Thread: Morris & Forndran

Originally Posted by jkatzman

Is there a lot of difference between the Palatin and M & F?

I have had multiple Paladins, both with M&F Lee Sabini and Paladin Select (Chinese) knots. They are very difficult to compare as the Lee Sabini knots were very different from each other.

I had two "Blonde Badger" Lee Sabini knots. One had really hooked tip with extremely soft gel tips. The other was much scrubbier. No where near as soft and no hooked tips. Both were a pleasure to use.

Of the current offerings, I have only tried the Select "L" knots. I have tried a 28mm Falstaff and a 26mm Chief. Of all of the mentioned brushes I only have the Chief with the Select knot. These "Select" knots were nearly identical to each other. Neither Select knot developed hooked gel tips, but the tips were soft. Softer than the Ivory "scrubby" M&F knot.

I have tried numerous other brushes as well. In my humble opinion the current Select knot is of high quality. Very similar to a Shavemac 2 band. None of the mentioned brushes shed a single hair from the very start.

It is my understating that most badger hair comes from China regardless of who makes/ties the knots. While there is some correlation between quality and price, I have seen some great knots at very affordable prices. The Ever Ready 350 (blk/clear) was restored using a TGN Finest knot. The knot is fantastic!! Dense with very soft hooked gel tips. However, you can tell the difference. This TGN knot is not as perfect as any of the other Paladin/M&F knots mentioned. The TGN knot has some hairs "out of place". It is not as perfectly shaped as the other knots.

Here is a picture of the two Lee Sabini knots I mentioned. The Ivory brush having scrubby tips, the Butterscotch marble brush having the super soft hooked gel tips.

To sum it up, I do not feel I purchased an inferior product when I purchased a Paladin not that did not have a Lee Sabini (M&F) knot. After all, I ended up selling those as I preferred the Select knot currently offered. Just my thoughts, everyone has different tastes.