A brush restoration dilemma!

[Sunbird]

Click on image to enlarge.

A brush dilemma!

From left to right.

1) My first restore yesterday! Ever Ready 650PB with 20mm TGN Finest Extra Hair. Pre bloom. Had to take pics before trying it out.

All the others are original as found washed in soapy water only. My dilemma is that they are all good face latherers and they are in unrestored original condition. I know they would look and perform even better with nice new appropriately sized knots, but is that spoiling an original brush that seems to be OK as is.
Do I or don't I??
Do I really want 7 brushes all with similar new knots?

The line up is as follows:-

2) Ever Ready 150
3) Made Rite 500PB Pure Badger SET IN RUBBER
4) Mohawk 3-338
5) Mohawk 5-341
6) No name travel brush
7) Ever-Ready 500CC Pure Badger SET IN RUBBER with its own travel tube marked Ever-Ready

Please advise me.

Do I continue looking for restorers or take the plunge and cut their manes?

What do you guys think?

Sunbird

 

[pablo_h]

They all look fine as they are except second from the left. I wouldn't replace all the brushes with all similar new knots myself!

Best wait for a few weeks until pjotr is back from his european holiday.
He may offer some good advice as he's done a few restorations himself I believe.
I think he gets everything from TGN as well.
But he has dropped by even while overseas recently.

And wow, you are pretty hard core if you are getting old brushes to restore. I'd love to get an ever ready brush myself one day.

 

[Sunbird]

Thanks pablo-h for your suggestion. No hurry.

Interestingly the second from the left has lots of backbone, is badger and is a fantastic face latherer. It is still a bit damp in the photo making it look like a drowned badger.

Today I ordered three TGN knots, 18mm, 20mm and 22mm as I have about 20 other old brushes which can be done one day. I matured in my purchases after a while, starting off with Ever-Readys then looking for brushes with butterscotch because that seemed to be the trend. YKWIM.
Sunbird

 

[Drubbing]

View attachment 239
My dilemma is that they are all good face latherers and they are in unrestored original condition. I know they would look and perform even better with nice new knots

Not necessarily.

TGN is really the only decent source of knots, and there's not much between them - ask PJ, he's made me 3. Their Best isn't, and the Super is just ok. Finest is good, but they all perform the same. Neither are very dense. Finest is just softest.