Thoughts on Declaration B9A and B9B?

Any thoughts/reviews on B9A and B9B?

I have a B9A and it is very similar to my B4 and B7.   Good backbone and scrub but no real gel tips.  It is good but not really standing out amongst the others.

May we have a more thorough review?

any updates on B9a?

I recently purchased a brush from DG as well. With the only two options being B3 and B9A I went with the B9A. I have used it 3 times now and I like it. I don't have any other DG brushes to compare it to but it is a very nice knot. It is softer than my 3 other badger brushes, 2 paladins and a simpson chubby 2 best badger. It has very good flow through, compared to my other brushes. It is a 28mm and it is the densest knot I have used, by far. I would have preferred a knot that had gel tips, since my other brushes don't have that so I would have liked to have one that did but, I am quite honestly very happy with this knot. It doesn't have much scrub but still has just the right amount of backbone. I researched a little on the two knots before making my choice and it really is what many people had said. It is average on most aspects, not overly soft, not too much backbone, great flow through.

I recently purchased a brush from DG as well. With the only two options being B3 and B9A I went with the B9A. I have used it 3 times now and I like it. I don't have any other DG brushes to compare it to but it is a very nice knot. It is softer than my 3 other badger brushes, 2 paladins and a simpson chubby 2 best badger. It has very good flow through, compared to my other brushes. It is a 28mm and it is the densest knot I have used, by far. I would have preferred a knot that had gel tips, since my other brushes don't have that so I would have liked to have one that did but, I am quite honestly very happy with this knot. It doesn't have much scrub but still has just the right amount of backbone. I researched a little on the two knots before making my choice and it really is what many people had said. It is average on most aspects, not overly soft, not too much backbone, great flow through.

I have a Chubby 2 Best Badger as well and I hate how it hogs the lather -- I like using a Best Badger Edwin Jagger 21mm more than that brush.

How would you compare the 28mm B9A to Chubby 2 in terms of giving up the lather? I ordered a 24mm B9A in hopes of the badger feel while not hogging lather as much.

I recently purchased a brush from DG as well. With the only two options being B3 and B9A I went with the B9A. I have used it 3 times now and I like it. I don't have any other DG brushes to compare it to but it is a very nice knot. It is softer than my 3 other badger brushes, 2 paladins and a simpson chubby 2 best badger. It has very good flow through, compared to my other brushes. It is a 28mm and it is the densest knot I have used, by far. I would have preferred a knot that had gel tips, since my other brushes don't have that so I would have liked to have one that did but, I am quite honestly very happy with this knot. It doesn't have much scrub but still has just the right amount of backbone. I researched a little on the two knots before making my choice and it really is what many people had said. It is average on most aspects, not overly soft, not too much backbone, great flow through.

I have a Chubby 2 Best Badger as well and I hate how it hogs the lather -- I like using a Best Badger Edwin Jagger 21mm more than that brush.

How would you compare the 28mm B9A to Chubby 2 in terms of giving up the lather? I ordered a 24mm B9A in hopes of the badger feel while not hogging lather as much.

Day and night. The B9A is very good at releasing lather. Im able to lather very easily and paint very well with it. I do have that problem as well with my chubby 2 best badger.  The B9A is a very good knot. I am very happy with my brush.

Data point for those curious. First shave with B9A (write-up below pic):



I went with the 24mm DG B9A because I absolutely hate the giant 27-28mm Chubby 2 due to its lather-hogging prowess. So, I opted for a smaller knot size when it seems everyone favors 26-28mm. The shave confirmed my choice as I liked how it released lather and I was able to control it on the face. Tips are soft with good backbone and light scrub (note this is my first DG knot). 

Definitely going to consider future knots -- maybe a 26mm

Data point for those curious. First shave with B9A (write-up below pic):



I went with the 24mm DG B9A because I absolutely hate the giant 27-28mm Chubby 2 due to its lather-hogging prowess. So, I opted for a smaller knot size when it seems everyone favors 26-28mm. The shave confirmed my choice as I liked how it released lather and I was able to control it on the face. Tips are soft with good backbone and light scrub (note this is my first DG knot). 

Definitely going to consider future knots -- maybe a 26mm

I’m with you there, I tend to not really like bigger than 24mm with these extra dense knots, especially when it’s a fan/hybrid shape. The larger ones I’ve tried don’t seem to work as well for me.

I find that with all the Declaration Grooming knots I have (B3, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9A, B9B),.even though Scott ties a really dense knot, they all release lather well. I have mostly 26mm knots, but a couple 28mm as well. Most of Scott's knots can usually be considered a whole size larger due to the density of the knots he constructs.