Thread: Simpson Chubby???

Hi Everyone, I hope this is the right place for this question.

I have until recently been a cream guy and have now moved over to soap. I have always used a Kent BK8 brush. Really soft and feels great on the face. It whips up cream in no time flat. I have also enjoyed some level of success with it on some soaps. I get a good lather from MWF with it, but recently tried T&H soap as I loved their creams, but I just can't get a lather going with it, at least not one that lasts even through one pass.

I am considering a new brush anyway as I have had my Kent for a good number of years. My question is would a Simpson Chubby 2 or 3 be a good option? I have read that they have a good backbone which helps with soaps.

Also whilst I have your attention I have never been a big brush collector so not clued up on the jargon, and I am reading terms like "flow through" on their Manchurian Badger hair, what does that actually mean?

Thanks for any advice and help you can offer.

One more open ended question, any other recommendations that would suit what I am after?

If you're going to face lather, nothing beats a Chubby Super Badger in my opinion.

Rock solid backbone, and packed with dense hair, fantastic on the face.

I have the Chubby 1 Super Badger, and picked up a Chubby 2 Best Badger from the Classifieds here awhile ago. The CH2 I find too big, and I can't imagine using a CH 3 unless you prefer big brushes.

I'd personally go super badger at the minimum if going for a brush for harder soaps, again IMO.

If you're going to use a scuttle, which personally allows the soap to develop in depth and really get nicely whipped up, the Chubby handle might be a bit too short, in which case you might want to look at the longer handled Simpson brushes like the Polo, believe they have 6,8,10, 12, 14....

Great brushes overall, I just received my first Manchurian Simpson, and am pretty sure there will be another Manchurian in my future - incredibly densely packed brushes. So you might want to go out once and go for something in a Manchurian knot, very expensive, but well worth it IMO.

Let us know what you decide on....

Originally Posted by Phrank

So you might want to go out once and go for something in a Manchurian knot, very expensive, but well worth it IMO.

Let us know what you decide on....

Thanks Phrank, I was thinking the very same thing, but they do seem to be harder to come by. I have seen some on the Simpson website and since I am in the UK that might be a good shout for me.

This will be another Christmas present from Mrs Porl (you may have seen my Koraat post) I don't have an abundance of disposable income but I am lucky enough to have enough to go for what I believe is the best (even though I have to wait for special occasions to get it sometimes). For this reason I feel that buying the top range once is better than paying a little less but then having to pay it again.

I don't mind paying for quality that I know will last for years to come, so I am leaning towards a Chubby 2 Manchurian at the moment. Although there aren't too many choices left in stock at the moment. Porl.

PS. Any idea on what flow through means??

Originally Posted by Porl

Thanks Phrank, I was thinking the very same thing, but they do seem to be harder to come by. I have seen some on the Simpson website and since I am in the UK that might be a good shout for me.

This will be another Christmas present from Mrs Porl (you may have seen my Koraat post) I don't have an abundance of disposable income but I am lucky enough to have enough to go for what I believe is the best (even though I have to wait for special occasions to get it sometimes). For this reason I feel that buying the top range once is better than paying a little less but then having to pay it again.

I don't mind paying for quality that I know will last for years to come, so I am leaning towards a Chubby 2 Manchurian at the moment. Although there aren't too many choices left in stock at the moment. Porl.

PS. Any idea on what flow through means??

My interpretation of flow through seems to be related to loading the brush, and if the brush will "clump up" with soap and turn into almost a more solid sticky ball of badger hair. Being extreme to paint a picture, but I've noticed that you can lose "flow through" if you overload your brush and not use enough water, and frankly, I'd imagine that could happen to any brush - it's a matter of knowing your individual brush and how to properly load it and use the proper amount of water.

I am a convert to Sharptonn's method of preparing a brush - just wet the tips only, and while making the lather, whether on the face or in the scuttle, allow the lather to then flow into the brush. By completely wetting the brush, you've loaded it with water and can push out the lather and you'll get a lot of lather splashing about - again, this is a YMMV.

So "flow through", is IMO, is the brush is consistent in the manner in which is distributes the lather throughout the brush to then apply to your face, and also holds the lather strongly, doesn't splash or fling it about.

Others may have different interpretations, but for me, overloading the brush (especially using creams) has turned my brush, regardless of hair quality type, into an almost solid mass of thick creamy pasty lather; hence, the flow through is non-existent...LOL...hope this helps.

It may be that you just have use a drier brush when loading the brush and load longer to get enough soap in the brush to last.

While it is possible to use any type of brush to make lather from a hard puck of soap some types seem to make it a bit easier to accomplish. If you want to stay with a badger brush I'd look into a 2 band badger knot with a loft around twice the knot size give or take a couple of millimeters either way. That would give you good backbone and with the right knot soft tips with no scratch/scratch. Some 2 banders can have scratch/scritch to them. Keep in mind I like to face lather.

I think "flow through" describes how easily a knot gives up or does not give up soap to make lather with. A very dense knot may mot want to give up soap easily.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

I think "flow through" describes how easily a knot gives up or does not give up soap to make lather with. A very dense knot may mot want to give up soap easily.

Bob

+ 1, that is also my definition of flow through, and I also find overly densely packed knots to sometimes be too much of a good thing. For me a 23-25mm knot (diameter of the badger hair at the top of the handle) , and a 48 to 50mm loft (height of the hair above the handle) is right for soaps. A bit taller loft is good for creams.

I'd suggest going to the Shavemac site and look for a D0-1 two band rather than the Chubby. I've had a manchurian 2 & 3, and both had problems with the flow through. Thater is good if you like soft tips also. I had a Kent BK-4 and it was way too floppy for my tastes.

Kent is known for floppy brushes.

I have a Chubby 3 Manchurian and a Chubby 2 original 2 band. The 2 is a great brush for any soap or cream. The 3 is great also but it is big and can eat a lot of lather to load up. I've never had "flow through" issues. Flow through to me is the ability to have the soap evenly dispersed in the brush.

Thater makes some chubby models which are more conservative. I have one and it's a great brush too.

You might find these interesting concerning Shavemac brushes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw18...ature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi49...ature=youtu.be

Bob

Much too many brushes to suggest, but I would highly recommend a Shavemac 2-Band brush. You can customize the knot and handle. You can't get that with Simpsons' brushes, unfortunately.

By the way, have you tried just using more water and loading longer with your Kent 8 while loading your soaps, or even using shave-sticks? Either method would guarantee better lather, and it would be the least expensive route.

That would be my suggestion too, but if your just wanting another brush. Hey I understand,, the Kents I've had and got rid of were too floppy for me too, but I could make a great lather none the less, building lather can be done with most Any brush, I think brush likes and dislikes has more to do with how you like it to feel on your face, cause they all build a lather nice you figure out your soap and water ratios. Tc