Those are 2 different kind of badgers,beware ! The Black is stiff with very good backbone and scratchy Can load anything even the hard soaps and beats the Boars in the scratchy sector so if you have a very sensitive skin with soft beard maybe will make your swirling not a pleasure procedure. The Silvertips are much softer,the softer of badgers The swirling with them is a pleasure but this not necessary means good massage to your skin Silvertips over-bloom and that's nice for photos,the Black Badger stand still like a rock. A category between those badgers is the Best,the Pure is after the Black and the Super is before the Silvertips.
The black is pretty scratchy, but not so much so that it's uncomfortable. Use it twice and it's got a nice feel and the 30mm knot size is awesome. I'm a big fan of it so far!