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Firstly I'd like to point out that I am not in the habit of reviewing my own brushes, however this little knot is quite unique to the forum and I thought the community might benefit from seeing how such a midget performs compared to larger brethren. That said I am not reviewing the handle and design (pretty though it is) as the knot is the important factor. Right, now thats out of the way....
On the left is a 24mm Finest Two band knot, on the right is a small yet perfectly formed midget of a brush:
The brush is 80mm high with a loft height of around 40mm. The handle is custom-made box wood with a natural oil finish, I really like the colour and warmth of box, as well as the fact that it's lovely to work with on the lathe. Of all the brushes I've produced, the colour of box is closest to the aged 'butterscotch' of vintage brushes. I've used a disproportionately large handle, as a correctly scaled handle would be far too impractical.
I use (you may be surprised to hear) a Wilkinson Sword boar brush on a daily basis, as I find it quick and economical with lather. I use a 26mm silver tip at the weekends though - it's a huge brush and really holds the lather (sometimes too much for my liking) but the overall process of using such a brush (as well as the amount of cream/soap required) is simply impractical for weekday mornings. This mini brush was originally intended for a restoration of a metal-tubed travel brush, but after seeing the knot for the first time I decided it was too unique to be banished to the cupboard for 90% of the year.
The handle is big enough to get a decent grip on, but the small size allows it to be very maneuverable on the face and in the bowl - incidentally I had intended on using a miniature bowl for lathering, but despite it's diminutive size the brush filled my normal bowl! More on that in a second..
Upon first soaking I was shocked at the amount of water the brush took in - instantly swelling up to a golf-ball sized bloom and holding the water well - also little-to-no badger-stink. After three brisk shakes into the sink I swirled the tiny tips in some Body Shop Macca Root cream and held my breath...
The sheer amount of lather produced was shocking :lol: Far more than any boar I have used, and easily enough for 4 passes, although the foam soon reached my knuckles due to the tiny size! The small size meant lathering on the face was a neat and tidy affair, rather than the 26mm silver tip, which lathers from chin to eyebrows in one pass. The best badger is a little scratchier on the tips than the silver tip, but that's to be expected and far from unpleasant.
The ease of lather production and the ratio of cream to lather has really won me over on this knot - and even if it hadn't, the neat way it applies lather to the face is a real winning feature (no more being shouted at for spraying lather across the mirror
) This far it has shed a couple of hairs each of the two times it's been used - nothing I'm concerned about.
Here's a few pics of it in action with a blob of palmolive cream:
... and a comparative shot next to the 26mm silver tip
My overall recommendation - Small-knotted brushes aren't just for the travel case, this brush is going to become my weekday (and possibly weekend!) brush of choice from now on. The size makes it quick to dry, easy to use and economical with the more expensive creams. Granted it does not have the same 'pressing your face into a velvet cushion' effect that comes with the monster silver tip, but for a brush of such tiny caliber I have nothing but praise.
If anyone is considering this size knot, the Simpson Wee Scot is pretty close in size and knot grade and I'd happily recommend anyone to give smaller brushes a go.
Chris
P.S. If you want something a bit more unique, Henk, Beejay or I are all able to help too (had to get a little plug in there somewhere right?)
On the left is a 24mm Finest Two band knot, on the right is a small yet perfectly formed midget of a brush:
The brush is 80mm high with a loft height of around 40mm. The handle is custom-made box wood with a natural oil finish, I really like the colour and warmth of box, as well as the fact that it's lovely to work with on the lathe. Of all the brushes I've produced, the colour of box is closest to the aged 'butterscotch' of vintage brushes. I've used a disproportionately large handle, as a correctly scaled handle would be far too impractical.
I use (you may be surprised to hear) a Wilkinson Sword boar brush on a daily basis, as I find it quick and economical with lather. I use a 26mm silver tip at the weekends though - it's a huge brush and really holds the lather (sometimes too much for my liking) but the overall process of using such a brush (as well as the amount of cream/soap required) is simply impractical for weekday mornings. This mini brush was originally intended for a restoration of a metal-tubed travel brush, but after seeing the knot for the first time I decided it was too unique to be banished to the cupboard for 90% of the year.
The handle is big enough to get a decent grip on, but the small size allows it to be very maneuverable on the face and in the bowl - incidentally I had intended on using a miniature bowl for lathering, but despite it's diminutive size the brush filled my normal bowl! More on that in a second..
Upon first soaking I was shocked at the amount of water the brush took in - instantly swelling up to a golf-ball sized bloom and holding the water well - also little-to-no badger-stink. After three brisk shakes into the sink I swirled the tiny tips in some Body Shop Macca Root cream and held my breath...
The sheer amount of lather produced was shocking :lol: Far more than any boar I have used, and easily enough for 4 passes, although the foam soon reached my knuckles due to the tiny size! The small size meant lathering on the face was a neat and tidy affair, rather than the 26mm silver tip, which lathers from chin to eyebrows in one pass. The best badger is a little scratchier on the tips than the silver tip, but that's to be expected and far from unpleasant.
The ease of lather production and the ratio of cream to lather has really won me over on this knot - and even if it hadn't, the neat way it applies lather to the face is a real winning feature (no more being shouted at for spraying lather across the mirror
) This far it has shed a couple of hairs each of the two times it's been used - nothing I'm concerned about.Here's a few pics of it in action with a blob of palmolive cream:
... and a comparative shot next to the 26mm silver tip
My overall recommendation - Small-knotted brushes aren't just for the travel case, this brush is going to become my weekday (and possibly weekend!) brush of choice from now on. The size makes it quick to dry, easy to use and economical with the more expensive creams. Granted it does not have the same 'pressing your face into a velvet cushion' effect that comes with the monster silver tip, but for a brush of such tiny caliber I have nothing but praise.
If anyone is considering this size knot, the Simpson Wee Scot is pretty close in size and knot grade and I'd happily recommend anyone to give smaller brushes a go.
Chris
P.S. If you want something a bit more unique, Henk, Beejay or I are all able to help too
(had to get a little plug in there somewhere right?)
