What's new

Avoiding confusion: Hand-tied should be Artisan-tied

Something that I think confuses a lot of people in this hobby is the term “hand-tied”. The fact of the matter is 99% of knots are hand tied regardless of their country of origin (in fact the only place i’ve seen automation for the tying of a knot is in Germany).

Obviously there should be a distinction between knots hand-tied in a factory vs. bespoke small batch creations from talented artisans.
That’s why I’m suggesting going forward it should be referred to as Artisan-Tied knots. The value of Artisan-Tied knots is having someone take extra time & care into creating an item specifically for you.

But other knots are still hand-tied, the actual process is similar/same.

Thoughts? Am I overthinking this? Does anyone actually care? Anyways…carry on
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
I think "Artisan" is an over-used useless term that means whatever people want it to mean.
It's like "Natural".
If the quality of the product is top notch, I don't care if it was number 1 of 3 made that day by a guy bent over a workbench in his garage or number 14 of 24 made by the second shift line 3 guy in a more industrial environment.
I've had some REALLY crappy small batch products, so production numbers don't mean a thing to me personally and Artisan is just a current catch phrase.
There's no way to tell if folks who call themselves Artisans actually have any skill unless you buy and try their product.
The same can be said for larger producers of products.
If it's good it's good. If it ain't... it ain't!
 
I think "Artisan" is an over-used useless term that means whatever people want it to mean.
It's like "Natural".
If the quality of the product is top notch, I don't care if it was number 1 of 3 made that day by a guy bent over a workbench in his garage or number 14 of 24 made by the second shift line 3 guy in a more industrial environment.
I've had some REALLY crappy small batch products, so production numbers don't mean a thing to me personally and Artisan is just a current catch phrase.
There's no way to tell if folks who call themselves Artisans actually have any skill unless you buy and try their product.
The same can be said for larger producers of products.
If it's good it's good. If it ain't... it ain't!
I completely agree with you. But I think in the brush industry right now “hand-tied” is thrown around as something special when really it isn’t. All knots are hand-tied.

That’s why if small batch makers want to specify their difference, “artisan-tied” or “made in small batches” is a more appropriate naming convention.

Hand-tied implies a different technique of making the knots is being used vs. standard knots, when really, they’re all hand-tied.
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Artisan is supposed to mean a skilled craftsman. Just because it's produced in smaller numbers doesn't mean it is made by a skilled craftsman, or that it is better than one made in larger numbers.
There's no certification for adopting the title "Artisan". At least with a larger manufacturer I have some sense that there is a QA process.
I'll let others experiment with their hard earned money testing whether an artisan is actually skilled or not, and make a decision on reviews of the product by actual users.
Therefore, as I'm basing my judgement on what large numbers of others have said about the quality of the product - whether they call it hand tied, artisan tied, hand dipped in epoxy or whatever doesn't really have any bearing on my decision to purchase.
 
I have to agree with luv. Personally, I'm pretty well turned off of terms like boutique, artisan, small batch, etc. To me, all of those terms are mostly marketing bs. They do suck a lot of people in, however. Good luck with your campaign.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
Artisan is supposed to mean a skilled craftsman. Just because it's produced in smaller numbers doesn't mean it is made by a skilled craftsman, or that it is better than one made in larger numbers.
There's no certification for adopting the title "Artisan". At least with a larger manufacturer I have some sense that there is a QA process.
I'll let others experiment with their hard earned money testing whether an artisan is actually skilled or not, and make a decision on reviews of the product by actual users.
Therefore, as I'm basing my judgement on what large numbers of others have said about the quality of the product - whether they call it hand tied, artisan tied, hand dipped in epoxy or whatever doesn't really have any bearing on my decision to purchase.
I agree that the terms, for all intents and purposes, have no agreed upon definitions and are consistently misused - usually by the Marketing Department. ;)
 
Something that I think confuses a lot of people in this hobby is the term “hand-tied”. The fact of the matter is 99% of knots are hand tied regardless of their country of origin (in fact the only place i’ve seen automation for the tying of a knot is in Germany).

Obviously there should be a distinction between knots hand-tied in a factory vs. bespoke small batch creations from talented artisans.
That’s why I’m suggesting going forward it should be referred to as Artisan-Tied knots. The value of Artisan-Tied knots is having someone take extra time & care into creating an item specifically for you.

But other knots are still hand-tied, the actual process is similar/same.

Thoughts? Am I overthinking this? Does anyone actually care? Anyways…carry on
Curious, does every knot need to be tied before it's set into the glue or is there another option/device or form that can temporarily hold the knot of hair together during the gluing process?

See the YouTube video below of a Chinese makeup brush factory starting at 24 seconds. The worker is using a form to hold the loose brush hairs together and get them positioned for assembly with other brush components. Something similar could be possible for a shaving brush with the form reused once the glue has set.

 
Last edited:
Obviously there should be a distinction between knots hand-tied in a factory vs. bespoke small batch creations from talented artisans.

I tend to agree with the sentiment that "hand crafted", "artisan", "boutique", etc are terms that have been so thoroughly co-opted by multinational corps as to be meaningless.

I think you already landed on a more appropriate descriptor: "small batch". This seems to me more accurate, and also (currently, to my knowldege anyway) less colonised by avaricious marketers.
 
Last edited:

lasta

Blade Biter
When I saw an advertisement for a "hand crafted" sandwich, the term jumped the shark for me and lost all meaning.
As a former minimum wage teenaged "sandwich artist", I bite my thumb at you sir!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ewk
Interesting topic so I dug a little deeper.

Found this example of one Chinese manufacturer's method for producing shaving brushes. Entire process and related link pasted below. This process includes hand tying of the knots as an interim step prior to insertion of the knot, after it has been shaped, into a mold for gluing. Three takeaways from this:
  • The tying is just a temporary state to hold the hairs in place and is not part of the finished product. Other options such as a reusable form or even a bespoke rubber band could be used to do the same thing. Don't understand why, other than that it sounds impressive in marketing materials to someone unfamiliar with the manufacturing process, stating that a brush is hand tied should in any way be a differentiator of brush quality
  • This supports the original view from apshaveco above that hand tying does not in reality denote superior brush quality.
  • Looking more closely at this process it does not matter whether the hand tying is done by an artisan for a custom brush or a worker in a factory (to Luvmysuper's point above). All the tying does is temporarily hold the hairs together while they are a work-in-progress during production. It does not differentiate the quality of the brush. The quality of the brush will come from the quality and quantity of the materials chosen combined with the skills of the worker/artisan in shaping the knot and assembling the brush, not the temporary method of maintaining the work-in-progress.
Based on this process using hand tying in shaving brush marketing isn't even at the level of saying an automobiles bolts were hand tightened, it's just the equivalent of stating that components were placed on an assembly line rack by hand prior to final assembly. Not exactly a strong marketing point.

Shaving brush marketing should focus on those elements that matter such as the quality, dimensions, shape and density of the hair/fibers in the knot, materials, design and craftsmanship that goes into the handle (this is where artisans can significantly differentiate themselves) and/or quality of the brush assembly/adhesive materials that will enable a long life with little shedding.

For example one super premium brush manufacturer, who shows their manufacturing process with some detail, notes how they don't just glue the knot. They use both mechanical attachment (two strings that are a permanent part of the know) and adhesives to hold their knots together. That's an enhancement from the process posted below ( At what is likely a much higher price).

Unless there is a very different process out there hand tying is not relevant. Scroll down to view the process example below and see if you agree.



Example of a Chinese Shaving Brush Manufacturing Process:


Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes


Custom shaving brushes are a great way to promote your brand using a well made and practical product. The brushes are highly usable and have long term brand exposure potential. They are also customisable and provide a good opportunity to tailor them to your brands logo and company vision. Today ODM will take you through the manufacturing process in China.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
Firstly, the finest quality hair is selected, cleaned and batched together ready to make into brushes.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
Once the hair is ready, the next stage is the dying process. The top of the bristles are dyed.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
The bottom part of the hair is the bleached and dried in a natural way.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
Next the craftsman will weight the hair and then put it in a mould to ensure the correct amount of hair is selected for the handle. The mould helps ensure the amount of hair in each brush is as precise as possible. The worker then combs through the hair and clips any loose ends to maintain a perfect standard. By hand, the worker then ties the hairs with string at a set length to ensure the hairs sprout into the desired mushroom shaped head.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
Once this is done they are glued together using another mould to ensure a tight fit and long term functionality. Finally, the custom handle is applied and there you have it. An amazingly well crafted product ready to wow customers and promote your brand. Each brush is slightly different as it is hand made so slight differences can be seen as each is unique.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Stop by your local iHop where our Artisan skillet handlers will prepare a hand crafted small batch fried egg for your breakfast.
Actually for breakfast custom "made to order" eggs are an important selling point when you want to differentiate your dining experience from the McMuffin. Justified a $2-3 breakfast versus change back from your dollar options in those days (more like an $8-10 breakfast versus $3 today). Would you like them scrambled, sunny side up, over easy, over medium, over hard or in an omlette? Perhaps egg whites only. Helped pay for college in the restaurant industry cooking breakfast as well as making those "hand crafted" sandwiches. Even the burgers were cooked to order then unlike now where our beef supply chain mandates that the all be cooked close to well done for safety.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I agree that 'hand tied' is an over used phrase as most brushes are hand tied. The most importamt question for me is 'hand tied by whom?'. Simpson brushes are hand tied by skilled craftspeople in my own country, who receive fair wages, working conditions, and benefits that I would want to receive myself. That costs money, and goes part of the way to explain the price of a Simpson brush, and it is why for me they are a bargain and why I am happy to own them.
 

lasta

Blade Biter
Going against the tide, but I think we should go a little easier on small boutiques. Good enough that they are trying to engage us bunch. I'd guess it's hard to tailor towards die-hard enthusiasts!

I have not bought an an apshaveco in the past, but appreciate guys like you keeping our hobby alive.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Interesting topic so I dug a little deeper.

Found this example of one Chinese manufacturer's method for producing shaving brushes. Entire process and related link pasted below. This process includes hand tying of the knots as an interim step prior to insertion of the knot, after it has been shaped, into a mold for gluing. Three takeaways from this:
  • The tying is just a temporary state to hold the hairs in place and is not part of the finished product. Other options such as a reusable form or even a bespoke rubber band could be used to do the same thing. Don't understand why, other than that it sounds impressive in marketing materials to someone unfamiliar with the manufacturing process, stating that a brush is hand tied should in any way be a differentiator of brush quality
  • This supports the original view from apshaveco above that hand tying does not in reality denote superior brush quality.
  • Looking more closely at this process it does not matter whether the hand tying is done by an artisan for a custom brush or a worker in a factory (to Luvmysuper's point above). All the tying does is temporarily hold the hairs together while they are a work-in-progress during production. It does not differentiate the quality of the brush. The quality of the brush will come from the quality and quantity of the materials chosen combined with the skills of the worker/artisan in shaping the knot and assembling the brush, not the temporary method of maintaining the work-in-progress.
Based on this process using hand tying in shaving brush marketing isn't even at the level of saying an automobiles bolts were hand tightened, it's just the equivalent of stating that components were placed on an assembly line rack by hand prior to final assembly. Not exactly a strong marketing point.

Shaving brush marketing should focus on those elements that matter such as the quality, dimensions, shape and density of the hair/fibers in the knot, materials, design and craftsmanship that goes into the handle (this is where artisans can significantly differentiate themselves) and/or quality of the brush assembly/adhesive materials that will enable a long life with little shedding.

For example one super premium brush manufacturer, who shows their manufacturing process with some detail, notes how they don't just glue the knot. They use both mechanical attachment (two strings that are a permanent part of the know) and adhesives to hold their knots together. That's an enhancement from the process posted below ( At what is likely a much higher price).

Unless there is a very different process out there hand tying is not relevant. Scroll down to view the process example below and see if you agree.



Example of a Chinese Shaving Brush Manufacturing Process:


Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes


Custom shaving brushes are a great way to promote your brand using a well made and practical product. The brushes are highly usable and have long term brand exposure potential. They are also customisable and provide a good opportunity to tailor them to your brands logo and company vision. Today ODM will take you through the manufacturing process in China.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
Firstly, the finest quality hair is selected, cleaned and batched together ready to make into brushes.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
Once the hair is ready, the next stage is the dying process. The top of the bristles are dyed.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
The bottom part of the hair is the bleached and dried in a natural way.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
Next the craftsman will weight the hair and then put it in a mould to ensure the correct amount of hair is selected for the handle. The mould helps ensure the amount of hair in each brush is as precise as possible. The worker then combs through the hair and clips any loose ends to maintain a perfect standard. By hand, the worker then ties the hairs with string at a set length to ensure the hairs sprout into the desired mushroom shaped head.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes
Once this is done they are glued together using another mould to ensure a tight fit and long term functionality. Finally, the custom handle is applied and there you have it. An amazingly well crafted product ready to wow customers and promote your brand. Each brush is slightly different as it is hand made so slight differences can be seen as each is unique.
Manufacturing in China - Custom Shaving Brushes

Manufacturing in China – Custom Shaving Brushes


Excellent post and information.

Excellent thread. I've benefitted from reading it.

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim
 
Top Bottom