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Badger and Synthetic Mix??

They get the handles from the same supplier.

Who is the supplier? I assume I could get the same/similar brush from Frank Shaving a lot cheaper than I could get it from Rich Man. I know he “customizes” the handles, but I could get a 100% original handle and knot combo for the same price (or less) from other Etsy vendors, such as Bristle Brushwerks , Mozingo Brushworks, Prometheus Brushworks, Wild West Brushworks, etc.

I just checked Wild West’s Etsy page. I could get a handle and two band knot for $80 and he poured the blank and turned it on the lathe. Or, buy the handle for $50 and an SHD knot from Maggard for another $50 (or get the SHD directly from Oumo and save a few bucks). At a price up to $129, the Innovator doesn’t seem to be a good value.

Also, I searched for the Van Yulay Hercules knot but couldn’t find it. Are you sure the innovator is a mixed knot?
 
WoW!
Isn’t that the shadiest thing you ever seen?? Talk about being a con artist. Giving people the impression your turning your own handles by slapping a coin in them then giving it a 500 percent mark up or more. Pretty shameful
 
Looking back at it, I think the innovator knot might be a just a different type of badger knot. I just watched a reviewer saying that the innovator knot feels like the backbone of badger and the softness of synthetic. I probably made a mistake hearing that statement.
 
There seems to handful of companies making pre-fab knots in China. They come here and people give them all sorts of names...”Innovator”...”Fanchurian”...”High Mountain”...”Tip Knot”...they are probably more similar than different and I’m sure a bunch are coming from the same factories. The Oumo SHDs do seem legitimately different than most and they can be had for less than comparable knots in their AliExpress store.
 
Looking back at it, I think the innovator knot might be a just a different type of badger knot. I just watched a reviewer saying that the innovator knot feels like the backbone of badger and the softness of synthetic. I probably made a mistake hearing that statement.

I think the “Innovator” is what he calls the handle. The knots are F-1 Finest and S-1 Silvertip. They are just normal Chinese knots. The handle and knot combo doesn’t warrant the price tag. I got a used Paladin Lotus on BST here for less than that Camo Tough Grip Innovator and no one finishes a handle as well as Paladin does. E5 knot too, which was one of their best. The prices are crazy...like I said before, no value in it.
 
Who is the supplier? I assume I could get the same/similar brush from Frank Shaving a lot cheaper than I could get it from Rich Man. I know he “customizes” the handles, but I could get a 100% original handle and knot combo for the same price (or less) from other Etsy vendors, such as Bristle Brushwerks , Mozingo Brushworks, Prometheus Brushworks, Wild West Brushworks, etc.

I just checked Wild West’s Etsy page. I could get a handle and two band knot for $80 and he poured the blank and turned it on the lathe. Or, buy the handle for $50 and an SHD knot from Maggard for another $50 (or get the SHD directly from Oumo and save a few bucks). At a price up to $129, the Innovator doesn’t seem to be a good value.

Also, I searched for the Van Yulay Hercules knot but couldn’t find it. Are you sure the innovator is a mixed knot?

I spoke to Monica at Van Yulay last week. She told me she was going to have some knots back in stock in a couple of weeks.

I also know that the innovator knot is a mixed natural hair/synthetic knot, same with the Hercules know. Both Rich and Monica have confirmed that.

I also agree that at Rich's current prices, the innovator brushes are not worth the cost when there are other handles that have a much better finish and are cheaper knot options than what Rich charges.
 
I spoke to Monica at Van Yulay last week. She told me she was going to have some knots back in stock in a couple of weeks.

I also know that the innovator knot is a mixed natural hair/synthetic knot, same with the Hercules know. Both Rich and Monica have confirmed that.

I also agree that at Rich's current prices, the innovator brushes are not worth the cost when there are other handles that have a much better finish and are cheaper knot options than what Rich charges.

Thanks for the clarification. For the OP, it sounds like the Hercules knot, plus some other handle, is the way to go. A really nice handle (Mozingo, Wild West, etc.) would be $50, plus the price of the mixed knot. Of course, there are cheaper handle options if cost is a factor (TGN, Whipped Dog, Chinese vendors on AliExpress or eBay, etc.).
 
I'm looking at the Rich Man Etsy page now and it's confusing. For instance, he has brushes he calls the "Dominator," but the buyer has the option of adding an Innovator S-1 or F-1 knot. Then, there are brushes called the "Innovator" with the same knot options, plus an "Ultra-Lux" knot and Tuxedo option. Between the two Innovator knots, the Ultra-Lux knot, and Tuxedo, there are no descriptions of any knot or their properties in the Etsy store. Milton from Turn 'N Shave has extensive descriptions of all the knots he offers.

I don't know if I buy that the Innovator is actually a mixed badger/synthetic knot. If it was, wouldn't the seller want people to know what they're buying? Besides, they look like normal badger knots. I dunno...the whole thing seems fishy to me.
 
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I have badger, boar, horsehair, and synthetic brushes. I have never seen the point in a badger/boar mix. I am not sure what you achieve in a mixed brush that cannot be achieved in another way.
I don't have any horsehair brushes but I have badger, boar, synthetic and a badger/boar mix brush. The mixed brush has its own character that is different from the rest. Of course, each mix brush has its own character just as my Simpson Duke is different than my WSC Silvertip or my SOC boar is different than my Zenith boar. The mixed brush I have is an older SOC Mistura and it is the scrubbiest brush I own, while still retaining soft tips. Even though my Zenith has "scrubby" in the name, the Mistura can easily "outscrub" the Zenith.

I don't think you will be able to replicate the characteristics of the mixed brushes "in another way" today, although as they continue to develop synthetics I wouldn't rule it out in the near future.
 
Who is the supplier? I assume I could get the same/similar brush from Frank Shaving a lot cheaper than I could get it from Rich Man. I know he “customizes” the handles, but I could get a 100% original handle and knot combo for the same price (or less) from other Etsy vendors, such as Bristle Brushwerks , Mozingo Brushworks, Prometheus Brushworks, Wild West Brushworks, etc.

I just checked Wild West’s Etsy page. I could get a handle and two band knot for $80 and he poured the blank and turned it on the lathe. Or, buy the handle for $50 and an SHD knot from Maggard for another $50 (or get the SHD directly from Oumo and save a few bucks). At a price up to $129, the Innovator doesn’t seem to be a good value.

Also, I searched for the Van Yulay Hercules knot but couldn’t find it. Are you sure the innovator is a mixed knot?
Jeez, you can buy a Simpson with a large turned handle and a traditionally hand picked knot, made In a first world country, for less than than generic Chinese plug knot in a generic Chinese handle. And people complain about the European makers prices?!
 
Jeez, you can buy a Simpson with a large turned handle and a traditionally hand picked knot, made In a first world country, for less than than generic Chinese plug knot in a generic Chinese handle. And people complain about the European makers prices?!
Simpsons has admitted they've moved to sourcing their badger from China, as have most others. I suspect they buy their knots pre-made by the Chinese, as traditional bristle-dressers are a labour-intensive and largely extinct profession in England, at least.
 
Simpsons has admitted they've moved to sourcing their badger from China, as have most others. I suspect they buy their knots pre-made by the Chinese, as traditional bristle-dressers are a labour-intensive and largely extinct profession in England, at least.
All badger 'hair' comes from China, usually sold to european makers in pelts.
Simpson's, along with a couple of other European makers, use the traditional hand tying method of construction. It's pretty easy to tell a hand tied knot from a generic Chinese plug. The one exception in this way it seems to me is shavemac; Bernd is such a master his hand tird knots almost have the uniformity of the machine sorted Chinese plugs.
 
All badger 'hair' comes from China, usually sold to european makers in pelts.
Simpson's, along with a couple of other European makers, use the traditional hand tying method of construction. It's pretty easy to tell a hand tied knot from a generic Chinese plug. The one exception in this way it seems to me is shavemac; Bernd is such a master his hand tird knots almost have the uniformity of the machine sorted Chinese plugs.
Very interesting and informative, but how does one distinguish between a hand-tied knot and a generic Chinese plug after the knot has been mounted in a handle?
By the way, Plisson has a licence from the French government to trap and harvest wild badgers in France, as they are considered a pest there, so at least some of their brushes are of European badger and the company publicly affirms it, proud of it even. I cannot confirm as to the other European majors, such as Thäter, who were, until recently at least, known to be sourcing some of their badger in Europe.
 

Graydog

Biblical Innards
What are the pros and cons of mixing badger and synthetic bristles?

Really what is the advantage of mixing badger
With synthetic , seams like just putting it out there just to create something else for you to spend your money on. Just to be different .
 
Really what is the advantage of mixing badger
With synthetic , seams like just putting it out there just to create something else for you to spend your money on. Just to be different .
Basically. Also, I think it'll look a little weird. Synthetics tend to stand straight while badgers are curved. That mix will look a bit off in my opinion.
 
Is anyone aware of where I might get a badger and synthetic mix knot? I've looked and looked and had no luck finding one. Does such a thing even exist??

Appreciate any info/leads on this

Thanks in advance and enjoy those shaves

I came across a few offerings from DSCosmetic who have a half Tuxedo synth, half pure badger brush

Here's the brush
US $18.0 |dscosmetic new pure badger hair and synthetic hair knots shaving brush with resin and metal handle-in Shaving Brush from Beauty & Health on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

Here's the knot
US $5.2 |DSCOSMETIC mixed pure badger hair and synthetic hair shaving brush knots-in Shaving Brush from Beauty & Health on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
 
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