A few weeks ago @CBLindsay suggested that I do a review of Whipped Dog after a little discussion on how pleased those of us who have purchased things from Larry were with said purchases.
I did mention that I wanted to wait until my next order to do this. Well, the time has come. I have 4 handles waiting for knots and I decided that 3 of them would get some hair.
Before making my order I sent Larry an email asking about the characteristics of his pure badger knots. Specifically, because I've never had a pure badger, how soft they might get. I've read that they're generally scritchy, but Larry mentioned that his current batch is indeed scritchy but are softer than usual and soften up even more when broken in.
I put in my order. 24mm pure badger, 30mm boar, and 24mm grey/white synthetic. I would imagine that they'll get here before the end of the coming week, but I'm not worried about it.
To get the review kicked off, I had previously purchased one of Larry's 24mm boar knots. I had a height problem with it when I first installed it in my Prometheus Handcrafts Easter handle. The knot wouldn't really splay as I felt it should. The problem was solved by adding a couple of coins to raise the knot. So that was all me, not the knot. Once it was set to the proper height, things came together and I felt comfortable breaking it in.
Right out of the package, the knot was super soft, it felt almost broken in already. Once I started to use it more consistently and break it in, the performance got better after each use. Easter is easily one of my favorite brushes to use because of this knot.
I personally don't feel that this is a "value" purchase at $13USD before shipping, as you can get really good boar brushes for less. That being said, if you are replacing a busted knot or looking to upgrade your knot, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better product.
Feel free to add comments on your own personal experiences to give people who might be interested in Larry's products different perspectives. I'll be updating when my order comes in, and periodically add how things are working out as they're breaking in.
I'm a little out of it, so my apologies if this makes absolutely no sense and the content has no rhyme or reason.
I did mention that I wanted to wait until my next order to do this. Well, the time has come. I have 4 handles waiting for knots and I decided that 3 of them would get some hair.
Before making my order I sent Larry an email asking about the characteristics of his pure badger knots. Specifically, because I've never had a pure badger, how soft they might get. I've read that they're generally scritchy, but Larry mentioned that his current batch is indeed scritchy but are softer than usual and soften up even more when broken in.
I put in my order. 24mm pure badger, 30mm boar, and 24mm grey/white synthetic. I would imagine that they'll get here before the end of the coming week, but I'm not worried about it.
To get the review kicked off, I had previously purchased one of Larry's 24mm boar knots. I had a height problem with it when I first installed it in my Prometheus Handcrafts Easter handle. The knot wouldn't really splay as I felt it should. The problem was solved by adding a couple of coins to raise the knot. So that was all me, not the knot. Once it was set to the proper height, things came together and I felt comfortable breaking it in.
Right out of the package, the knot was super soft, it felt almost broken in already. Once I started to use it more consistently and break it in, the performance got better after each use. Easter is easily one of my favorite brushes to use because of this knot.
I personally don't feel that this is a "value" purchase at $13USD before shipping, as you can get really good boar brushes for less. That being said, if you are replacing a busted knot or looking to upgrade your knot, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better product.
Feel free to add comments on your own personal experiences to give people who might be interested in Larry's products different perspectives. I'll be updating when my order comes in, and periodically add how things are working out as they're breaking in.
I'm a little out of it, so my apologies if this makes absolutely no sense and the content has no rhyme or reason.
Nice thoughts and write up.
