My journey in bringing our brush line to market has been illuminating. There isn’t much transparency about the most popular knots. Relatively few knots represent much of what customers love. Some price points in the market are higher than I think they should be and are certainly higher than the formula we use for affordable luxury.
The knot to the left of the attached picture is the HCX and is similar to the G5C and G7. This knot has less back bone than the others, though seems to be the sweet spot for many.
The next knot is our XTC. It is similar to the G5 and the knot used in the Evo 2. This knot has softer tips than the HCX mentioned above and more backbone. Preferences in knots vary. I find this knot to be better than all but one badger I’ve own and equal to that one. I love soft, soft tips and lots of backbone. This knot is the cat’s meow for that.
The knot on the right is the G8. It is somewhat unique based on my experience. It has tremendous backbone, yet has soft tips. The tips aren’t as soft as the HCX or XTC. They are much softer that brushes I’ve used that match the backbone. Think of this knot as being two levels above the HCX/G5C/G7 type knots for backbone. We named it the G8-Max Backbone. Tobin did a great review on this one if you would like more info.