The v10, Shop Progress, and What's Next

I'm really happy to announce that the v10 Fanchurian knot has arrived on our fair shores! This knot is an impressive specimen. While the Fanchurian's specs haven't been altered since the introduction of the remarkable v5, there have been variations in the hair that make each batch of knots unique. The v10's big break from its predecessors is the density. Holy cow, are these things dense! I'm actually experimenting with increasing the default loft from 48mm to 50mm to increase splay and flow-through.

Initial impressions show less gelly tips than previous batches, but they are still quite soft and will break in with time. As an aside: I do not have my knots chemically treated for gel tips. This would be an added expense and I feel that with the high quality of hair that I have sourced, it is unnecessary. My philosophy is that you can always opt to treat a knot if that's your thing (several artisans offer this service), but you can't UN-treat one.

In other news, the shop is coming along much slower than expected. The shell of the building is complete and the office and casting rooms have been framed up. The next step will be running wiring. I have a friend who is helping me on this project and I'm hoping to have schematics and a shopping list in hand soon. After the wires are run, I'll slap up some sheathing on the walls and move in!

The next drop will be on Tuesday, April 13, at 5 p.m. Central Time. There'll be quite a wide variety of brushes available, including: beer brushes, Pueblos, tons of inlaid options, razor handles, and a few hybrids.