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Yaqi Timber Wolf

So my Yaqi Timber Wolf 26mm brush arrived today.
9E0C8F8A-0C7E-46F5-B958-F3E007822AF3.jpeg

Very similar in feel to my APShaveCo Cashmere - extremely soft tips and a bit floppier than my Tuxedos.
I’d like to experience this with a bigger loft but on first use this is an excellent brush.

I’m actually a big fan (ha ha) of all the Yaqi synthetics I’ve tried and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these new generation brushes.

I’m also starting to wonder whether the Tuxedo, Cashmere and Timber Wolf knots are all essentially the same fibres but coloured differently and set at different densities.

The APShaveCo 24mm Cashmere and the Yaqi 28mm Cashmere have fibres which are visually identical but the feel and behaviour of the brushes is radically different perhaps because the Yaqi knot is so dense.
 
Second use of the Timber Wolf tonight:
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This is a very good looking knot on a very ergonomic handle.
And in terms of face feel this is just about perfect.
Fantastically soft tips and exactly the right amount of backbone - definitely nearer Cashmere than Tuxedo.

But I need to adapt my technique to the shorter loft - I’m used to these Yaqi synthetics being incredible magical lather machines but this one seems to be requiring more work at the moment.
 
The Timber Wolf whipped up a great lather with a Palmolive stick tonight and I’ve realised that a notable thing about it is that it doesn’t retain a lot of water - perhaps due to a combination of the shorter loft and the fibres - which means that it dries very quickly and needs additional water to create the billowing lather that it is capable of.

And it really does feel fantastic on the face.
DC132822-A873-4722-B5CD-8BAA512F21F4.jpeg
 
Yaqi.jpg
I’m also starting to wonder whether the Tuxedo, Cashmere and Timber Wolf knots are all essentially the same fibres but coloured differently and set at different densities.

Timberwolf is the same as their Plissoft style.

I have a Tuxedo and a Plissoft Yaqi both 24mm/55mm knot/loft and I found there to be some differences but I prefer the Plissoft style brush.
 
View attachment 841998

Timberwolf is the same as their Plissoft style.

I have a Tuxedo and a Plissoft Yaqi both 24mm/55mm knot/loft and I found there to be some differences but I prefer the Plissoft style brush.
Great info - that’s a definitive answer there!

The Timber Wolf, Tuxedo and Cashmere are all superb synthetic brushes and amazing performers so I suppose it just ends up as a matter personal preference.
I do think the Timber Wolf fibres are extremely good looking.
 
Great info - that’s a definitive answer there!

The Timber Wolf, Tuxedo and Cashmere are all superb synthetic brushes and amazing performers so I suppose it just ends up as a matter personal preference.
I do think the Timber Wolf fibres are extremely good looking.

Without a moment's hesitation, the TW knot looks fantastic.

I think Yaqi's brushes have fantastic aesthetics, good ergonomics too but their functionality is where they shine.

Btw, I found the Tuxedo to hold more water than my Plissoft style Yaqi, but I've found the more pronounced glue bump of the Tuxedo to be a slight gripe.
 
Without a moment's hesitation, the TW knot looks fantastic.

I think Yaqi's brushes have fantastic aesthetics, good ergonomics too but their functionality is where they shine.

Btw, I found the Tuxedo to hold more water than my Plissoft style Yaqi, but I've found the more pronounced glue bump of the Tuxedo to be a slight gripe.
I agree they’re all superb!
And the idea that these are all the same fibres but just differently coloured and behaving very differently due to varying knots, lofts and densities is a compelling one:
AB7A09BF-FCC4-449B-90A6-8BB432D6375A.jpeg
 
So encouraged by this thread I pursued the matter further and asked the Yaqi Factory Store if the Cashmere-style, Tuxedo and Timber Wolf fibres actually are all the same and the answer was yes!
But the Black Fibre is different - I have one of those coming and it will be interesting to compare performance.
FD3A64D7-A08C-438E-9EB7-83BA7A1305FB.jpeg
 
Excellent detective work.
Thanks!
Finally I asked Yaqi what made the black fibres different from the Plissoft/Tuxedo/Cashmere/Timber Wolf and they said they were softer and more elastic:
199CB350-F87C-4749-B1A0-4B366EF84194.jpeg

The Black Fibre brush is noticeably floppier than any of the others and it feels a lot like very soft horsehair or the original Plisson L’Occitane Synthetic.
Maybe it’s the sort of stuff they make kabuki brushes out of.

Now that I’ve tried the Tuxedo, Cashmere, Timber Wolf and Black Fibre from Yaqi I can honestly say that they are all excellent, all extremely soft and very very efficient at generating lather.
The Tuxedos and Cashmere take a few uses to open up and the Black Fibre is quite floppy but the real differences in character are due to the different sizes and densities of the knots.
 
Good info! I really like the look of the Timber Wolf - nice color combination. I just ordered the tuxedo with Red Marbled barber handle.
 
So, having tried the Tuxedo 30mm is it food to try the Timberwolf 26mm knot?

Because I really liked the tuxedo! Such a soap sucker!
 
@mjclark

I can't believe I missed this thread some how back in November... First off that was a great review of the brushes you have and I pretty much have all the same ones but from APShaveCo and TurnNShave that I set in custom handles I had made from a couple Etsy sellers.

My most recent acquisition was the Timberwolf from TurnNShave and I am thinking it is my favorite knot to date as well. I will point out that on all my brushes I have set the loft in the 57-58mm range as I've found higher lofted knots are more to my liking. The next thing is that contrary to the belief of most, I have found that the Timberwolf has a tendency to hold onto more water between the fibers than my others.

When I start my shave I have a routine where I run water over the knot of whatever brush I'm using as I am filling the sink up with water and will splay whatever brush under the water so as the entire knot be wet. I then place the knot in my left hand and handle in my right and while pushing the handle to my left hand, I wring the excess water out of the knot before I start to load the soap I'm going to lather with for that shave. I have noticed that unless I shake the Timberwolf out as I start to face lather is will start to ever so slightly seep some water out of the knot as I splay it and start to lather. This never happens with my Cashmere, Angel Hair, SynBad, Quartermoon, or Whipped Dog.

I've never used a Yaqi brush and probably never will because I have all the bases covered with the knots I have but most of the knots I have are made by Yaqi but to other sellers specs. Al at APShaveCo gets most of his from Yaqi with the exception of the knots being more dense than the Yaqi version and the same for Milton over at TurnNShave. Your the 1st I've read that has experienced a denser Yaqi Cashmere knot than the APShaveCo version. I have read several posts of the opposite though. I wonder why yours is different? Maybe its the handle it was set in? Its something to ponder certainly....

20181104_084633.jpg

#1 24mm APShaveCo Synbad / Shore Shave/Turned Timber by Bill handle
#2 26mm TurnNShave Timberwolf fan / DC Shaving handle
#3 25mm TurnNShave Angel Hair fan / DC Shaving handle
#4 25mm TurnNShave Quartermoon / DC Shaving handle
#5 24mm APShaveCo Cashmere / Wild West handle
 
@mjclark

I can't believe I missed this thread some how back in November... First off that was a great review of the brushes you have and I pretty much have all the same ones but from APShaveCo and TurnNShave that I set in custom handles I had made from a couple Etsy sellers.

My most recent acquisition was the Timberwolf from TurnNShave and I am thinking it is my favorite knot to date as well. I will point out that on all my brushes I have set the loft in the 57-58mm range as I've found higher lofted knots are more to my liking. The next thing is that contrary to the belief of most, I have found that the Timberwolf has a tendency to hold onto more water between the fibers than my others.

When I start my shave I have a routine where I run water over the knot of whatever brush I'm using as I am filling the sink up with water and will splay whatever brush under the water so as the entire knot be wet. I then place the knot in my left hand and handle in my right and while pushing the handle to my left hand, I wring the excess water out of the knot before I start to load the soap I'm going to lather with for that shave. I have noticed that unless I shake the Timberwolf out as I start to face lather is will start to ever so slightly seep some water out of the knot as I splay it and start to lather. This never happens with my Cashmere, Angel Hair, SynBad, Quartermoon, or Whipped Dog.

I've never used a Yaqi brush and probably never will because I have all the bases covered with the knots I have but most of the knots I have are made by Yaqi but to other sellers specs. Al at APShaveCo gets most of his from Yaqi with the exception of the knots being more dense than the Yaqi version and the same for Milton over at TurnNShave. Your the 1st I've read that has experienced a denser Yaqi Cashmere knot than the APShaveCo version. I have read several posts of the opposite though. I wonder why yours is different? Maybe its the handle it was set in? Its something to ponder certainly....

View attachment 939337
#1 24mm APShaveCo Synbad / Shore Shave/Turned Timber by Bill handle
#2 26mm TurnNShave Timberwolf fan / DC Shaving handle
#3 25mm TurnNShave Angel Hair fan / DC Shaving handle
#4 25mm TurnNShave Quartermoon / DC Shaving handle
#5 24mm APShaveCo Cashmere / Wild West handle
No doubt my Yaqi Watermelon Cashmere is denser than my APShaveCo Blue Lagoon Cashmere.

The Blue Lagoon has fantastic flow through.
The Watermelon took a couple of uses to open up and it is my favourite brush ever!
 
@mjclark

I can't believe I missed this thread some how back in November... First off that was a great review of the brushes you have and I pretty much have all the same ones but from APShaveCo and TurnNShave that I set in custom handles I had made from a couple Etsy sellers.

My most recent acquisition was the Timberwolf from TurnNShave and I am thinking it is my favorite knot to date as well. I will point out that on all my brushes I have set the loft in the 57-58mm range as I've found higher lofted knots are more to my liking. The next thing is that contrary to the belief of most, I have found that the Timberwolf has a tendency to hold onto more water between the fibers than my others.

When I start my shave I have a routine where I run water over the knot of whatever brush I'm using as I am filling the sink up with water and will splay whatever brush under the water so as the entire knot be wet. I then place the knot in my left hand and handle in my right and while pushing the handle to my left hand, I wring the excess water out of the knot before I start to load the soap I'm going to lather with for that shave. I have noticed that unless I shake the Timberwolf out as I start to face lather is will start to ever so slightly seep some water out of the knot as I splay it and start to lather. This never happens with my Cashmere, Angel Hair, SynBad, Quartermoon, or Whipped Dog.

I've never used a Yaqi brush and probably never will because I have all the bases covered with the knots I have but most of the knots I have are made by Yaqi but to other sellers specs. Al at APShaveCo gets most of his from Yaqi with the exception of the knots being more dense than the Yaqi version and the same for Milton over at TurnNShave. Your the 1st I've read that has experienced a denser Yaqi Cashmere knot than the APShaveCo version. I have read several posts of the opposite though. I wonder why yours is different? Maybe its the handle it was set in? Its something to ponder certainly....

View attachment 939337
#1 24mm APShaveCo Synbad / Shore Shave/Turned Timber by Bill handle
#2 26mm TurnNShave Timberwolf fan / DC Shaving handle
#3 25mm TurnNShave Angel Hair fan / DC Shaving handle
#4 25mm TurnNShave Quartermoon / DC Shaving handle
#5 24mm APShaveCo Cashmere / Wild West handle
From this pic I clearly see that the TW knot from T&S is definitely more dense packed that Yaqi 26mm TW.

But, the Yaqi still remains a great value for the money and let's not forget the free shipping it has.
 
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