Shavemac 2-band Silvertip vs Declaration Grooming B18

[Lurking_Grue]

I want to keep this simple. I'm trying to decide between these two knots -- the DG B18 (relatively new) and the Shavemac 2-band silvertip.

I understand that these are very different, and I also realized that the B18 is just starting to get out into the hands of folks who ordered from DG...but I wanted to hear what people who had used each (or both, although that's unlikely) had to say both good and bad about these.

 

[dmshaver]

I'm not able to help. I have the DG B14 knot & it is a gel tip knot that performs very well. I don't know if the B18 is gel tipped, or not. I have a Shavemac 2 band silvertip, not the D01 2 band, & I enjoy the softness of the brush yet firmness & moderate amount of backbone. It is one of my favorite knots currently in my den.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I have a B14 and it is quite processed and gels and dries hard. The B16 I have was set too high in the loft, but it is not processed. Shavemac two-bands are most what I have, the non-D01 versions, and i like them all. Compared to the B16, I think they have a bit more backbone, but also soft tips, but then they are all set at a proper loft. No clue how the B18 is, have not seen or heard much about it.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

They’ll be completely different.

Declaration Grooming knots are typical of the artisan, hand-tied brush that has become fashionable. Large, 28mm knots, very densely packed, lowish loft, thick two-band badger hair, and chemically softened and bleached white tips. If you like a large brush that has high backbone and soft tips (possibly slightly artificial feeling) then you will like this. And of course you’re paying for the custom-poured acrylic handle, which might be to your taste.

Personally, I’m kind of over this sort of brush, but there was a time when I liked them and I have quite a few. They’re all quite similar, with slight differences in the amount of backbone and how much the tips are treated (slightly less or more natural feeling). As I say, they are all much more similar than they are different, and D18 won’t be very different from the other batches - you would detect different nuances if you compare batches directly, but only the collectors care about that.

The Shavemac will be more normal, and of course much less money. Not as huge, not as dense and stiff, not as pretty if you like all the tips to look uniformly creamy white, and not as artificially soft. If you like strong backbone then some of the Shavemac knots are still pretty backboney and can be made more so with a lower loft.

Me? I prefer low backbone, low-density, high loft, three-band, fine haired silvertip knots. So completely the opposite. Good for me, because they often don’t cost as much. I find them gentler and more luxurious and soft, much less effort to splay, quicker to whip up a nice, smooth lather, and much quicker to dry. But the hair is more fragile and you shouldn’t mash it like the YouTubers do with their artisan brushes.

So it just depends on what you like and how much you are happy to pay. With shaving brushes, expensive artisan made doesn’t mean better, it just means it is a particular style of brush. And if that’s the style you prefer then, lucky you, you get to pay $400 instead of what other styles of brush cost. Not that the pricing is unfair - a lot more work goes into selecting the type of hair, treating it (usually not done by the artisan), making the handle, and manually constructing these knots. Nobody is getting rich making shaving brushes.

Based on your apparent interest, I’d suggest you buy the DG brush to see what these are all about, if you don’t mind the price. It will be a nice brush and it will tell you whether expensive artisan brushes are your thing or not. Just get one and take your time getting to know it before you start jumping in to buying more. And don’t feel you have to like it just because it’s expensive and many brush collectors favour this type of brush - find out your own preferences. The Shavemac won’t give you this artisan knot experience, though this doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like the Shavemac brush better.

 

[Lurking_Grue]

I'm not able to help. I have the DG B14 knot & it is a gel tip knot that performs very well. I don't know if the B18 is gel tipped, or not. I have a Shavemac 2 band silvertip, not the D01 2 band, & I enjoy the softness of the brush yet firmness & moderate amount of backbone. It is one of my favorite knots currently in my den.

That is *exactly* helpful! I know there's going to be almost nobody who can give me info on both, but any info about either is great! Thanks!

To add to that -- if you had to pick between the Shavemac and the DG B14, which would you keep?

 

[Lurking_Grue]

They’ll be completely different.

Declaration Grooming knots are typical of the artisan, hand-tied brush that has become fashionable. Large, 28mm knots, very densely packed, lowish loft, thick two-band badger hair, and chemically softened and bleached white tips. If you like a large brush that has high backbone and soft tips (possibly slightly artificial feeling) then you will like this. And of course you’re paying for the custom-poured acrylic handle, which might be to your taste.

Personally, I’m kind of over this sort of brush, but there was a time when I liked them and I have quite a few. They’re all quite similar, with slight differences in the amount of backbone and how much the tips are treated (slightly less or more natural feeling). As I say, they are all much more similar than they are different, and D18 won’t be very different from the other batches - you would detect different nuances if you compare batches directly, but only the collectors care about that.

The Shavemac will be more normal, and of course much less money. Not as huge, not as dense and stiff, not as pretty if you like all the tips to look uniformly creamy white, and not as artificially soft. If you like strong backbone then some of the Shavemac knots are still pretty backboney and can be made more so with a lower loft.

Me? I prefer low backbone, low-density, high loft, three-band, fine haired silvertip knots. So completely the opposite. Good for me, because they often don’t cost as much. I find them gentler and more luxurious and soft, much less effort to splay, quicker to whip up a nice, smooth lather, and much quicker to dry. But the hair is more fragile and you shouldn’t mash it like the YouTubers do with their artisan brushes.

So it just depends on what you like and how much you are happy to pay. With shaving brushes, expensive artisan made doesn’t mean better, it just means it is a particular style of brush. And if that’s the style you prefer then, lucky you, you get to pay $400 instead of what other styles of brush cost. Not that the pricing is unfair - a lot more work goes into selecting the type of hair, treating it (usually not done by the artisan), making the handle, and manually constructing these knots. Nobody is getting rich making shaving brushes.

Based on your apparent interest, I’d suggest you buy the DG brush to see what these are all about, if you don’t mind the price. It will be a nice brush and it will tell you whether expensive artisan brushes are your thing or not. Just get one and take your time getting to know it before you start jumping in to buying more. And don’t feel you have to like it just because it’s expensive and many brush collectors favour this type of brush - find out your own preferences. The Shavemac won’t give you this artisan knot experience, though this doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like the Shavemac brush better.

Very interesting and helpful -- thanks for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully.