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I was thinking of buying a Simpson’s polo 8 shaving brush.
Does anybody have experience with these brushes as I am undecided as to which one I should get? Is the super badger knot worth paying that bit extra for or is the best badger the one to go for.
I both bowl and face lather and use creams and soaps .
I've got a Polo Super # 8 from the Somerset days, a two band, and it is great. Scrtichy and just the right backbone. I have a recently acquired Manchurian Polo # 10 from the Vulfix Simpson and it too is great. Not the same as the Somerset Manchurian Chubby I had, but a great brush in its own right. The long handles on the Polos are very ..... well, ''handy' for my large mitts. I haven't had one in Best but I've had other Simpsons in Best and they were real good brushes.
I really like my Polo 8 in the super. Nice backbone and suds builder. I have the Polo 10 as well in the super and have found that it is just too big for me. My sweet spot has really become the 24-26mm knots and I am hoping that Simpson does another Butter Scotch Polo 8 in the Manchurian. As Jimmy has said, I also like the longer handle on these.
Have fun.
Gentlemen,
I had considered the Polo 8 in super badger for a couple years and somehow chosen not to spend the shekels. Also, I've had a running battle with Simpson brushes for years, as I have found many of the best badger varieties a wee bit too scratchy. I have bought and sold a number of them. The pure badger brushes of any brand I find unpleasant, so they don't even count. I will take a boar bristle brush over a pure badger any time.
The one Simpson brush I have found to be exquisite, and possibly as close to a perfect brush, is the Simpson Persian Jar 2 in super badger. This is about as sweet as they get. Anyway . . .
Since I felt the Duke 3 and the Commodore X3B in best badger deserved another chance, they have been ordered and are on the way. Both were ideal in size and overall quality, but I found them a bit more scratchy than I like. Let's see if I feel the same this time around, although slowly I realize I have to put up with some "scritch" from a quality brush. I am plagued with an extremely heavy beard (Lynn calls my beard tree trunks) and extremely sensitive skin. For instance, I can't wear new dress shirts until they have been washed numerous times to soften them up. So you see what I mean.
Then the Polo 8 in super badger . . .
Lynn's comments in this post about the brush compelled me to finally give it a try. I must note, too, I finally came to the conclusion that brushes with short handles, no matter their quality, are not for me. My Simpson "Chubby" went long ago. So have several Thater silvertips. So did the Semogue 620 and 830. There have been scores of others. Since suffering from arthritis in my hands, especially in the thumbs, brushes with short handles cause much discomfort. So they are gone.
This morning I used the Polo 8 in super badger for the first time — and found myself knocking on heaven's gate. What a delightful brush in every way. The handle is long, which I like, and the brush is densely packed with excellent backbone. Best of all, the tips are soft, without the least "scritch." No, they are not Thater soft, but soft nevertheless. The brush is beautifully built, and it serves me perfectly, as perfectly as my beloved Persian Jar 2 in super badger.
(The only unpleasant tone in the maiden voyage of my Polo 8 in super badger was the soap I used — Green Mountain. I know this soap has a following, but, after several tries, I find I dislike its tendency to turn chalky despite feeding it water constantly, and the cushion leaves a lot to desire. Oy! Oh, please. there is so much good stuff out there, but this . . .)
I know before long my Polo 8 in 25 mm super badger will sit next to the Persian Jar 2 in super badger.
So, gentlemen, thank you for bringing up the subject of Simpson's Polo 8, and thank you for comments about this sweet brush.
I have a two band and posivitively LOVE it! :rock: