Greetings Gentlemen!
I recently decided to try my hand at reknotting two brushes that were sitting around in my den, sadly collecting dust. So, I ordered some knots from TGN, and to make a long story short: Success! As I was researching knot removal methods and I stumbled upon Teiste's steam method and his Grosvenor restoration, I was inspired....
First, I love my D1 and two D3's...so the idea of a "Duke 4" was too good. Second, I have never tried a HMW brush, so I was extremely curious to see if this type of hair was indeed something special. So, I ordered a 20mm HMW knot from TGN, and ordered the Vulfix 404 Bader/Bristle mix from BullGoose.
One weekend later, I went to work...with less than 2hrs of effort (from a total amateur), I steamed out the original knot, made the hole deeper to set the loft at ~49mm, applied epoxy and that was it! I was really debating if I should have went with a bigger knot, but I'm glad I stuck with the 20mm size. It exits the handle at 22.2mm per my digital calipers. It was a perfect fit with no modification other than to dremel for depth. Furthermore, the knot was surprisingly dense for its size.
So, I'm very excited to present you with, the Grosvenor in High Mountain White...(please excuse the photos, I'm clearly an amateur there as well![Biggrin]( "Biggrin")
)
![[Image: r8gQV1V.png]]()
![[Image: mmqZrM1.png]]()
![[Image: 7c7h4AK.png]]()
![[Image: KH7GR3l.png]]()
![[Image: tVaqKUv.png]]()
![[Image: nQoE7Ob.png]]()
I have been using it for a few weeks now, and I can confidently say the HMW is indeed something special! It is just pure luxury. As it is a 3 band, backbone can't be compared to that of a 2 band. However, its also not floppy. If I must compare it to something I've tried before, I'd say the feel of the hair reminds me a little of my T&H/Rooney 3/1, but...slightly better: Softer and more resilient. Of course it is an excellent choice for creams, but I've also lathered up quite a few soaps with great success. The handle is incredible, and exceeded my expectations. It feels exactly like the D3s' big brother...very familiar, yet bigger.
The overall combination cost me less than $90 including shipping. The brush is an absolute pleasure to use in every way, and has become my go-to brush when I'm in the mood for the ultimate luxury shave on a lazy Sunday![Biggrin]( "Biggrin")
. In today's wet shaving market, something like this can easily command more than double the price.
I hope you enjoyed the read, and I wish you all happy shaves![Biggrin]( "Biggrin")
!
I recently decided to try my hand at reknotting two brushes that were sitting around in my den, sadly collecting dust. So, I ordered some knots from TGN, and to make a long story short: Success! As I was researching knot removal methods and I stumbled upon Teiste's steam method and his Grosvenor restoration, I was inspired....
First, I love my D1 and two D3's...so the idea of a "Duke 4" was too good. Second, I have never tried a HMW brush, so I was extremely curious to see if this type of hair was indeed something special. So, I ordered a 20mm HMW knot from TGN, and ordered the Vulfix 404 Bader/Bristle mix from BullGoose.
One weekend later, I went to work...with less than 2hrs of effort (from a total amateur), I steamed out the original knot, made the hole deeper to set the loft at ~49mm, applied epoxy and that was it! I was really debating if I should have went with a bigger knot, but I'm glad I stuck with the 20mm size. It exits the handle at 22.2mm per my digital calipers. It was a perfect fit with no modification other than to dremel for depth. Furthermore, the knot was surprisingly dense for its size.
So, I'm very excited to present you with, the Grosvenor in High Mountain White...(please excuse the photos, I'm clearly an amateur there as well
)![[Image: r8gQV1V.png]](http://i.imgur.com/r8gQV1V.png)
Below, it stands with the rest of the Duke family...from left to right: D1 in best, D3 in best, D3 in 2 band, and Grosvenor HMW:
![[Image: mmqZrM1.png]](http://i.imgur.com/mmqZrM1.png)
A comparison shot. Here is the knot after first use. It stands with D3 in 2 band on the left, and CH2 in 2 band on the right:
![[Image: 7c7h4AK.png]](http://i.imgur.com/7c7h4AK.png)
All lathered up in B&M Cheshire:
![[Image: KH7GR3l.png]](http://i.imgur.com/KH7GR3l.png)
Incredibly SOFT tips:
![[Image: tVaqKUv.png]](http://i.imgur.com/tVaqKUv.png)
Very soft and dense knot:
![[Image: nQoE7Ob.png]](http://i.imgur.com/nQoE7Ob.png)
I have been using it for a few weeks now, and I can confidently say the HMW is indeed something special! It is just pure luxury. As it is a 3 band, backbone can't be compared to that of a 2 band. However, its also not floppy. If I must compare it to something I've tried before, I'd say the feel of the hair reminds me a little of my T&H/Rooney 3/1, but...slightly better: Softer and more resilient. Of course it is an excellent choice for creams, but I've also lathered up quite a few soaps with great success. The handle is incredible, and exceeded my expectations. It feels exactly like the D3s' big brother...very familiar, yet bigger.
The overall combination cost me less than $90 including shipping. The brush is an absolute pleasure to use in every way, and has become my go-to brush when I'm in the mood for the ultimate luxury shave on a lazy Sunday
. In today's wet shaving market, something like this can easily command more than double the price. I hope you enjoyed the read, and I wish you all happy shaves
!