Never got on leaving the cobs in just uncovered plaits personally myself I'm afraid!
His are plaited inside, but with just soft small scrunchies on the end and covered in conditioner and pig oil. His mane is just down past near his elbow/shoulders now...it's doubled up over in the bags, so is double the length of the mane bags. A couple of friends swear by mane bags with their cobbies....so thought we'd give it a go and see where we're at in a few months!
He may have grown a bit Pandora! I can never really tell the difference other than comparing photos lol!