Recently I had the winning eBay bid on: “Rare Find, Vintage Tin or Aluminum Mug With Brush, Rubberset”. The bidding was low and slow and rather than see it go at such a low price to someone else (ha,ha), I grabbed it. It turned out to be a #4. Then I asked a good friend and fellow TSD 400 Club member @clint64, to look at the pictures of the brush and give me his opinion re: it’s quality. He’s rather a TSD expert on 400s. Clint not only offered his opinion on the brush, he offered to restore it for me. What could I say? He is the best. This would be his eighth 400 restore. This one will be called Ocho! Named both as a tribute to Clint’s work and to the memory of Dean Jones of Disney’s Love Bug movies. My kids all loved Herbie AKA Ocho. Ocho's new knot is a 26mm TGN High Mountain White. The Loft is set at 50mm. This is simply stunning. Thank you my friend.
Mark, it was truly my pleasure to restore this 400 for you. I am looking forward to seeing it in your SOTD photos for years to come.
Clint made another work of art for you! Congratulations! Are you having a race with someone for the most shinnies?
Nah! I may need professional help for my SBAD though. Just brush guy eye guess. Un regazzo di pennello!
That doesn't even look like the same 400. Wow! Clint did an amazing job! Congratulations Mark on a beautiful brush!!
Low and slow, eh? I think I had an $85 snipe on that. I deleted it when the bidding passed that mark. It sure did clean up nice didn't it? Good clean up job on that, Clint. They would me too...but I have most of my shaving purchases sent to my cousin's house. I've found that it avoids so very many awkward questions and eye rolls.
A big thank you to Mark @Boojum1 for letting me take Ocho on it's maiden voyage. The knot's finished measurements are 26mm as it exits the collar and a loft of 50mm. I've wanted to try a TGN HMW for quite a while. In short the brush preformed great. The brush has good backbone, super soft tips, excellent flow thru and a very luxurious face feel. As I was using the brush, I was thinking of the other knots I have that are similar. The most similar is my Rudy Vey Shavemac Finest which has exactly the same finished measurements. In a blind test, I think I would be hard pressed to tell which was which. The TGN HMW is more dense but the face feel is nearly identical. Mark thanks for letting me try this one out.
Clint, good review of the TGN High Mountain White Knot. This confirms my feelings about it. It's the perfect knot for Ocho.
Mark, don't forget to clean the aluminum cup up as well. The cups were sold with the brushes and it's rare to find them sold as a matching set. I've seen about five, including yours.
