I heard from the owner of Wetshavingproducts - they have the same provider. I asked him about the knot they supplied to my Geoff Anderson custom and he told me in a mail that they had the same supplier.
I have also noted that the my newish BK8 is a lot firmer than the older versions. My Thäter and Shavemacs have softer tips also.
Well - Badger Hair is a natural product, so over the years the hair changes and there can be variances from brush to brush. Sounds like a good excuse to buy another brush to see for myself