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Hello all,
Does any one have any experience with the Simpson Emperor 3 Super Two-Band brush? I am really interested in this brush. I like the long handle handle shape. Also, I was wondering if anyone has experience with this brush with the Super Three-Band hair. Looking forward to your replies. Thanks for any help!
I have a 3-band pre-Vulfix Emperor 3 brush (this style is always in super badger) and although I don't use it much, preferring larger brushes, it's a delightful brush to have. The tuft dimensions of mine are diameter 21 mm, loft 50 mm. Compared to other brushes it is floppy, but it also has a strength which means that it delivers more than it appears to be able to. It's best with creams, and it is a superb brush for face-lathering. The handle has excellent balance, the part above the division line being taken hold of for making lather. The lower part is intended to be held for applying the lather, the brush being gripped between 2 fingers (in the way that barbers used to), giving good power to the spread. If you use mainly triple-milled soap then this brush will not be appropriate, because it would take much longer to lift the soap from the cake than with a stiffer, scrubbier brush.
I see from your profile that you already have the Persian Jar 2, which has tuft dimensions that are very similar to those of the E3. This may be a consideration, though I personally prefer the handle of the E3!
I have the Polo, Emperor and Persian Jar. the quality of the brushes is similar but if I were to buy one only, the Persian Jar would win hands down. The whole shape, bulb and especially the handle are perfect.
Thanks for the replies guys. It seems as though this brush is not the most popular out there. I am leaning towards getting this brush. However, the knot sizes seem to reported differently amongst the vendors and users. I think the Two-Band version would be great for either creams or soaps.
Mr. Haywood, that is a great offer, but I am in the States. I am not sure if the lower price would be enough to compensate for the international shipping. However, I really appreciate the offer.
I decided to get a Simpson Emperor 3 Two-Band Super Badger brush after all. I'll post my impressions and experiences with it once I get it and use it for awhile.
What did you think of the Emp 3?
petr, the E3 is en route to me as this post is written :). If I find the time, I'll post a picture of it. I will definitely provide my impressions in the hopes that it may help others evaluate whether or not the brush may be for them.
Yep, I'm interested to know what you think.
Personally, the Emperor two band line is a mind bender for me. They are not big a full and hold lots of water to create tons of lather. So what good are they? I mean the smaller knots are not much bigger than my finger? They are amazing and it does not make sense to me why.
The knots are small and stiff and attack soaps. I've never experienced a stiffer knot. Feels good on the face too ala rooney finest.
These small stiff knots are changing my idea of what a brush should be. I think they are one of the best values in the market.
I am a little disappointed with this brush after receiving it. When I opened the box, I noticed the the knot looked a little small. I measured the knot and found:
Knot Diameter = 20mm-21mm
Knot Height = 47mm-48mm
The listed specifications of this brush from a few vendors, including the vendor I purchased mine from, are:
Listed Knot Diameter = 23mm
Listed KNot Height = 52mm
As you can see, my brush is pretty much completely different from what it should have been. The Superior Shave has the most reasonable measurements for this brush in my opinion now. You can find those here:
Simpsons 2-Band Super Shaving Brushes
I don't understand the pricing on this series of brush. Basically, Vulfix is putting nearly the exact same knot in each of the brush variants. Based on this, I would recommend that a person either gets the E1 or E2; the E3 is not worth the price. I will be returning this brush.
I have also asked other vendors what their measurements on this brush, and those measurements were similar to mine. This is too bad. This could have been my grail brush. I wonder if the Three-Band Super brushes have the normally listed specifications of the brush.
If you have a Three-Band version, please let me know you measurements.
Edit: I really do like the handle on the E3; it is nearly perfect.
Here are some really poorly taken pictures to hopefully give a little perspective:
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...00_0002_00.jpg
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...s/000_0005.jpg
The E3 is Second from the right in the top-down picture.
My measurements for some Two-Band Brushes I have:
Chubby 1 Two-Band:
Knot Diameter = 23mm
Knot Height = 47mm
Persian Jar 2 Two-Band:
Knot Diameter = 22mm
Knot Height = 50mm
57 Two-Band (The Douglas):
Knot Diameter = 22mm
Knot Height = 52mm
Emperor 3 Two-Band:
Knot Diameter = 20-21mm
Loft Height = 47mm-48mm
I asked Phil at BullGoose what his last E3 measured. He came up with:
Knot Diameter = 23mm
Loft Height = 47-48mm
I am not saying it is a bad brush, but it isn't exactly what I was picturing.
I have a PJ2, Mine seems bigger...Ha....No really, I like it a lot. Compared to my Rooney, and Thater...It's my fav, it has more backbone that the Thater...Yeah, it does...and it's not as dense as the Rooney, It's right inbetween for me...I like all my brushes, They're all good for something...but ultimately, you have to be happy with your brush. To the Poster thats not, Send it back before you use it, if your not happy...
zib, that's sound advice. I am planning on returning it. However, I what to make it clear that I am not saying the brush is bad. I am just saying that the dimensions of the brush were different from what I was expecting. I thought others might benefit from my impressions, especially considering the price differences between the models.
There can be big differences in prices of Simpsons brushes as knot sizes get larger. If a knot was advertised as 23 mm and it turned out to be 21 mm I would send it back. Your pictures show that the Emperor3 is smaller than your PJ2- the latter is supposed to be no more than 22 mm.
Always best to check measurements before using a brush then you can at least return it if you are not happy.
Take a look at these pics:
Simpsons Emperor Series
The shape of altshavers Emp. 3 looks like the Emp. 2 in the Shaving 101 photo.
Excellent advice. I actually am returning my brush. I have asked my vendor about his remaining E3 stock, and he has found that the knots are 20mm-21mm, which he says is abnormal for this brush. I wonder if Vulfix marked a batch of their brushes incorrectly or have changed the sizing of the brush for whatever reason.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fido
I am going to see what the new shipment of E3's are like from my vendor. Also, I think I am going to try an Three-Band E3 in the future for comparison purposes. For what it is worth, some folks on B&B have reported their E3 Three-Band brushes has having 21mm to 22mm knot diameters. Still, the handle on this brush is very, very nice.
If you are in the market for and Emperor brush, I highly suggest you talk to your vendor first to see if they can measure a brush out for you. Based on my experience, and given the prices, I say go with the E2. I'll keep you guys posted if you're interested and not annoyed at this point :).
Well done.
At the Simpsons price level you really should be getting what you expect. There's a big difference between a 21 mm and 23 mm knot both in terms of performance and price so it's imortant you get what you are paying for.
After some deliberation, I decided on ordering an Emperor 2 in Three-Band Super Badger. However, I received a n E3 in Three-Band Super Badger. What's interesting is that the E3 in Three-Band has the same dimensions as the Two-Band one I bought and subsequently returned.
Knot Diameter = 21mm
Knot Height = ~48mm
The E3 in Super Badger is definitely an older Vulfix make with the older, smaller font brush stickers and Somerset style box stickers with that characteristic Somerset sticker peel. The E3 in Two-Band was definitely a newer Vulfix make with the newer wider font brush stickers and the newer box stickers.
If you are thinking about an getting an E3, it is probably a good bet that the dimensions of your brush are going to be as listed above. The Two-Band will have a severe bulb shape to it, and the Three-Band will have what people consider that classic Simpson fan shape. I hope this is helpful.
Beautiful brush!