Thread: Knot Sources Pros Cons

Hello gentleman,
(I hope this is the right spot)
I want to start this thread to get a current appraisal of good sources for quality knots.
I recently purchased a couple knots from one of the sellers on the bay, this seller came recommended on various forums as cheap and good quality. In my experience the knots are cheap though quality debatable.
It is possible my expectations are high because my first experience was with TGN and those knots in my experience are the best "I've seen".
... which leads me to this thread.
I intend on continuing my search even though I have a company to purchase great knots from I would like to know more "current" options as sources, quality, and prices often tend to ebb & flow.

Note: I have not included the name of the lesser seller because I'm not sure about the policy... until someone says its okay I'll keep it to myself.

I have some other names of good suppliers suggested to me and will bring them up as the conversion continues.

Hope to have some good input here, thanks for taking part!

I have not used them but have read that Shavemac knots are highly regarded. Shavemac knots can be ordered direct Shaving Brush KNOTS SELECT 171 - Shavemac .

Bob

Thanks Bob! I'm gonna put that on the order list.
I want to try HMW but have read it can be "moppy".
I've got a very nice Theirs Issard, but as much as its soft... it is a bit too moppy. Searching for the softness WITH backbone.
The extra-packed knots seem too have softness with backbone...

Originally Posted by MikeT

Thanks Bob! I'm gonna put that on the order list.
I want to try HMW but have read it can be "moppy".
I've got a very nice Theirs Issard, but as much as its soft... it is a bit too moppy. Searching for the softness WITH backbone.
The extra-packed knots seem too have softness with backbone...

You are welcome. From my small experience with badger brushes three band silver tips tend to be floppy and if they are densely packed can be lather hogs, just don't want to let the lather flow out of the knot.

You can increase the backbone of a floppy 3 band silver tip knot by setting the loft lower, somewhere around the loft being twice the knot diameter.

A two band badger should naturally have more backbone but the trick is to find one with very soft tips when the loft is set to around twice the knot diameter.

You could try taking your TI brush and putting O rings on the base of the knot to simulate a shorter loft to see if that cures the moppy feeling. That might be a good first step to see if loft height is part of the problem and you can go from there.

Bob

According to the reviews, those guys sell high quality knots.
http://romera.es/en/
I have a 30mm on order, ask and see when they will be taking orders again.

Originally Posted by BobH

You are welcome.
You could try taking your TI brush and putting O rings on the base of the knot to simulate a shorter loft to see if that cures the moppy feeling. That might be a good first step to see if loft height is part of the problem and you can go from there.

Bob

Thanks again! That is some really good info as I'm getting into making of my own brushes and this gives some good perspective. I'm gonna put some thought to this, really get it down. I like this kind of input. The extra packed brushes, now I'm going to need to do some testing..
Put a ring on the Issard, and work with height..

Originally Posted by mainaman

According to the reviews, those guys sell high quality knots.
Artesanía Romera
I have a 30mm on order, ask and see when they will be taking orders again.

Thanks for the tip, I'm putting that one on the list. Am planning on making an order soon, going to break it up among a few suppliers. This is one I didn't know about!

I know a lot of Badger knots come from China. There may be various distributors of various badger knot sizes, but have you ever wondered where those distributors actually source theirs from? As soon as anyone mentions China, many people automatically think 'junk'. Given that so many items of every possible description are made there and then distributed worldwide to be resold, you shouldn't think that. I'm a firm believer that you really shouldn't write anything off until you've either tried it, or know for a fact that it doesn't work. Items such as cars that purport to be 'made in England' aren't. Numerous parts are made in various places all over the world (usually the place that can produced them the cheapest) and then maybe assembled in England. I'm sure the same principles apply in US. Anyway, back to shave stuff. If a brush says made in the US, was the knot actually made in the US? Was it assembled in the US? Just thinking...

Well I think badger knot comes solely from China, since it's the only country in the world where the badger is allowed to hunt and use in this way.

Wrong. Several European brush manufactures source badger hair from China (its sole source these days), but make their own knots. And, as stated previously, that can make for a dramatic difference in quality and performance.

This is some good information. I will be saving up to buy a couple knots from these high end knot manufacturers to see if my shaving experience and the quality of my brushes can improve... I'm sure they will. So far as I've said TGN and a few other manufacturers are my only experience. I don't claim otherwise and I seek to broaden my knowledge.
Some good points on craftsmanship.. the knots being put together properly from the beginning so as to have no real need for trimming. Good point. Quality control in the selection of hairs, I'm sure is a factor.
Within the minutiae of details involved, the intricacies of the process, i know that it can be compared to other industries. Cars are a good one. My Audi is manufactured with higher standards than the Kia I owned, also better than the Impala I owned.. BUT let's not delude ourselves... all three cars run on gasoline, don't speak to me about the ethics of THAT industry. It's all connected. Do you have a single product made in China in your household? If so you support the government that is a part of the abuses... do we boycott the country completely? Only support companies that are ethical? Either way it is so much more complicated than that. And history shows that there is a slower less bloody path to progress and a quicker though more bloody path. Both ways include suffering. This is a generalisation but an accurate one.
Style is also a silly concept to bring to this thread. Looking at the knot, perhaps a more expensive knot has a better shape? The colours scheme? Uniformity of the colour pattern? These are relative to a person's idea of what looks good. That has something to do with price yes, but that was not the reason for this thread.. Searching for an up to date list of manufacturers that have high standards of quality control is the idea here.
Bringing forward points of ethics and style only prove that this is a loaded subject and that some people are too emotionally compromised to stay on topic.
Thanks to all those who brought forward names of companies that they maintain are good ones, and the details of their experience with them. I hope to purchase knots from all of them to see for myself.
All of that said... I am now seriously considering more factors involved in the subject of badger hair knots.
Thanks again guys,
Mike T.