First use of the Crown King Switchback 400 with 24mm Duro-Knot. I wanted to use this knot today as I have already used the Suave knot and wanted to compare.
Both knots feature very soft tips, as soft as the Plisson. The Duro-Knot has more rigid fibers and a slightly larger glue bump that you can feel at the base. While this is 24mm, the way the fibers spread out make it slightly larger than the 26mm Suave knot.
While the Suave knot feels identical to the Plisson, the Duro feels like a hybrid of the Mühle and Plisson. By this I mean it has the backbone more like a boar, yet is has the incredibly soft fiber tips you would find on the Plisson. It is very different than other synthetics I have used.
It does take a little bit of pressure to get the fibers to splay on your face, not much difference than a new boar knot in that regard.
The handle is very nice looking and has a decent heft. I would rate the look of the brush a solid 10, as it is based on the vintage Rubberset 400, while I give the chrome finish about a 7.5. It is not perfect, a few tiny bubble on the end of the handle which may have been caused by the adding of the brand logo. Being chrome plated over zinc alloy only time will tell how well the finish will stand up, although not a major concern as I have plated zinc alloy razors from the 1930’s. With that said, go price a Rubberset, they range on eBay from as “cheap” as $125 to about $300, and you will still need to reknot and possibly spend a lot of time or money to have someone restore it for you. For about $50 you get a brand new duplicate with two different synthetic heads, so for me this it is a great value.