As I mentioned a little while ago, I have made a brush I jokingly refers to as “Brush, Experimental, version Alpha” – or “X-A” for short.

Having used the home made X-A for two weeks, I have reached a few conclusion;
– While sold as “Chinese Badger”, the knot is undoubtedly synthetic. Not a bad synthetic either, but not a great one.
– The knot lathers well, soft and with just enough backbone.
– The handle sits well in my hand, but is slightly on the large side.
– The mineral oil and CA – GLUE finish is in fact fairly waterproof.
Overall I’ll rate the X-A as a successful first brush.