Yep, intact. I did sand down the base of the knot but never touched the "hair". Truly, a great brush. It's soft but has backbone and a prolific latherer, nice feel on my face. I really like it.
When I was online looking at the H.I.S. Brush for a link to a post here in the forums, I noticed that Artist Brushstrokes now have a full line of brushes, including a smaller version of the H.I.S. brush, the bullet brush, and a travel brush. Have you tried any of these GD? I noticed the bullet brush in particular, which you reviewed and said that they were going to revise it before releasing it on the market.
I have been using this brush almost exclusively for the last 6 months... Actually, I think going back to May of last year. Every now and then I bring out one of the many many neglected brushes and within a few days I go back to the HIS. I don't know why, but it works for me and I have quit my wandering ways. Actually, I have been using the same razor since May as well, so what's up with that?
It appears that Artist Brushstrokes finally took some advice, but not all advice. They have put different size and loft knots in the same large handle. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AI88GVY/?tag=thshde-20
That might be a darn nice brush. I'll have to check one out more closely on payday. The original handle, even though it was big and bulky, I never minded that too much. It's an easy fix, anyway . The handle is way to big for the 23mm knot. I wonder what the dimensions of their synthetic kabuki brushes are and if the fibers are similar to the shaving brush?
I looked at one of the Kabuki brushes and it was exactly the same handle and dimensions as the H.I.S. and used the same selling points on the fibers. Some of the other Kabuki brushes use Takalon which is a different (Polyester) fiber.