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Review 2 Band of Brothers

Psmith

Psmith

Pmember
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Over the last month I seem to have acquired these three 2 band brushes: A Shavemac 2 Band 24mm Custom Fan, Paladin Falstaff 26mm Fan and a Thater 28mm 4125 bulb.
Over the next week or so I'll post a few review comparing these brushes. The Thater and Paladin are still breaking in, so today I'll start with the Shavemac.

Shavemac Custom using blue marble173 handle
Knot is a 24mm fan (measured 25mm) set at 48mm.
About A$200 landed.

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This was my first 2 Band and I could not have ordered a better brush. I exclusively face lather with soaps and wanted a brush with backbone, but soft tips. Bernd suggested this knot and it fits that criteria nicely.

The handle is excellent to grip. I'm a big fan of these hexagonal handles and the colour is awesome.
The knot has serious backbone. Actually, backbone seems an inappropriate word. It has presence. You know it's there, you appreciate its authority, but it has no scritch. The tips are very gentle. It feels like a pleasantly firm massage. The fan shaped knot works really well, and due to the loft, hasn't bloomed hugely. It has created incredible lather from everything I've thrown at it. Holding this quality brush I am inspired to make a lather worthy of it.

As I said earlier this was my first 2 band. Previously I've had a Shavemac silver tip, many Simpson Best and a few boars and synths. I was always a little cynical as to how much better a 2 Band could be. Let me clear on this: you WILL notice the difference. It is a different league. I felt compelled to buy 2 more almost immediately.

As to value, it's hard to quantify. My $20 boar can make lather just as well. However, I enjoy using this brush a lot more. I bought this directly from Shavemac and they were great to deal with. Buying from the EU is good value for us here, as we get the 19% VAT off, plus their shipping is cheapish.
I am ecstatic with this purchase.

Coming soon the Paladin....
 
Great start mate. I'm looking forward (I think?!?) to your other reviews. The 2-band Shavemac brushes are wonderful. I concur. [emoji41]
 
Great start @Psmith and a beautiful set of brushes - looking very much forward to your thoughts (y)
 
Time for review number 2:

Paladin Falstaff
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This is another 2 Band fan. It has a 26mm knot set at 49.5mm

I don't really want to go into the whole palaver that's now involved in getting your hands on a Paladin brush. Suffice it to say I got lucky.

Paladin brushes have a reputation for amazing handles and this is no exception. The shape fits my hand perfectly and the detail of the engraving and polishing is incredible. The Falstaff shape is close based on the older Chubby style and it works well for me. The material is solid and the finish flawless.
I was always a little curious as to how the knot would behave. After all, I tend not to lather anything with the handle. Previous Paladins have had Lee Sabini knots; however, Ken now sources his knots from China, and I wondered how they would stack up against other brushes at this price point. Clearly I had nothing to worry about. Ken is a perfectionist and spent a lot of time sourcing the knots. Apparently he has sent a whole bunch of his favourite brushes (shavemac, M&F, Simpson Manchurian etc.) to the manufacturers in China to ensure that they maintain that level of quality.

The knot is very similar to Shavemac 2 band, with maybe a fraction less backbone. It has lots of presence, zero scritch, and is certainly not floppy, although it is slightly less firm than the Shavemac. It picks up soap easily, even on hard soaps, and consistently creates a great lather. It has kept a very definite fan shape and has not bloomed very much. Blindfold I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between this knot and my Shavemac 2 Band, which I think says a lot.

Value is hard to call when talking about brushes like this. The are US$160, plus $8 shipping. I also had to use a freight forwarder as they don't ship to Oz. It came in at about A$240 landed. So, a bit more than an equivalent Shavemac. However, I think they perform on a par with a Shavemac brush, and the handle is significantly better.
 
Interesting. I have been thinking about the shavemac 2 band. It is supposed to have more backbone that the three right? Since that is the case, I reckon three is where it is at for me, but I love the look of the 2 band...
 
Sxot said:
Interesting. I have been thinking about the shavemac 2 band. It is supposed to have more backbone that the three right? Since that is the case, I reckon three is where it is at for me, but I love the look of the 2 band...
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It does have more backbone, but that can be adjusted a little by setting it at a different loft. The great thing about Shavemac is that you can talk to Bernd and get the exact specs you want.
Whilst it does have backbone the tips are very soft.
 
It's taken a while, but it's time to review the Thater 4125/3 2 Band

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Specs:
Knot: 28mm
Loft: 56mm
Height: 110mm
Cost from Shaving i.e.com A$205

Knot
This is easily the softest hair I have ever used. Significantly softer than Shavemac, Envy White and Paladin 2 band. The 2 Band still has enough backbone to face lather hard soaps. It is like using a firm cloud with zero scritch or scrub. When used with paint brush strokes it is like someone is caressing my face. I got the bulb because I was concerned that Thater hair may lack backbone. I'm not sure that would be the case, but I wouldn't want this size in a fan, it would feel enormous. Besides, Thater are renowned for their bulbs and this is the nicest looking bulb I've seen. This is a huge knot, however, it works well in my rotation. This knot had gel tips from day one.

Flow Through
Despite the 4125 series being the most densely packed of Thater's knots it don't come near to Shavemac, Envy White or Simpson Chubbys for density. Personally, I don't find that an issue and it helps with flow though immensely. This is a 28mm knot so needs heavy loading, but it doesn't seem to eat lather like a Chubby does for the first few months.

Handle
The octagonal handle works well and Thater increase the size of handle with the knot. It's very nice and good enough, but it does feel a little cheap compared to the Paladin or even Shavemac. This is the only area that I think could be improved.

Value
It's always hard to put a value on a brush that creates the same lather as a $15 boar. It comes in around the same price as a Simpson Chubby 2 Best and, despite it being a totally different brush, it's hard not to be impressed with the value of the Thater. A Shavemac this size would be significantly more money.

As you may have guessed, I love this brush. It is the softest, most luxurious brush in my collection. I could lather with it for hours. For me the specs work really well, especially as a point of difference in my rotation, but you may prefer a smaller brush. The Thater 4125/2 is 26mm and is around A$180. It's not as dense as some, and the handle may not appeal to all, but Thater 2 band hair is spectacular. Highly recommended.
 
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Thank you for the great review (y)
 
Psmith said:
It's taken a while, but it's time to review the Thater 4125/3 2 Band

Full_Size_Render_1.jpg
Full_Size_Render.jpg


Specs:
Knot: 28mm
Loft: 56mm
Height: 110mm
Cost from Shaving i.e.com A$205

Knot
This is easily the softest hair I have ever used. Significantly softer than Shavemac, Envy White and Paladin 2 band. The 2 Band still has enough backbone to face lather hard soaps. It is like using a firm cloud with zero scritch or scrub. When used with paint brush strokes it is like someone is caressing my face. I got the bulb because I was concerned that Thater hair may lack backbone. I'm not sure that would be the case, but I wouldn't want this size in a fan, it would feel enormous. Besides, Thater are renowned for their bulbs and this is the nicest looking bulb I've seen. This is a huge knot, however, it works well in my rotation. This knot had gel tips from day one.

Flow Through
Despite the 4125 series being the most densely packed of Thater's knots it don't come near to Shavemac, Envy White or Simpson Chubbys for density. Personally, I don't find that an issue and it helps with flow though immensely. This is a 28mm knot so needs heavy loading, but it doesn't seem to eat lather like a Chubby does for the first few months.

Handle
The octagonal handle works well and Thater increase the size of handle with the knot. It's very nice and good enough, but it does feel a little cheap compared to the Paladin or even Shavemac. This is the only area that I think could be improved.

Value
It's always hard to put a value on a brush that creates the same lather as a $15 boar. It comes in around the same price as a Simpson Chubby 2 Best and, despite it being a totally different brush, it's hard not to be impressed with the value of the Thater. A Shavemac this size would be significantly more money.

As you may have guessed, I love this brush. It is the softest, most luxurious brush in my collection. I could lather with it for hours. For me the specs work really well, especially as a point of difference in my rotation, but you may prefer a smaller brush. The Thater 4125/2 is 26mm and is around A$180. It's not as dense as some, and the handle may not appeal to all, but Thater 2 band hair is spectacular. Highly recommended.
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Great review. Hoping my Thater arrives soon.
 
Great review on the Thater.

You have hit the nail on the head regarding the brush. I have the same one but in a smaller size (24mm). I also have the 3 band Thater in the sames size. Whilst the 3 band is a little bit more luxurious in feel the 2 band is right behind it but with a little more backbone. Both are absolutely fantastic brushes and for me they are great value when compared to similar quality brushes.
 
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