Thread: Simpson brush grade comparrison

I think I decided my next brush is going to be a Simpson chubby. Wanted some general feedback, but was also wondering if anyone had any experience with the best badger version vs super badger. Didn't think a best badger could run 175 so curious on the feedback.

when it comes to Simpsons you kinda pay for that handle too, but their best badger is not a standard black badger, everyones opinion may be different so its really hard to give you an idea, me I like their Manchurian and super , anything else I pass on. also if you like to bowl lather, the chubby is short and can get messy. but I love my Chubby @ Tc

I have three Simpsons, my Chubby 2 took some getting used to, its massive. It loads up an amazing amount of later.
It works best if used like a paint brush on the face.

My Simson "Case" best badger is very small and I use it when I travel. Because of its size it takes more time to apply lather.

My favorite is my "The Duke" 2 , medium size, does everything I need a brush to do.

I'm a face latherer which is one reason I think this will be good for me, softness about the same on the tips? Seems like most people say they all have good backbone. Interested in the duke, I could see the chubby being a little unwieldy.

Yes all three have about the same softness with enough back bone to exfoliate and apply lather.

The best is kind of an intermediate grade. It can represent a good value in a brush. It's not the floppy softness of a super but not the real coarseness of a pure. It's a workhorse of a brush as long as you like it's qualities.

I had it in my head I was gonna drop like $300 for one of the best brushes, am I foolish to think the duke 2 at 100 may fit the bill?

I've got brushes up to $300ish and my all time favourite brush is the Colonel XL, closely followed by the Duke 2. My Duke was from the bad faux ivory era and it developed a crack, the replacement they sent me, while brand new, was not in the same league sadly. Then again, the first one had a spectacular knot. Today, all bets are off as far as I go... I've only used one of the new Simpson brushes since they were sold to Vulfix and while reports are good... I have no personal experience with them as I've stopped buying brushes in the past few years.

Have a look at the Colonel, it's a dandy brush and the handle is sort of a smaller version of the Polo handles which are REALLY big. I would chose a Colonel over a Duke, but only because of my personal tastes.... I don't care for short handles.

As to your question of dropping $300 on a brush.... Only you can decide if it's worth it to you or not. Rest assured, a $300 brush is not 3 times as good as a $100 brush... But.... a $100 brush is also not a $300 brush being sold for $100. Either will work great, but one has a $300 price tag to brag about, and you have the right to expect only the best at that price.

Knowing what I know today..... I'd probably go with the $100 brush and spend the rest on hones, razors or strops......

Regards

Christian

Depending on the batch of hair, some of the recent Best Badger brushes have almost identical hair to the Super Badger brushes. I have tried a few and the only distinguishing feature between these two types of hair has been the increased density in the Super Badger brushes. Personally, I much prefer the latter as the Best Badger ones are a tad too floppy.
I have two Chubby 2 Super Badger knots transplanted into custom handles.
Good luck.

The chubby is a densely packed large diameter knot. I had a 3 and sold it. Too much of a good thing for my preferences. The 2 I replaced it with is better for me. Still the large diameter, but a shorter loft. I have to be in the mood for it. The backbone is substantial. If you like a bit of softness I wouldn't recommend it. I like it for face lathering. For bowl lathering the Polo is hard to beat because of the long handle. In the current production Simpsons I've only had the Super and Manchurian product. Not sure about the Best.