So I was one of the lucky ones who received a brush from Graydog. And I chose the 26mm 70/30 badger/boar knot from Maggard's to go into the handle. This is my opinion on the knot, I have used it now I think 10 shaves in a row.
First off the when first doing test lathers with the knot it is dirty. Noticeable discoloration of water and soap on initial use. So I did about 3 test lathers where you lather and let the lather sit for a couple hours. It got better with this approach but it wasn't enough. So I took a little bit of Dawn dish soap and about a teaspoon of oxiclean and lathered that and let it sit. Finally it no longer smelled dirty and didn't discolor water or lather. The other thing I noticed right off the bat about this knot and it seems to be a common problem with those I have talked to, is that they shed. Not excessively but each shave I have lost hairs. Started around 8-10, and now I am down to about 2-3. The knot is jam packed so I am not concerned about it, but something to keep in mind with this knot. Some really hate when a knot sheds at all. If you are one of those I would avoid this knot. I do expect it to stop eventually.
Alright the good, after about shave 6 or 7 and those test lathers the boar hairs started to split and no longer felt prickly on my face. I have broken in a LOT of boar brushes over the years, and have had a couple that became way too floppy that it was time to retire them. Something that is harldy ever talked about in my opinion is that that the life of a boar brush is shorter than a badger and obviously a synthetic. But there is that sweet spot where honestly they are some of my favorite brushes. The biggest positive here in my opinion is that you get the extra backbone from the stiffer boar hairs and the pillow softness of the badger hairs combined. And you don't have set the knot lower with a floppy badger the get backbone. This really is the best of both worlds in my opinion.
Anyone else have any thoughts on these knots? Aside from the extra cleaning these might become my go-to budget friendly knot that is not synthetic.
First off the when first doing test lathers with the knot it is dirty. Noticeable discoloration of water and soap on initial use. So I did about 3 test lathers where you lather and let the lather sit for a couple hours. It got better with this approach but it wasn't enough. So I took a little bit of Dawn dish soap and about a teaspoon of oxiclean and lathered that and let it sit. Finally it no longer smelled dirty and didn't discolor water or lather. The other thing I noticed right off the bat about this knot and it seems to be a common problem with those I have talked to, is that they shed. Not excessively but each shave I have lost hairs. Started around 8-10, and now I am down to about 2-3. The knot is jam packed so I am not concerned about it, but something to keep in mind with this knot. Some really hate when a knot sheds at all. If you are one of those I would avoid this knot. I do expect it to stop eventually.
Alright the good, after about shave 6 or 7 and those test lathers the boar hairs started to split and no longer felt prickly on my face. I have broken in a LOT of boar brushes over the years, and have had a couple that became way too floppy that it was time to retire them. Something that is harldy ever talked about in my opinion is that that the life of a boar brush is shorter than a badger and obviously a synthetic. But there is that sweet spot where honestly they are some of my favorite brushes. The biggest positive here in my opinion is that you get the extra backbone from the stiffer boar hairs and the pillow softness of the badger hairs combined. And you don't have set the knot lower with a floppy badger the get backbone. This really is the best of both worlds in my opinion.
Anyone else have any thoughts on these knots? Aside from the extra cleaning these might become my go-to budget friendly knot that is not synthetic.
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