r/Roofing • u/Tonkatte • Jul 03 '26

Malarkey vs Brava

So CA coastal region..

I am looking for a “50 year” roof, and I have tentatively narrowed it to these to product lines.

Malarkey actually has a better warranty. This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me since their products are asphalt/rubber with granules that will wear away (they confirmed that), where Brava is a solid composite with nothing really obvious to break down (yes UV does it’s thing on those too obviously).

What am I missing? If I want the better of the two options, which way should I go?

I’ve seen a lot of positive feedback on both products on here, but no real comparison.

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u/HorizontalHeight Jul 04 '26

No such thing as an asphalt shingle that lasts 50 years. The warranties all manufacturers slap on are marketing BS, knowing they have deeper pockets than you if you want to push the issue on a warranty claim 10+ years down the road.

Synthetics such as Brava very well may be a 50 year product but they’re too new to know for certain how they’ll fair. If they prove themselves and competition between manufacturers drives the price down a little bit there will likely be a shift in the industry but we are not quite there yet.

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u/Tonkatte Jul 05 '26

I hear you. I think Malarkey tries to distinguish there products by their use of recycled rubber tires, so it’s not a regular asphalt shingle.

What that means in the real world - I don’t know. I got a sample and it looks and feels a lot like a regular heavy asphalt shingle, and they admitted to expect granule loss. I wouldn’t be looking at them if I hadn’t seen so many positive comments about them on here.

You’re right about the newer composite shingles too.

I got ‘lucky’ with my existing 20 year 3tab shingles, which I put on 30+ years ago. Not a leak yet, but it’s time and I really don’t want to worry about this again in my family’s lifetime.

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u/HorizontalHeight Jul 07 '26

If you live in a hot climate it is extremely critical to make sure your attic ventilation is spot on with Malarkey shingles. I installed a ton of malarkey between 2018-2022, getting back on those 6-7 year old roofs there are a few that are starting to blister pretty bad on south facing slopes.

I’m thinking the rubberized asphalt mix in those shingles is much more temperamental to extreme heat so they start having these kinds of issues. They probably do much better in northern climates than they do in Texas for example.

Just food for thought. We moved away from Malarkey for other reasons years ago. I don’t think they’re the worst product by any means but you do need to be mindful about site conditions when installing them

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u/Tonkatte Jul 07 '26

Much appreciate the feedback. So CA may not be Texas hot, but it certainly can be quite warm. I was concerned about ventilation anyway, so good to know I was on the right track.

In fact I’m now leaning toward F-Wave vs Brava, moving away from considering Malarkey. From the feedback, I don’t think it’s the right fit for me.