This is my first Maggard knot, but not my first Finest knot by any means. First off the hair is very well set and base dimensions are close to exact , also the hair doesn't spread/swell excessively above the plug, these are nice features that are by no means universal to all suppliers! My next observation is that this is already a very densely packed knot... I can't imagine how they'll get another 30% more hair in these to make the SHD version. As far as backbone, resilience and scent, this knot is as good as any I have seen and better than most, the tips aren't the softest of any 2-band I've used, but are very nice and feel significantly softer when wet than dry. All in all an excellent knot for a very fair price, I would compare these to most other suppliers "extra density" or premium grade knots when spec-ing a knot for your brush projects.