(This post was last modified: 12-26-2016, 05:07 PM by bijou.)
I also have both 4 Thaters and 4 Elite's. Firstly I like fans so my brushes have fan knots (24, 26)I like the spread of a fan over the controlled compactness of a bulb. My Thaters are older 4-7 years old and as the other gentleman said they are beautifully cloud/pillowy in feel. The design of Thater handles are very limited, I had the knots taken out and put into Elite and Doug Horn handles of my choosing.
As far as the Elite Manchurian's I have not had the experience of any shedding. The Elite 24 comes out a 26 at the opening my lofts are 52 and 54. They are a denser knot than the Thater with very soft tips (no scritch) which gives a fuller brush feel when face lathering. You will also have a very large choice of custom handles.
I would consider buying both over time since having a 2-3 brush rotation would make the usage of each brush last much longer. I would also consider over time another brush which is very inexpensive ($42 which includes shipping) the Stirling 26 either the 54 or 58 loft for the scrub of a strong backbone brush with soft non scritch tips.
bakerbarber likes this post