I agree with you about the Mozingo tips—mine are either very slightly gelled or natural. That said, the tips are very soft to me.Friday. Plumbers at the house. Handyman at the house. New brush.
Brand new and unwashed this Mozingo brush certainly doesn't look like it has a big knot, but it does. I washed it yesterday afternoon with Dawn and hand lathered it. I towel dried it better than I usual do because I hoped it might be close enough to dry to use this morning. It was. (That's kinda amazing as my house had no heat last night.)
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Last night when moving the blade from the SE2 to the X1 I dropped it in the sink. Just in case the fall had damaged the edge a new blade was installed in the X1.
The X1 delivered a very good shave with ease and without drama. Excellent razor!
One use of the Mozingo is enough to offer a few initial comments. I'm assuming it will change a bit over a few shaves. In person and brand new this knot has a flat top shape. Far from my favorite knot shape.
(I knew before purchasing the Mozingo what the knot's shape would be, but from the photos on their website you can't determine the shape of the knot so be warned. Most reviews of the Mozingo rank it with the Varlet and similar super top tier brushes none of which I've ever used.)
My photos of the unwashed brush fail to capture the shape well enough. My skills are poor.
Anyway, washed the shape is much more of a fan. I like the shape. It is a huge fan, too. I've not put the calipers to the knot. It's nominal size is 28 mm. I believe it has to be every bit that large.
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The Mozingo has loads of backbone but it's certainly not too stiff. It's not in the league with a DO1 two band in backbone stiffness. It's not in the league with my copper Zenith Manchurian at least when the copper was brand new; the Zenith had the backbone of a dinosaur. The Mozingo is close enough for government work.
The face feel exhibits plenty of presence. It may become softer of course, but initially it is not what I'd call a knot marked by softness. Tons of scrub. Functionally sound as are all good brushes.
I like it, but it doesn't blow me away.
It may grow on me. My guess is it will grow on me, but that's only speculation. We'll see. Don't get me wrong. If it stays exactly like it is now it will be a brush I like having in my rotation, a brush which won't gather dust. If it improves as expected it will be a top tier favorite, but it's not an instant mind blower in the way my SV brushes were.
The handle is stunning.
Unwashed the shape seemed perhaps a little wonky, but washed it's fine. I suspect from looking down on the knot that it has an extra dense knot by any standard but it doesn't feel too dense or excessively dense or too stiff. It splays just fine. It loads and lathers nicely. I think the flow through is good, but not as good as the SV brushes. (Not that I care all that much about flow through.)
I've read the Mozingo knots are slight gelled. Perhaps they are. I'm not sure what it means to say a knot is gelled. Yes, I get it refers to a chemical treatment of the knot. However, the SV knots have the "gel clump" look to a small degree, but SV says the knots are not gelled.
To me, a gelled knot is like the AP Gelousy. Man do I hate that knot! (At first I didn't but it went rapidly downhill in my estimation of it.)
This knot doesn't seem gelled to me, going by the feel, but it clumps a little in a way similar to the SV knots. The Mozingo didn't feel crusty to me this morning, dry.
My skin is a little dry but that's the weather and not my shave.
Happy shaves to you,
Jim
Thanks for the detailed review. I love my ZT3. Mine is the first and only true fan I’ve had. Mine is a 26mm, but feels like a 28mm at least—perhaps larger.
I like mine quite a bit. Perhaps it will grow on you. I was awfully tempted by the latest drop.
-Trey
And at the rate you're purchasing them that's unlikely to change. 
