Still Another Beast In My Future

I ordered a 30 mm x 80 mm High Mountain knot today from the same supplier that I bought my same sized Super Silvertip knot from. Hopefully he can fill the order more quickly this time. This time I'm not going to worry about finding a handle for it until I have the knot in my hand. Last time I had to re-order because he didn't ship on time to meet AliExpress requirements and it took several months before I had my knots in hand.

I have been captivated by the smaller High Mountain knots I have already put into use from the same seller, and I really want to have a beast brush with the same hair. Larger diameter hair than a silvertip so it has lots of backbone, but still has the face feel of silvertip.

His description shows that High Mountain is also known as Himalayan or Two Band.

I haven't decided on the handle yet, but I'm leaning toward Black, Burgundy, or Butterscotch.

30mm x 80mm That's a monster.

plywood99 said:

30mm x 80mm That's a monster.

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Yes it is, and I already have a silvertip made from a knot that size. Finished loft when mounted in the handle is 69 mm. It is a pleasure to shave with. It likes a very large mug and glycerin soap.

Big Jim said:

His description shows that High Mountain is also known as Himalayan or Two Band.

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He sells finest knots as HMW brushes. It is not related with Real HMW knots.

I agree, it could easily be called a "finest" or "two band", and it compares favorably with both ACE and Virginia Sheng finest knots I have bought although I perceive it is better than the Virginia and perhaps on par with or slightly better than ACE.

Neither the seller or myself are trying to claim that it is high mountain white, just high mountain. I have three smaller brushes with this hair already and very much enjoy it.

I hope you have better luck than me i ordered three High Mountain knots from this seller and the order was cancelled by AlliExpress after 30 days. The next day I got an email from the supplier saying he had been out of country on business and would send the knots right out if I reordered. I am fast approaching the 30 day window again and they haven't been shipped.The supplier also isn't responding to my emails.

That was pretty much my past experience. This time I'm in no hurry. I'm not going to worry about a handle until I have the knot in hand.

So far I have not had a confirmation of the order. Also, his products seem to be unlisted on AliExpress at the moment (a frequent event). This may take a while, but for this I can be very patient and re-order as many times as needed.

I enjoy his products. Too bad his service is so bad.

Big Jim said:

So far I have not had a confirmation of the order. Also, his products seem to be unlisted on AliExpress at the moment (a frequent event). This may take a while, but for this I can be very patient and re-order as many times as needed.

I enjoy his products. Too bad his service is so bad.

Click to expand...

I am almost positive I have seen this exact same post before. Like a year or so ago????

That post was "Another Beast In My Future" and I ended up with a 30 mm X 80 mm Super Silvertip knot. This one is "Still Another Beast In My Future" and is for a 30 mm X 80 mm High Mountain knot.

This time I'll be extra patient and take whatever time it takes.

Pictures? We want pictures. Would probably require a wide angle lens, no?

Here is the 30x80 Super Silvertip set at 69 mm. Next to it is a more conventional 30 mm Silvertip set a bit high (as I like it) at 58 mm and a 20 mm High Mountain (I don't remember where I set the loft).



Here are the three brushes in lather with mugs I may use for them. What is significant here is the well known Old Spice mug which puts the sizes in perspective.



I can't help with pictures of the High Mountain super beast until I get the knot and determine what handle to use and how high to set the loft.

I'm making progress, sort of. I reordered the knot last night and obtained confirmation (I had no confirmation last time). If all goes well I'll have the knot in about 25 to 30 days, but I'm not holding my breath.

Some progress. I received notice that the knot has been shipped. I'll order a handle for it when I have the knot in hand.

The knot arrived this afternoon. I ordered a black Whipped Dog handle this evening to mount it in. I tried taking a picture of the knot tonight, but I need better lighting. Probably tomorrow. Big beautiful two band knot.

Piectures

1st picture is the High Mountain 2 Band knot alongside calipers. It measures 77+ mm. That's nearly 3 mm short of what was advertized, but I'm happy with it. Hopefully I will end up with about 65 mm installed.



2nd picture is alongside a Super Silvertip ordered for a friend on the same order and along with some "friends", a Whipped Dog 30 mm Silvertip set at 58 mm loft in a Whipped Dog Burgundy handle, another Super Silvertip set at 69 mm loft in an Ivory Whipped Dog Handle, and an ACE 24 mm Silvertip for comparison sake.

I mounted the knots last night and I intend to shave with the High Mountain brush tomorrow morning. Mine is the black handled one. The blue one is a Super Silvertip that I'm putting together for a friend.

Finished height on mine is 66 mm loft. The other one ended up at 35 mm. A dollar coin was used beneath each knot to space it up. I'll follow up with bloom and lather pictures of mine in a week or two. The other one is going to its new home later today.

The first picture shows the knots lined up next to their respective handles, dollar coin in front, and my other 30 mm beasts behind, a WD burgundy 30 mm handle set at 58 mm loft , and a Super Silvertip in a WD white 30 mm handle set at 69 mm loft.



The second picture shows the four brushes side by side. The two new brushes have not bloomed yet. I should mention that the handles, are each of different heights so that some of the brushes with lower lofts look like they have more loft than they actually do.



The third picture is my new brush next to a smaller "two band finest" brush, a 24 mm with a Virginia Sheng knot set at 56 mm loft.



The last picture is of the new Super Silvertip next to a new ACE 24 mm Silvertip for comparison. Neither one has bloomed yet.

I shaved with it this morning. What a glorious brush. Well worth the wait. It truly does have the "cloud of lather" face feel of Silvertip, but has much more backbone.

Clean-up was minimal. I shampooed last twice last night and the first shampoo yielded a little bit on brown coloring in the lather but was clear on the second one. There is only the slightest trace of badger funk, far less than may brushes.

This brush looks nice and performs nice. What more can a guy ask for? It really looks great in bloom. The black handle really looks great with the wide dark band in the knot. I'll follow up with those pictures when I can.

So there are at least two risks in dealing with this supplier. The first is time. Don't get involved unless you are willing to order and then re-order as needed until he performs. There is no risk in losing your money, as AliExpress doesn't pay him until you receive and approve the product. The second risk is that he seems to (at least for me) send knots shorter than advertised. I'm happy with all of the knots I have purchased from him though and the resulting brushes have been glorious.

Sorry it took so long to get back, but here are lather and wet bloom pictures. Mug is Old Spice Black Promotional and soap is DR Harris Arlington. This is a very enjoyable brush. It enjoys a large mug.

Who is the seller?
I have a handle waiting for a knot and was thinking about going for an Ace shaving knot but i may consider this guy now..