Printable View
I have a Simpson Colonel that sheds a lot - about 8-10 hairs per shave. This brush is actually a replacement for my original Colonel which did the same thing and was replaced by the dealer. Had to send to old brush to England and took weeks to get the new one.
Is this a known problem with Simpson brushes? Any hope for getting a replacement that doesn't keep shedding?
Steve W.
Omaha, NE
I have a Chubby 2 that is doing the same thing. I was hoping it was just a "breaking in " thing, but it's been going on for about 4 months now so I don't think that's it. If you learn anything, please let me know. They are expensive and nice brushes, but this doesn't seem right.
Years ago, when they were made by the old company in Somerset, Simpson had a rash of shedding for a short time. IIRC they had a new girl who hadn't quite got the assembly down pat. AFAIK they always stood behind their product.
I once had a Plisson HMW that shed 8 to 10 hairs per shave. I notified the vendor and he told me to keep it for 3 months, and if it still persisted in shedding to return for a replacement. That was Atkinsons in British Columbia. So I did as he said, I kept the hairs and sent a photo at the end of the three months. I had a pile of 'em. They replaced the brush.
Here is a good article on shedding..
The Facts on Brush Shedding
Good article. One point of interest, Thater recommended avoiding Borax, or other strong detergents. Unfortunately they didn't recommend a particular substitute in the literature that come with the brush. Dish soap, I suppose. I don't wash my brushes, just rinse them thoroughly, and dry them hanging bristles down. Forty years of using brushes and so far so good.Quote:
Originally Posted by LexTac
Although I have not done it yet myself, I have read of some suggesting hair shampoo once or twice a year to clean out a brush. Makes sense in a way since it is hair after all. I have two brushes that I use in a rotation, a Simpson Chubby 2 in Best badger, and a Saville Row in Silvertip(a gift). Currently I just rinse them in warm not hot water post shave and let them dry in open air. They are nice and dry by the time I get back to them after two days. The Saville Row doesn't loose any hair at all(after an initial 3 weeks or so), and actually lathers better and sucks up less product than the Chubby. In many ways I like it better than the Simpson.
I have only had one Simpson brush out of 6 total that did not shed on the first couple uses. All have stopped shedding post second use however. To me, if a brush sheds a few hairs right away it is ok. If it continues, it's a problem. My Thaters, Kents, Vulfix, and Vie-longs were not shedders even on the first go. Others have been but all have stopped.
I have 3 Simpson brushes bought over the last 2 years. None of them have really shed any hair or fiber, 2 are synthetics and 1 a Manchurian badger, past the initial few shaves. Then it was only the odd one or two and none since. So really no troublesome shedding from my Simpsons. I am a face latherer so probably that is a little harder on brushes than bowl lathering.
Bob
Steve, I've bought quite a few Simpson brushes over the past 5 years, and only one had a shedding problem. That brush, ironically, was a Colonel. The dealer exchanged the brush and I had no further issues. From the comments I have read on the various forums, it appears to be the Best hair brushes that are more prone to shedding, compared to the Silvertips and Manchurians. Why? I have no idea.
A few loose hair on first or second use is natural, but hair loss should then stop. That number of hairs on repeated use is not correct. I know Simpson recommends shampooing a brush and combing it out, to see if that rectifies the shedding issue before taking it further.
If this is ongoing, then certainly contact the dealer again, and I would also contact Simpson, direct, to explain to situation.
Simpson stand by their brushes and customer service is outstanding. I'm sure Mark Watterson will be happy to help.
I haven't heard anything lately about shedding issues in Simpson's. Like Jimmy said there was a brief period some time back when they had a slew of brushes with shedding issues.
If it continues just get another replacement.
Not to derail the thread, but coming back to Jimmy's question: Borax is evil. One day, I'll make a video, but in the meantime, this is how I do it:
I hope that helps.Quote:
How I clean my brushes? Easy. I mush them in my hand, because my skin is softer than the tips of the brush. With a movement like face lathering, only with more pressure. As I said, this won't damage the tips. When done, ie once most of the lather has been removed, I hold it in my right hand, and turn it counter-clockwise, fanning one area after the other open with my right thumb while keeping the rest of the brush steady with my left hand. Sounds scary, but Herr Schuldes [of Thäter] said it would work. And it does. Three years in, and no visible damage. But, and that's the point of the whole exercise, this approach will clean the core of the knot, which is the trouble spot with any badger brush. Leave soap in there, and the bristles will get brittle and break - at some point in the future, years from now. Also, dish washing detergent is great for cleaning badger brushes. It will remove the oil/fat/tallow, but not damage the brush.
PS Back on topic, Simpson's problems were more than a brief spell. A friend of mine runs a shaving shop. He only sells high quality brushes. Has phased out brush manufacturer except Thäter and Rooney. Personally, I would also buy a Shavemac with confidence. But that's about it for me. YMMV and all that.
I occasionally lather mine with dishwashing liquid (Dawn, etc). It works well for me.
OP here.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply! Helpful perspectives all.
When I had this problem with my first Colonel, the dealer told me that Simpsons has a standard that it is considered normal for a brush to lose up to 5 hairs per day and that they don't replace a brush for that level of hair loss. In both cases, it was between 5 and 10 per day, and this is 3-6 months of use so not something that just happened when I first got the brushes.
I do use circular strokes when loading the brush, but am pretty careful not to use excess pressure. I do face lather as well but again think that I'm pretty good on the pressure side.
I will try to contact Mark at Simpsons and get a new one.
To put things into perspective, my worst Thäter lost three hairs on day one. None after that. None of my other Thäter brushes ever shed any hair. Well done, Simpson (dealer).
Yes, that is an excellent idea to contact Simpsons directly. I would be very surprised if they would say that is a normal and expected level of performance of their knots. It certainly does not mirror how mine have performed.Quote:
Originally Posted by 400E
Bob
For what it's worth, I have 2 Simpson brushes. One is a Emperor 2 Super Badger that has been used a lot and the other is a Case that I only use when traveling. If I remember correctly, each shed a few hairs during initial break in lathers, but neither shed anything now.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pswrgkyebk.jpg
I have three Simpsons brushes, all purchased within the past year. The 55 and the Chubby 1 are fine... but the Classic started out by loosing 10 or so hairs in the first few shaves. I thought I was going to have to send it back (which would have sucked since it was a birthday gift from my wife), but then then shedding went down to 1 or 2 hairs every other shave, so I kept it.
Any brush outfit can have issues with their brushes. No one's perfect. I had a Thater where the knot fell out after 6 months of use.
I have Simpsons that shed some then quit and some that didn't shed. same with the one Thater I have it shed for the first month a few hairs at a time, then I ve had several customs with TGN knots and only one has shed half of them haven't shed a hair ,,so my guess is I don't care what you buy, no one is perfect and they all seem to be the same ,, hair is not perfect either!! Plus some people really use a brush hard so they break them more than shed. Go figure. Tc
OP here again.
I emailed Simpson last night, had a nice email waiting for me this AM and they are sending me a new Colonel. Very good customer service! Hope 3rd time's a charm.
I kind of thought something like that my happen. Congrats on a good outcome. Simpsons appear to be trying very hard to keep good customer relations and are to be commended for that.Quote:
Originally Posted by 400E
Bob
Great news, Steve, and not unexpected. Simpson has excellent customer service as I said, previously. I am sure this brush will end the issues you've had with shedding.Quote:
Originally Posted by 400E
Happy to say I just received my replacement Colonel brush today! That is really fast, coming from England. Great customer service from Simpsons. Hope this one doesn't shed.
I bought a Colonel a couple years back. Never shed the first hair.
I am resurrecting this thread as I had to send my Colonel back to England yet again this April. Simpsons came through yet again and sent a new Colonel after receiving the old one. Of course, not exactly cheap to mail something across the pond but good that Simpsons stands behind its products.
I've had my new Colonel for about 3 months and really only shed maybe 5 hairs total that I recall. Very different from the prior 3 brushes. I am really trying to do strictly back-and-forth strokes, both loading the hard soap, and in face painting, and it's really not hard to do after all. So can't tell if the good brush performance due to using different technique vs a better quality brush. In any event, so far, so good.
Sorry to hear your aggravating story, I,m amazed because of all the Simpsons I,ve had, I haven't had a dozen hairs total form the bunch of them come out. If t wasn't fr the Shavemac knot I have now they got used a bunch, still some of my favorite brushes, good luck with this one. Tc