Hi DomMan ..... hmmm, sounds like you may be getting double-knots rather than single....that can lead to ` visibility` ......bleaching is severe / harsh on the hair and usually leads to early, heavy-shedding of hair from the lace.....I just received two new systems.....the front and the sideburn/s areas are done perfectly [no knots visible ].... over the rest of it, the knots are not even worth mentioning..they`re tiny /not visible at all..... my only issue is with a light/er density on those areas, there is visible ` shine` from the underlying tape/s [am using Walker No-shine too !]
I suggest you order single-tied knots and ask John to emphasize to the factory that you want the knots on the front and flaps properly bleached etc. [they often use fabric-dyes to colour the hair, so bleaching is ineffective on the knots in that case]
The trade-off for single-tied knots is they can become undone more easily than double knots, and so you get shedding.....a good idea is to use `knot-sealer` on the underside [lace] to `lock` the knots --- it forms an acrylic skin on the lace and knots and helps prevent them becoming untied and hair shedding out. You can re-apply it every 4 -6 weeks as it can become removed from washing/s.
I`ve found that by dabbing [lightly] a little talcum powder onto the lace where tape is showing ` shine`, helps to dull it down...we`ve had some really lovely sunny days here in the last month [ yeah I know hard to believe in Ireland !! ---God bless global-warming ;-)) ] and I was conscious of the tape-shine being obvious in the strong light ...just a tiny bit of talc on the tip of one finger, improves things a lot !
My Camera isn`t really great at close-up detail so it`s not possible to see the knots in detail but it`s never really been an issue for me with systems I got from Toplace, though I know some guys do experience it...... I never bleach them [to answer your question] and I usually get a minimum of 6 months or so before they begin to look ` tired` ..but bear in mind, I remove the system nightly for sleeping.....I guess that helps them to last a lot longer ... I hope that helps and your next order/s are more satisfactory ...kind regards!