Who can tell us about their experiences with high mountain white or manchurian badger brushes? I have enjoyed breathing new life into a few sorry looking vintage brushes by putting new knots in them. Yesterday I ordered a few knots which the supplier advertised as high mountain whites or manchurian. I've heard them described as "luxurious", but have never actually seen one, or heard directly from anyone who has experience using one.
The Manchurian experience?
- Thread starter icedog
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I only have one brush labeled as Manchurian: a Butterscotch Simpson Tulip 3. It's one of my favorites. My sense, however, is that "High Mountain" and "Manchurian" are variously applied by different makers/vendors with reference to no commonly accepted standards. That's true of other labels (e.g., Finest) as well.
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- #3
You are absolutely correct of course regarding the lack of commonly accepted standards for the different so called "grades" of badger. I'm sure you noticed my wording, "... which the supplier advertised as ...". Anyway, the knots were reasonably priced for what they are supposed to be, so I'm looking forward to having them in hand and trying one of the them.
I noticed. But your question was "Who can tell us about their experiences with high mountain white or manchurian badger brushes?"
I gave the best answer I could offer from personal experience. My point was that it's difficult, if not impossible, to have a very meaningful discussion about experiences with so-called "Manchurian" and/or "High Mountain White" badger absent identification of who so-designated a particular knot being described.
Some photos I've seen posted recently of knots from China bearing those appellations looked very good to me; however, it's hard to judge quality with any confidence from photos.
If you identify who the knots are from, you might get good feedback from members. For example, many of us here have experience with Manchurian or HMW knots from The Golden Nib, Wet Shaving Products, and perhaps even some lesser known Chinese suppliers.
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- #6
My order for 22/67 HMW knots was placed with what I think may be a fairly obscure Chinese supplier ...Shengwei Animal Hair Products. It was a small cost gamble, and I'm looking forward to seeing what arrives. Still on the topic of brushes, but moving to the handle end, can anyone comment on the buffalo bone handles from Kim Son? I have one their horn handles with a knot supplied by them as well. I like it, but recently noticed a small check developing on the handle ... I suspect because of a lack of proper care on my part.
There was a recent thread on this topic. The OP ended up sealing the crack with clear epoxy at the recommendation of his distributor. Care instructions that come from many horn handles recommend occasionally oiling the handle to prevent this. Rudy Vey contributed by saying the appropriate oil to use is Neetsfoot oil.
For what it's worth, I didn't intend to discourage broad discussion of the so-called Manchurian and/or White Mountain Badger in this thread. I think you struck upon a great topic that deserves discussion.
My point was that I think such discussion will be far more meaningful and beneficial to participants and other members if we clearly identify the course of the knots we are describing and, if possible, good photos. Otherwise, rather than making a useful record, we'll probably just spawn more confusion, of which there is probably enough concerning the topic of so-called Manchurian and/or White Mountain Badger already. (We need a head-scratching smiley.)
I also think handle issues is a great topic, but for the benefit of others who might later benefit from being able to find the thread, I'd suggest starting a new thread separately dedicated to it. That's just a polite suggestion.
I hope the discussion of so-called Manchurian and/or White Mountain Badger resumes here.
I ordered a "Manchurian" finest knot from Sheng for one of my restores. I honestly only bought it because I was looking for a not-so-common 19mm knot with a very short loft, and they popped up in my searches. I didn't put much stock into the "manchurian" designation. But I was quite impressed with the knot that showed up. Really nice white-black contrast, and pretty soft tips. I ended up passing the brush along to someone else after only a few test lathers, so I'm not sure how it broke in and what have you. But from that limited experience, I was impressed with the knot. Can't say I found anything particularly "Manchurian" about it, but it was a nicer knot than a larger non-Manchurian finest I bought from the same supplier.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/346118-30-Minutes-or-Less-Ever-Ready-101-A ... go to post 15 for the pic of the knot
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/346118-30-Minutes-or-Less-Ever-Ready-101-A ... go to post 15 for the pic of the knot
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- #10
Nice post! More thoughtful and detailed discussion of this topic is good. And it's what B&B is about.
No one really knows what these terms mean except to a limited extent in specific contexts. E.g., I have some idea of what "Manchurian" is supposed to mean with reference to Simpson-made brushes, but even that is pretty fuzzy.
What matters most isn't how a brush is labeled, but rather how it looks, feels, performs, holds up, etc. If discussion here can't keep vendors and suppliers honest, at can at least help to keep members well informed.
