Plisson HMW, worth it or not (from those who own them)

Many of the artisan private label knots you can buy are using a superior quality badger hair that is also better sorted.

Examples?

Envy shave, Brad Sears, Romera, some of the TGN, Paladin, etc.


I would recommend this brush. It may be the closest in terms of what reminds me of some of the unique characteristics in Plisson badger brushes. He only has the 22mm knot (or plug size) right now but in my experience, you would set it inside the handle and it will work out to being around a 24mm diameter.

http://www.shaverevolution.com/collectio...24mm-brush


The vendor is a friend of mine so take my opinion with a grain of salt but I have tried many of the knots he has to offer and they are made to specific demands and the quality control is something that is required. TGN has some FANTASTIC knots, but it is a crap shoot when it is that you may get one of the better quality knots vs the lesser quality ones. These knots have medium density, so no wall of badger type of experience. These are not going to gel tip, at least the current batch has not in my experience. But if you are wanting something closer to the natural badger hair, again with quality sorting done by the Chinese knot makers, it is very soft, without being scrubby. It will be closer to cloud softness if the loft is allowing good flow through. You may get some scrub if you set it low and prefer higher sensing feeling knots.

After trying around 6 or 7 Plisson badgers (mostly older vintage), I would describe the knots as being the best in flow through and ease of lathering. The higher lofts usually come with a decent bulb shape to help achieve a certain amount of backbone. They splay well, in my experience, although I prefer floppiness, they are not like cheapie beginner $10 badger that spread out way too easily because of the lower grade pure badger grade and lack of density. The "HMW" should in my experience have a resilient quality and retain some backbone in the individual hairs. I think this is why some manufacturers use manchurian and HMW interchangeably. Without commenting on tips, both grades of manchurian and HMW hair (not knots), based on what I learned/read should exhibit better stiffness over typical 3 band silvertip.

What is it that you hope to get if you were to get a current HMW Plisson and what kind of characteristics in a badger knot now?

What is it that you hope to get if you were to get a current HMW Plisson and what kind of characteristics in a badger knot now?

They are supposed to be renown for their soft tips and easy to create lather. For example, this review This review does not seem to indicate that anything has changed. I don't care about stiff bristles, face lathering per se, and have found the big brushes too big for creams. I don't mind a bit floppy but the Kent BK8 is to big and the BK4 to short of a handle.

I have a 29mm Thater. The tips are like a cloud. This is good. I also want a longer handle. I hate the sloppy tiny handles. I find the Simpson Chubby 2 far to short a handle and just don't see the point  of it. I have a PJ3 and the handle shape and length is perfect but the knot and head to big. If it had a thater knot and smaller but a long handle it would be perfect size. This Saville Row looks like a good size to me at 24 mm and long handle http://www.qedusa.com/savile-savile-3624...p-919.html

Shavemac 2-band Silvertip is another great option. The rubberset style handle sounds like what you are looking for; build your own to spec to get exactly what you like.

Regarding the TGN knots, I have several that are excellent. To avoid QC issues, you could reach out to Doug Korn or other reputable brush maker as he does the screening for you and again you can select a custom handle shape and blank to meet spec.