Vie-Long Epsilon question

I have been looking at the Epsilon brush page at Gifts and Care website.  They are offering silvertip brushes that look very much like two-band knots rather than what I think of as three-band silvertip knots.

1] Has anyone tried their silvertip knots?  What do you think?
2] Do they resemble Shavemac's two-band silvertip knots?

I have an Epsilon 2 band (also a 3 band) and a Shavemac 2 band. When dry the Shavemac feels more stout. When wet the Epsilon has more backbone - perhaps because it is more densely filled than the Shavemac.

(10-17-2016, 03:53 PM)Teddyboy Wrote: I have been looking at the Epsilon brush page at Gifts and Care website.  They are offering silvertip brushes that look very much like two-band knots rather than what I think of as three-band silvertip knots.

1] Has anyone tried their silvertip knots?  What do you think?
2] Do they resemble Shavemac's two-band silvertip knots?

I have this one it has quickly become one of my favorites. I like it far more than the Shavematic.
Vie-Long 16920 Silver Tip Badger Shaving Brush, Horn Handle 
from Vie-Long


2.0 out of 5 stars    1 customer review
 

 

• 
  
  

Ted, if you are referring to the Epsilon Silvertip 2-Band knots, then they don't resemble Shavemac's Silvertip 2-Band knots, at all.
The former have much more backbone than the latter, which have much softer tips than the Epsilons.

If you are wondering about the Epsilon 3-Band knots, a few friends have told me that you should get the 50mm knots as they are very nice with very good backbone as opposed to the 55mm knots which have a bit too much splay.

I highly recommend the Epsilon 2-Band 55mm knots/brushes, but you'll find the handles to be a very simple resin. 
Good luck.

Thanks Celestino.  I already have two of the two-band brushes and they are great.  I was curious as to why the Epsilon silvertips shown at Gift and Care look more like two-banders.  But if the siivertips are that floppy, I will just give them a pass.  Thanks for your input.

The resin handles are cast (not lathe turned) so don't have the same quality.  The Krion handles are dense/heavy and feel much nicer in the hand.  
One thing to remember is that all badger hair has three color bands.  The "2-band" brushes have a much longer (thicker) black (center) band so the third tan band gets buried in the handle and goes unseen.  The photos of the Silvertip (3-band) Epsilon brushes with low 50mm loft have the third band set low in the handle.
I have several Epsilon brushes (my favorite) in both 2-band and 3-band (Silvertip).  I think the silvertips have less backbone than the 2-bands while both have super soft tips.
IMHO, the absolute best Epsilon brush ever released were the first batch with the engraved black (lathe-turned) handles.  I have two of these.
The sweet-spot (for me) of the current batches are 50mm loft for the 3-band (Silvertip) and 55mm loft for the 2-band offerings.

Thanks for you thoughtful input.

Ted, I'm not sure where you got the information that the 3-band silvertip Epsilons are floppy.

On the contrary, mine, set at 50mm, has a great deal of backbone due to the extreme density of the knot.  This knot has the finest, softest 3-band hair I've ever experienced, and it provides a true "wall of badger" feel that is unlike any other brush I own.  I haven't used the 55 mm 3 band, but with this much density I can't imagine it would be even close to floppy.  Again, this brush has made me reconsider the need to get a Simpson Chubby.

If you like the feel of a dense 3 band knot, you will not be disappointed with the Epsilon 27x50 silvertip.

Reading the earlier posts, I think I see that Celestino pretty much already said the same thing.