I got my 22x46 D01 Fan about 18 months ago. My first use was unpleasant; I thought the knot was made of straw. Was tempted to immediately sell it. It softened up with each use, and by #20 or so I was quite happy with it. Still has the scritch. I like having 'one' with scritch. After 100+ uses though, it still hasn't bloomed. The knot is so tight that when in use (meaning on my face) the brush doesn't hold water or lather. It gets squeezed out and runs down to the shelf on the handle or worse, onto my hand. This is my sole complaint with this knot. Anyone else have this problem? Anyone know how to initiate a proper bloom in a tight knot?