Thread: Thater: Once and for all, Is it a Shavemac?

It depends how you define a brush maker. To me someone who buys a ready made handle and a ready made knot of hair is not a brushmaker. As far as I know a company like say Vulfix turns their own handles and buys hair in bulk and sorts and makes their own knots. To me that's a brushmaker. My impression was that's what Thater does.

Originally Posted by RayG

Everytime someone asks about Thater brushes, mainly on some of the other forums, someone will post a reply ranging from "It sure looks like a Shavemac" to "It's a rebadged Shavemac." The only constant in these cases is that the poster invariably is talking out of his a**, not having owned or tried a Thater. In some cases, not even a Shavemac.

So when my Chubby 2 came from SRD, I took some comparative photos to once and for all let folks decide for themselves.




(L-R) CH1 super, 24mm Thater (Chubby 2 - loft on mine is 52mm), DO1 Shavemac (23mm knot, 50mm loft), Silvertip Shavemac (23mm, 60mm loft).

Bear in mind that the Somerset CH1 is slightly larger than the current CH1.

And from above:



(Top) Thater, 60mm Shavemac
(Bottom) Simpsons CH1, DO1

I took these photos when the Thater first arrived, meaning to post a review once I have used it more. Moreover, what I wanted to show was that the Thater knot does not look to be anywhere close to the Shavemacs.

One Thater dealer on another froum commented that Shavemac may supply some handles for Thater, and that may account for the similar handled brushes on the Shavemac site (the Thater 4125 model in particular) but once you have the brushes in your hand, it is quite obvious that they are different. Moreso when you use them. I may be wrong and end up with egg on my face, but that this is my impression.

Comparative user review to follow once I have spent more time with the Thater, but after a few uses, suffice it to say, I am quite happy with it...

Yup, you're right, they all look the same.

Well, at least they all have hair on top.

I got a Thater, too. Nice brush.

Originally Posted by Bruce

Yup, you're right, they all look the same.

Well, at least they all have hair on top.

I got a Thater, too. Nice brush.

I think the only thing I learned from this is that I need
to buy at least one more brush.

Now the rhetorical question (that I can answer for myself)....
which one should I get first....... Which is "optimum" for MWF

I used the cheap 22mm thater and the nicer 24mm finest silvertip.

I used thed MWF 24mm with MWF yesterday with no problems

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

I think the only thing I learned from this is that I need
to buy at least one more brush.

Now the rhetorical question (that I can answer for myself)....
which one should I get first....... Which is "optimum" for MWF

I got an e-mail answer from Bernd at Shavemac. If he agrees, I will translate it completely and post it here - its pretty long.

But, rest assured, the Shavemac brushes are made by Shavemac (so are their knots!). Before they started selling brushes (some 15 years ago) they produced handles only. When Bernd took over from his dad, he started to make the complete product: badger hair knot and handle and assembled them.

He was just wondering how such rumors start and what the reason for them is.

Originally Posted by rudyvey

I got an e-mail answer from Bernd at Shavemac. If he agrees, I will translate it completely and post it here - its pretty long.

But, rest assured, the Shavemac brushes are made by Shavemac (so are their knots!). Before they started selling brushes (some 15 years ago) they produced handles only. When Bernd took over from his dad, he started to make the complete product: badger hair knot and handle and assembled them.

He was just wondering how such rumors start and what the reason for them is.

Thanks Rudy
I would love to see what Bernd's perspective on this is as I am certain that he made the brushes (Handles, knots and all).

PS: I am glad you wrote to him, because that saves me from doing the same tonight, after work