I have two 24mm silvertip brushes made by SRD. Great handles, with knots that started out great, but had durability issues. I suspect they use TGN overstuffed knots, and would like to know if the Thater or Simpson knots in the $75-100 price range are any better.

My 1st knot lost about 3-6 hairs per shave for the first 4-5 months of daily shaves, until it wasn't quite dense enough for soaps. My second knot only lost hairs for the first few weeks, but after 9-12 months, the hairs in the center of the knot were 1/2" shorter than the surrounding hairs so that lathering had to be done with the edges. For both knots, I soaked the brushes in hot tap water that was not too hot for me to leave my hand in for about 2-3 minutes prior to loading the brush.

Questions:
1. Did I cause these problems by not putting hot water on top of the soap for 5 minutes to soften it before loading the brush ? I used SRD, MWF, and VDH deluxe soaps. The MWF I almost always softened, but the other two I did not.

2. Do the knots in name brand brushes hold up any better than the knots from TGN ?

3. Is the silver tip from TGN any better lathering than the Thater "finest badger" or the Simpson "best badger" ?

Thanks.