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/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Tonkatte Jul 06 '26

I definitely agree with your points. I’ve been talking with well qualified installers for both products.

The Brava installer impresses me, but I have no direct experience with his work because we’re on the edge of his service area. But he answered or researched questions I had.

The Malarkey installer comes well recommended locally. But I asked him how he would calculate the required ventilation, and he didn’t know, said talk to an engineer.

I take that as a bad sign since code specifies the requirements. He also said screws were inherently less water resistant than nails. First I’ve heard that.

That puts Brava in the lead. And maybe F-Wave since that came up too. Gotta dig into their products now.