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Heritage collection knot review and comparison

I want to first start by saying I'm not an expert when it comes to knots. In fact the heritage collection brush was my first quality knot. Also, keep in mind 2 of the 3 knots I'm comparing this to I got used so I dont know how broken in they were when I received them. The 3rd knot is a 2band and not silvertip like the others. I'm including it only because it's the only other quality knot I have been able to try. It's also a knot I think a lot of people have used so they can get an idea of the difference. I will do my best. I do not have any measurements other than knot diameter listed by vendor. This is just to give people an idea on how the heritage collection brush might be vs other well known knots. This is also a review by a newbie to quality knots.

First off i want to say i figured the performance of expensive knots couldn't be so much better than the inexpensive silvertip or 2 band knots from China. I will say to people asking if it is worth it to spend the money for a quality knot, YES IT IS.

The heritage SHD HMW 26mm knot in my brush. When I first got it I noticed first off that the hairs were thicker than the cheap knots. I know this is a super high density knot but the difference in amount of hair is night and day different. Easily 3-4 times the amount of hair than the cheap knots. The tips out of the box were softer than I expected but a little more scratchy than the cheap silvertip knots I have. Once I soaked the brush for about 10 minutes I squeezed out the excess water like I would to start lathering my soap. Once I did this I ran the tips across the inside of my wrist and then I could really tell the difference. The tips on the SHD brush feel almost like a gel. The cheap knots feel soft as well but they do not feel like a gel. Being a SHD brush I expected more backbone than the cheap knots and there is. I would say this brush has the backbone that the Stirling 2band brush has. The tips when wet feel very similar with the gel feel that the tips on the TGN SHD 2band has. Dry the tips are a little more scratchy than the TGN knot but every time I use the Heritage brush the tips are getting softer and softer when dry. I would say compared to the Elite manchurian knot the Heritage knot has a bit more backbone but not as soft. The Elite brush was purchased used so I do not know how broken in it is. I can only compare as each knot sits today. I have noticed the Heritage knot did splay out a lot more than the TGN and the Elite knot. So the 26mm knot feels quite a bit bigger than 26mm. I do wish it didn't splay out as much. On a side note if anyone knows a way to help get it more like it was when I first received it and how to keep it from splaying please let me know. Every time I use the brush the tips are getting softer and i expect as it breaks in it will be just as soft as hopefully the Elite knot. It has a decent backbone similar to the TGN 2band. Overall I'm glad I got this knot. I am glad I tried out a quality knot since I now know I will never buy a cheap chinese knot again. If a brush comes with one like my CMON heritage clone I will replace the knot with a quality one. I say quality know because @Graydog Pointed out in a comparison thread the most expensive knot is not always the best knot. Any new members thinking about trying a quality knot I would recommend reading that thread and asking the people who have experience as to which knots are good and which are not worth the price of admission.

I'm sorry I cannot get more technical with the knot. I dont know the dimensions such as loft height glue bumb height and all of that. All i know is it is a 26mm knot and the set depth is what ever Heritage collection set the knot at. Again I am a complete newbie when it comes to quality knots and this comparison is more to give people an idea and for new users to get an idea of why quality knots cost more than the cheap ones. I hope this helps people and feel free to ask any questions or even critique my review. The only way I can get better at comparing and reviewing is to be critiqued so I can learn what should be included and what should be lefted out. Any questions asked about any of the knots I mentioned I will answer to the best of my ability. Thanks for reading and again I am sorry I dont have all the technical details to include.
 
I did forget to also compare it to the Yaqi HMW brush. So being SHD it has more hair. The hair strands themselves look to be about the same. It does have more hair than the Yaqi I'd say about double. It also has a bit more backbone but having more hair it should. The Yaqi as well was purchased used and not sure how broken it it was when I got it. Dry the Yaqi is a bit softer but again the Heritage gets softer with every use. The tips on the Yaqi are very soft when wet but the Heritage still feels softer with the gel feel to it.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
Good review.

My eyes and brain do better with shorter paragraphs and more space, particularly reading on the computer, but maybe that's just me. Still, the information is good, and that's the main thing.

Would you mind mentioning specific brushes?

MS.New.YaqiBlue.New.JPG

I have a few brushes from China. All were perhaps cheap. Some were cheaper than others. Some feel cheap and crummy, but a couple of brands feel inexpensive rather than cheap and are in my view and based on my limited experience with badgers rather good brushes.

Both brushes in my photo are from China. One is the MS 30 mm (Maseto) silvertip from the eBay vendor. The other is a Yaqi two band. Neither cost much for a decent badger. I like both very much and wouldn't consider them cheap or crummy in any sense.

2-12-19.Torrey.Thater2Band.Kit.640.JPG (1).JPG

I once had a Thater two band ^ but traded it after just two uses. I didn't much like it. The Thater is expensive though.

Two.Zenith.Manchurians.1-5-19.480..jpg


My favorite badgers are these two Zenith Manchurians. Both sell for under a hundred bucks. Both are great brushes. The copper handled brush on the right is my very favorite brush, but it's truthfully only a notch or two superior to the inexpensive Yaqi and Stirling knots in both performance and face feel.

You make the Heritage Collection brushes sound very attractive.

Do they offer more than one knot or selections of various knots or what? I can't quite figure out their website (although I didn't dig deeply to do so).

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
Good review.

My eyes and brain do better with shorter paragraphs and more space, particularly reading on the computer, but maybe that's just me. Still, the information is good, and that's the main thing.

Would you mind mentioning specific brushes?

View attachment 1064349

I have a few brushes from China. All were perhaps cheap. Some were cheaper than others. Some feel cheap and crummy, but a couple of brands feel inexpensive rather than cheap and are in my view and based on my limited experience with badgers rather good brushes.

Both brushes in my photo are from China. One is the MS 30 mm (Maseto) silvertip from the eBay vendor. The other is a Yaqi two band. Neither cost much for a decent badger. I like both very much and wouldn't consider them cheap or crummy in any sense.

View attachment 1064350

I once had a Thater two band ^ but traded it after just two uses. I didn't much like it. The Thater is expensive though.

View attachment 1064351

My favorite badgers are these two Zenith Manchurians. Both sell for under a hundred bucks. Both are great brushes. The copper handled brush on the right is my very favorite brush, but it's truthfully only a notch or two superior to the inexpensive Yaqi and Stirling knots in both performance and face feel.

You make the Heritage Collection brushes sound very attractive.

Do they offer more than one knot or selections of various knots or what? I can't quite figure out their website (although I didn't dig deeply to do so).

Happy shaves,

Jim
How is the backbone/splay on that lovely copper handled Zenith. Is it too stiff for face lathering?
Are zenith brushes available anywhere other than eBay?
 
Good morning MY Friend,
What is a Heritage knot ?
Do you have a picture or a link ?


I'm not sure what brand knot heritage uses. But here is the link to their site for anyone who wants to check them out.


I will break down paragraphs better the next time I do a review.

The cheap knots I do not even know brand. One example is the defective Heritageclassic brush I bought from a chinese seller. It came with a silvertip knot and total for that brush and another pure badger brush together was like 10 bucks after shipping. I do agree that some inexpensive knots are rather good. The Yaqi is one example. I have the one with HMW with blue glass looking handle. It's also why I referred to quality knots and not just expensive knots.
 

Chan Eil Whiskers

Fumbling about.
How is the backbone/splay on that lovely copper handled Zenith. Is it too stiff for face lathering?
Are zenith brushes available anywhere other than eBay?

There is also a Spanish dealer (I've ordered from Spain and also from the excellent eBay vendor). The two dealers sometimes have different items in stock. The eBay vendor is a huge fan of Zenith brushes but not primarily a vendor (it's a sideline business and a labor of love for him I think).


Face lathering is immoral but I can't stop myself.480.jpg

The backbone of the copper handled Zenith Manchurian is incredible. Like a jackhammer at first, but it softens up a bit (enough). It is a great brush for someone like me who is 100% a face-latherer.

I am also a guy who mashes the brush into my face (splays the brush). Excellent brush for me.

It's my favorite brush of all my brushes for a lot of reasons.

Warning: At first you may think the backbone and scrub excessive but it will be perfect after a few uses.

Happy shaves,

Jim
 
There is also a Spanish dealer (I've ordered from Spain and also from the excellent eBay vendor). The two dealers sometimes have different items in stock. The eBay vendor is a huge fan of Zenith brushes but not primarily a vendor (it's a sideline business and a labor of love for him I think).


View attachment 1064448

The backbone of the copper handled Zenith Manchurian is incredible. Like a jackhammer at first, but it softens up a bit (enough). It is a great brush for someone like me who is 100% a face-latherer.

I am also a guy who mashes the brush into my face (splays the brush). Excellent brush for me.

It's my favorite brush of all my brushes for a lot of reasons.

Warning: At first you may think the backbone and scrub excessive but it will be perfect after a few uses.

Happy shaves,

Jim
Excellent! Makes me wonder why some USA vendors don’t stock Zenith.
 
I want to first start by saying I'm not an expert when it comes to knots. In fact the heritage collection brush was my first quality knot. Also, keep in mind 2 of the 3 knots I'm comparing this to I got used so I dont know how broken in they were when I received them. The 3rd knot is a 2band and not silvertip like the others. I'm including it only because it's the only other quality knot I have been able to try. It's also a knot I think a lot of people have used so they can get an idea of the difference. I will do my best. I do not have any measurements other than knot diameter listed by vendor. This is just to give people an idea on how the heritage collection brush might be vs other well known knots. This is also a review by a newbie to quality knots.

First off i want to say i figured the performance of expensive knots couldn't be so much better than the inexpensive silvertip or 2 band knots from China. I will say to people asking if it is worth it to spend the money for a quality knot, YES IT IS.

The heritage SHD HMW 26mm knot in my brush. When I first got it I noticed first off that the hairs were thicker than the cheap knots. I know this is a super high density knot but the difference in amount of hair is night and day different. Easily 3-4 times the amount of hair than the cheap knots. The tips out of the box were softer than I expected but a little more scratchy than the cheap silvertip knots I have. Once I soaked the brush for about 10 minutes I squeezed out the excess water like I would to start lathering my soap. Once I did this I ran the tips across the inside of my wrist and then I could really tell the difference. The tips on the SHD brush feel almost like a gel. The cheap knots feel soft as well but they do not feel like a gel. Being a SHD brush I expected more backbone than the cheap knots and there is. I would say this brush has the backbone that the Stirling 2band brush has. The tips when wet feel very similar with the gel feel that the tips on the TGN SHD 2band has. Dry the tips are a little more scratchy than the TGN knot but every time I use the Heritage brush the tips are getting softer and softer when dry. I would say compared to the Elite manchurian knot the Heritage knot has a bit more backbone but not as soft. The Elite brush was purchased used so I do not know how broken in it is. I can only compare as each knot sits today. I have noticed the Heritage knot did splay out a lot more than the TGN and the Elite knot. So the 26mm knot feels quite a bit bigger than 26mm. I do wish it didn't splay out as much. On a side note if anyone knows a way to help get it more like it was when I first received it and how to keep it from splaying please let me know. Every time I use the brush the tips are getting softer and i expect as it breaks in it will be just as soft as hopefully the Elite knot. It has a decent backbone similar to the TGN 2band. Overall I'm glad I got this knot. I am glad I tried out a quality knot since I now know I will never buy a cheap chinese knot again. If a brush comes with one like my CMON heritage clone I will replace the knot with a quality one. I say quality know because @Graydog Pointed out in a comparison thread the most expensive knot is not always the best knot. Any new members thinking about trying a quality knot I would recommend reading that thread and asking the people who have experience as to which knots are good and which are not worth the price of admission.

I'm sorry I cannot get more technical with the knot. I dont know the dimensions such as loft height glue bumb height and all of that. All i know is it is a 26mm knot and the set depth is what ever Heritage collection set the knot at. Again I am a complete newbie when it comes to quality knots and this comparison is more to give people an idea and for new users to get an idea of why quality knots cost more than the cheap ones. I hope this helps people and feel free to ask any questions or even critique my review. The only way I can get better at comparing and reviewing is to be critiqued so I can learn what should be included and what should be lefted out. Any questions asked about any of the knots I mentioned I will answer to the best of my ability. Thanks for reading and again I am sorry I dont have all the technical details to include.
Nice. Thanks for the review. It's good to hear that Neil is providing some excellent knots.
 
Here are some pics of the brushes I referenced. I took a side pic and a top pic so you can have a bit of a visual.

First up the Heritage Collection
20200219_072708.jpg
20200219_072704.jpg


Next the Elite Manchurian

20200219_072736.jpg
20200219_072733.jpg


The TGN 2band

20200219_072728.jpg
20200219_072726.jpg


Next is the Yaqi HMW

20200219_072744.jpg
20200219_072741.jpg


Last is the cheap chinese silvertip. This knot is on the defective Heritage Collection handle that was never supposed to be sold.

20200219_072721.jpg
20200219_072715.jpg
 
Hopefully the pics help you guys visualize better.

@Graydog. I was unable to include the (I think you said was an Envy White, you graciously sent me) in this as I never got to use it. Right after I got it my brother saw the brush and loved it so I gave it to him.
 
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