Thread: Knot Sources Pros Cons

Originally Posted by BobH

I was just looking at the tips not how dense they appeared to be. Like I said my untrained eye and what I thought I was seeing. So it appears that I just might be mistaken about the tips.

Just to be sure, you are saying the WSP knot had no cut tips or just more uncut tips than the TGN? I am guessing neither should have any cut tips if they were not forming the shape of the knot by cutting.

Bob

After you look I'll tell which is which if needed. One is TGN HMW and the other is WSP HMW which cost almost double the TGN.

Originally Posted by jmercer

After you look I'll tell which is which if needed. One is TGN HMW and the other is WSP HMW which cost almost double the TGN.

my guess the one on the left is WSP HMW

For some contrast here's a TGN HMW with the tips seem to be curled a bit. They have relaxed just a little after several uses. My first thought was they touched something hot to get the affect. I've come to the conclusion like so many things these days to get good true top notch you will pay through the nose for it. I also would imagine that the top high end brush companies have cornered the sources and we get the seconds they have already rejected.

Originally Posted by jmercer

After you look I'll tell which is which if needed. One is TGN HMW and the other is WSP HMW which cost almost double the TGN.

What I think I am seeing is that both knots do contain some thicker blunt tip hairs that I take are cut hairs assuming thin fine tipped hairs are uncut. One appears to have less blunt hair tips and appears to be denser also. I would also guess the one on the left is WSP.

I was under the impression that only high end knots would have all thin fine tips and no blunt ones. Again only looking at the tips not density which could vary maker to maker. To me is not an indication of knot quality if it goes past a certain point either. Others may like the feel of a very densely packed knot and the way they perform but I do not.

Do blunt tipped hairs indicate that a hair has been cut? Are those thicker blunt tipped hairs in the photo cut hairs or does some badger hair naturally come with thicker blunt tips from the animal?

Interestingly enough and a bit OT, seems all my synthetic knots have no blunt tips that I can see. So if fine tipped hairs are a sign of quality then synthetics are a winner over badger.

In any event it is still very much down to actually trying a knot out to see if it works for you regardless of where it was made, what supposed grade it is or how much it costs.

Bob

That's my question now too. I'm hoping someone will do a tip shot of a real known high end for visual comparison. Those are out of my reach.

Originally Posted by jmercer

That's my question now too. I'm hoping someone will do a tip shot of a real known high end for visual comparison. Those are out of my reach.

That is why I was confused, the 5 silvertip badger brushes all had to some degree both thin fine tipped hairs and thick blunt hairs which were sometimes black. Of the 5, two were three band and three were two band silvertip knots of differing densities. Two were TGN knots, a Simpsons Manchurian, a Muhle Retro which is easily the scratchiest/prickly of all plus most dense of the lot and an SOC 2 band. I guess at that rate none are top notch. Oh the agony of it all. Oth I really like the TGN 2 band and the Simpsons Manchurian so maybe that is all that counts in the end.

Bob

More photos from Victoria brush.

Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY

More photos from Victoria brush.

From looking at those photos and others in this thread I am starting to wonder if the shape of the knot is formed when the knot is cinched tight by tying it.

Bob

Yes Bob. The bottom of the cup is what profiles the top of the Badger. Victoria uses the same process as Simpson for their higher end brushes. The only difference is Simpson ties the base of their knot where as Victoria puts theirs in a metal ring. Once it's in the metal ring they, they trim any access below the ring and release the tie that's shown in the picture. It then goes into the nail board upside down to dry.

Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY

Yes Bob. The bottom of the cup is what profiles the top of the Badger. Victoria uses the same process as Simpson for their higher end brushes. The only difference is Simpson ties the base of their knot where as Victoria puts theirs in a metal ring. Once it's in the metal ring they, they trim any access below the ring and release the tie that's shown in the picture. It then goes into the nail board upside down to dry.

OK, I am a slow learner. So the base of the forming cup is domed toward the inside to form the knot. This gives the knot it's shape. High domed is bulb, a lower dome is fan and no dome is a flat profile? Now it's time to take 2 aspirins and go to bed.

Bob