionally, the WD got prickly.

And some test lathers.

TGN with the fat.

I loaded the brush for 2 minutes using the same techniques that I learned during the MWF challenge.

Since I am a face latherer, I tried to replicate that with SWMBO's favorite cutting board. It didn't really work well, but did generate what I felt was lather similar to the brush I used during the challenge.

I gave up on the cutting board approach and did pass 3 on my face. And the lather looks thin because it is. Though it is pretty much the same as what I was getting during the challenge.

During the challenge I would get 2 full, thick face lathers, with the 3rd being kinda sparse.

Pic 1 after 1 board lather
Pic 2 &3 after 2 board lathers
Pic 4 My mug after the 3rd lather.The lather is similar to what I got during the challenge.

Next the WD with MWF

WD with MWF

Pic 1 After 2 minutes of loading
Pic 2 Same, showing with the O ring. I had a hard time keeping it in place.
Pic 3 After 1 face lather. I had a hard time getting the lather out of the brush
Pic 4 The brush after 1 face lather. Note how the lather is buried deep in the brush
Pic 5 What was left in the brush after 1 lather.

And both brushes using TOBS

Both performed well and generated tons of lather though as you can see from Pic 4, for the WD, the lather is in the brush, and not on top so much.

Pic 1 TGN after slight swirl in the TOBS.
Pic 2 TGN after 1 minute whipping.
Pic 3 WD after slight swirl in the TOBS.
Pic 4 WD after 1 minute whipping
Pic 5 WD from the side

My conclusion is to go with the TGN. It handled the MWF better, though that might say something about my technique. They are worth the extra $$.
I also didn't like the prickly feeling nor how large the WD became after only 1 cleaning lather.

Again, this was with a 30mm and the smaller knots might work differently.