Shavemac 2 band Silvertip vs. Maggard's SHD 2 band knot thoughts?

[GMM]

I'm interested in getting a new badger knot and thinking of either going with a "build my own" Maggard's 24mm SHD 2 band Fan knot or a Shavemac 24 mm 2 band Silvertip Fan.
I face lather the majority of the time In addition to my synthetic and boar brushes I own a pre-made Maggard 2 band 26mm non-SHD fan and an Omega 23mm bulb knot 622 'Super Badger" that I quite like and a WCS 26 mm Silvertip bulb knot that is good but a bit floppy for my tastes.
Any thoughts about the Maggard SHD 2 Band knot vs the Shavemac 2 band Silvertip?

 

[Cannon Cocker]

I’ll take a shot at this.

I have a Maggard 2 band fan SHD 26mm with a loft of 52 mm I think (Not home so I can’t measure). I also have Shavemac 2 band fans 22/46, 24/50 and 26/50.

The Maggard knot makes a very fine brush. It has soft tips and good backbone. The Shavemac knots also have smooth tips and good backbone. I face lather and find the Shavemac knots to have better flow thru which is the game changer for me.

Most of the overstuffed brushes I have used tend to hold onto the lather which I do not like.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[BigJ]

Great question!!

I have one SHD from Maggard and 5(!!) ShaveMac 2-bands; all are great knots! My personal preference is ShaveMac, but doubt you would go far wrong with either option!!

 

[never-stop-learning]

I have 3 or so Maggard SHD Fan knots and a whole bunch of the Shavemac 2-Band Silvertip Fan knots.

The Maggard SHD Fan is excellent, but the Shavemac 2-Band Silvertip Fan is my go-to knot.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I had a Shavemac 2 Band Silvertip that I found to be too stiff and scratchy for my tastes. I have a Maggard 2 Band SHD that I originally found a bit too floppy but which I now really like (I know that doesn't make sense as brushes do not become less floppy with use). I think that some others who recently purchased Shavemac 2 Band Silvertip brushes have also experienced the excessive scratchiness, but many have not. I cannot tell if this is variation in the brushes or variation in perception. My experience with most manufacturers has been that the variation from brush to brush is considerable. I have had Simpsons Duke brushes I loved and some that I did not care for at all. I have had similar experiences with TGN knots and Semogue brushes.

With all that said, my recommendation would be to buy the Maggard SHD knot and experiment with the loft. I have found that a great deal of the brush characteristics are determined by the loft at which you set the knot. Yes, with the Shavemac you can specifiy the loft you want, but given what I believe to be significant variation from knot to knot, you can't be sure what the best loft for you will be with that specific knot. With the Maggard SHD you can temporarily set the knot to a given loft and move up or down from there based upon your preferences.

 

[CoreyWoodmancy]

I must have been unlucky in that my shavemac knot was very scratchy despite being soft when dry. The knot looked beautiful but it had a very unpleasant face feel when lathering. All the other shavemac knots I have had throughout the years have been great.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I must have been unlucky in that my shavemac knot was very scratchy despite being soft when dry. The knot looked beautiful but it had a very unpleasant face feel when lathering. All the other shavemac knots I have had throughout the years have been great.

I had a Rooney finest once like this. This hair got a lot of high praise and there are a few that like them a lot. However, like your experience, the brush was soft when dry, but when it was wet and shave ready to use, it was like NATO wire on the face.
So far, I have not experienced any scratchy Shavemac knot in my personal stash of brushes. I have some 10 two-band silvertip, several D01 in both two and three band, silvertip and finest.
But then, as I always say: Shaving Brushes, and how they feel, is very subjective!! What one thinks it is the very best, could be the worst for another guy.

 

[CoreyWoodmancy]

Well said Rudy, I agree completely.

 

[rsp1202]

I had a similar experience to Rudy's with a couple of Rooney Finest 2/1's back in 2009, the scritchiest brushes I've ever used. Other owners had raved about their softness, but this batch from one dealer was a complete dud. Probably my first great disappointment in wet shaving.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I had a similar experience to Rudy's with a couple of Rooney Finest 2/1's back in 2009, the scritchiest brushes I've ever used. Other owners had raved about their softness, but this batch from one dealer was a complete dud. Probably my first great disappointment in wet shaving.

I guess we got them both from the same batch.

 

[RBRB]

I'm interested in getting a new badger knot and thinking of either going with a "build my own" Maggard's 24mm SHD 2 band Fan knot or a Shavemac 24 mm 2 band Silvertip Fan.
I face lather the majority of the time In addition to my synthetic and boar brushes I own a pre-made Maggard 2 band 26mm non-SHD fan and an Omega 23mm bulb knot 622 'Super Badger" that I quite like and a WCS 26 mm Silvertip bulb knot that is good but a bit floppy for my tastes.
Any thoughts about the Maggard SHD 2 Band knot vs the Shavemac 2 band Silvertip?

I have the maggard 26mm shd fan knot, like it very much. No experience with shavemac. Find their site confusing. My favorite is chisel and hound knots v-series, priced right as well.