Help with picking the knot from shavemac

I have decided, I need to get one more brush.

I want to buy shavemac silvertip 2 band - and am thinking between 26 or 28 mm
The way I understand that usually his knots are a little bigger than the stated size.

I only face later.

based on your experience with this knot - what should he loft be set at?

Does Brend adjust density of the knot if I request it so?

Thanks

You will get different answers for your question. I have a half dozen shavemac 2-bands and I only face lather, and prefer 28mm set at 52mm. I prefer very soft tips, which this knot has, and moderate backbone. Many people prefer a 50mm loft, but I find lower lofts just too stiff for my liking. I've never asked Bernd to adjust density, but in general he goes out of his way to please his customers and provide them with what they want.

Fan or bulb?

I have one coming in a 28mmX52mm fan. This has been told to me over and over and over at the 28mm size. As far as density for the 2 band you have Silvertip 2 band and then D01 2 band. Personally the D01 is a little too dense for me.

I to too go for the higher loft in a fan shape. Superb brushes. Soft with a good amount of backbone without the stuff and scratch of shorter loft.

I don't own any Shavemacs at the moment, and I probably never will since they do not hold their value. I'm not a big fan of having my brushes lose value even if I have no intention of selling them at the present moment. I would never want to spend $150-$200 on a Shavemac, find out I hate it, and then not be able to get more than $95 for it should I decide to sell.  

Based on conversations with friends, it is my understanding that these knots are very soft. 

One of my good friends with similar preferences even told me these brushes were "mops."

I know it is in high fashion at the time to jump onto the "Shavemac 2-band bandwagon," with every member of this board singing their non-stop praises in every thread.

I have resisted such temptation for the reasons declared above.

However, if you like brushes with any degree of scrub (like myself,) I wouldn't consider going over a 50mm loft in the 26-28mm knot diameter range.

If you happen to be like the majority of the board, who likes their brushes to be very soft, I would take the advice of 52mm, but would not exceed it.

That is my 2 cents.

Agreed with Nick.
I would go with 26x48

I think that shavemac 2 band is over rated . I liked d1 /2 band much better than silvertip 2 band


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I have some experience with Shavemac silvertip 2-band and D01 2-band.  I find that a Shavemac 26mm silvertip 2-band bulb set to a 50mm loft strikes a nice balance between softness and  backbone.  If I was going with a fan I would go to 48mm with the loft.  However, if you like backbone the bulb may be a better choice for you.

I face lather 110% of the time.

My Shavemac 2-Band Silvertips were spec'ed like this:

Fan shaped knot, 26 mm knot size, 50 mm loft
Bulb shaped knot, 28 mm knot size, 54 mm loft

Great brushes both of them.

I much prefer the 2-band silvertip.  Of the two d01 2 bands I've had they both had a fair amount of scritch to them.  The 2-band silvertips I have are much softer and have a gel-tip quality.

My preferences:
26x50 fan
26x52 bulb

I am extremely pleased  with my shavemack two- band Silvertips. 
26/ 50 fan
24/ 48 fan

I had a 30x50mm shavemac two band that didn't have enough backbone for me, even at these extreme dimensions. In addition the short loft didn't release lather well. Either way I'm out on the new silvertip two band.

On the other hand I ordered this monster in d01 two band and I couldn't be happier. Shavemac Americana with 32x56 mm knot. Actual measurements are 34x56. Good backbone, good lather release, all scritch is gone after 10-15 uses. Amazing!








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I only own 1 Shavemac 2 band silvertip brush. The knot is a 26mm fan set to a 50mm loft. I face lather and just love this brush. The tips are soft and it has very good backbone, definitely not a mop. No problem loading enough MWF for my normal 4 pass shave. I like the Shavemac 2 band silvertip enough that I am having another brush made using that knot in a 24mm size.

Bob

They are nice brushes.
I don't think there is a 'bandwagon.'
Soft tips with a bit of backbone (more than Thater)
Priced well too.

(02-14-2016, 03:33 PM)NSmalls Wrote: I don't own any Shavemacs at the moment, and I probably never will since they do not hold their value. I'm not a big fan of having my brushes lose value even if I have no intention of selling them at the present moment. I would never want to spend $150-$200 on a Shavemac, find out I hate it, and then not be able to get more than $95 for it should I decide to sell.  

Based on conversations with friends, it is my understanding that these knots are very soft. 

One of my good friends with similar preferences even told me these brushes were "mops."

I know it is in high fashion at the time to jump onto the "Shavemac 2-band bandwagon," with every member of this board singing their non-stop praises in every thread.

I have resisted such temptation for the reasons declared above.

However, if you like brushes with any degree of scrub (like myself,) I wouldn't consider going over a 50mm loft in the 26-28mm knot diameter range.

If you happen to be like the majority of the board, who likes their brushes to be very soft, I would take the advice of 52mm, but would not exceed it.

That is my 2 cents.

I think second hand Shavemac brushes drop in value because they aren't a pain in the arse to acquire and the maker is very easy to communicate with which means buying brand new brush from Shavemac is a good option. The quality of brush and hair used are absolutely top notch in my opinion. If Bernd shut up shop tomorrow I think there would be quite a few people scrambling to buy up his last brushes.

I also think you should at least try a Shavemac 2-band silvertip brush in your preferred dimensions before forming such a strong opinion and then offer your 2 cents.

I own a 28/54 2-band Silvertip in bulb and I'm very happy with it. I am also considering ordering a 2-band silvertip fan in 28/52 or 50 loft quite soon. This hair is quite resilient with very soft tips. My bulb knot is of medium density which works well in this shape and loft but I think in the fan shape the 28/50 would be good or if you could have Bernd increase the density then a 28/52 knot would be good.




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(02-15-2016, 04:05 AM)nudge101 Wrote:

(02-14-2016, 03:33 PM)NSmalls Wrote: I don't own any Shavemacs at the moment, and I probably never will since they do not hold their value. I'm not a big fan of having my brushes lose value even if I have no intention of selling them at the present moment. I would never want to spend $150-$200 on a Shavemac, find out I hate it, and then not be able to get more than $95 for it should I decide to sell.  

Based on conversations with friends, it is my understanding that these knots are very soft. 

One of my good friends with similar preferences even told me these brushes were "mops."

I know it is in high fashion at the time to jump onto the "Shavemac 2-band bandwagon," with every member of this board singing their non-stop praises in every thread.

I have resisted such temptation for the reasons declared above.

However, if you like brushes with any degree of scrub (like myself,) I wouldn't consider going over a 50mm loft in the 26-28mm knot diameter range.

If you happen to be like the majority of the board, who likes their brushes to be very soft, I would take the advice of 52mm, but would not exceed it.

That is my 2 cents.

I also think you should at least try a Shavemac 2-band silvertip brush in your preferred dimensions before forming such a strong opinion and then offer your 2 cents.





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Yes, I often wonder why anyone would comment on something they have not had any direct personal experience with.

I currently own 25 brushes (way too many), and of those 5 of them are Shavemacs.  They make absolutely wonderful brushes.  It's not too often you hear of a Shavemac being a shedder as opposed to other shaving manufacturers.  Shavemacs are easy to acquire therefore you're gonna see more of them on the bst as opposed to a M&F.  I see a lot of CH2's and CH3's on the bst.  This doesn't mean that they are bad brushes.  As far as the value goes, I think a lot of people would rather pay a little more for a new Shavemac made to their specs, as opposed to buying a second hand brush.  I also see some of these brushes on bst that might not meet the needs of a lot of buyers, therefore the value is less than it could be.  i.e. 22x58 loft, 28x46 loft, exteme flat top, etc...

Shavemac has a lot of things going for it, market stability may not be at the top of that list.  I don't purchase brushes with the intent to resell as I am an admitted collector.  However, the advantage to the depreciation is that you  can easily pick up a fantastic brush that competes with the best at a fraction of the cost of the competition.  I have tried all versions of the Shavemac knots with exception of the Pure and all of them perform exceptionally. 

The two-band silvertip that you are inquiring about is indeed hype-worthy and an excellent choice.  I have owned two (currently only one) and both offered exceptionally soft tips with moderate backbone.  I didn't experience anything in the realm of floppiness, but would suggest keeping the bulb shape knots at a 2:1 ratio and the fan shape slightly below that if you prefer a firmer backbone. 



The above "Barber" handle has a 27x50mm knot and it is phenomenal.  My previous 2-band Silvertip was the Americana had a 26x47mm knot and it was also excellent, but I wasn't as satisfied with my handle choice.

Thank you so much guys! I really apologize as I did not mean to bring out the strong emotions. Nevertheless it has given me a lot to think about!!
Thanks

Nick, The OP asked a non-threatening question about brush specs manufactured from Shavemac in Germany,
Ease up a bit brother.