Thread: Difference btw Simpson Chubby 1, 2, & 3?

I'm starting to figure my way around the various sub-hobbies (razors, strops, soaps, aftershaves) but I haven't ventured much into brushes. Inspired by the recent thread in the brushmakers forum on reproducing a Chubby, I looked these up for the first time today. I like what I see! Thick, squat, supposedly a lot of backbone. Sounds good. But what I can't figure is, what's the differences between Chubbies 1, 2, & 3, that results in the huge price leap? I see there are some size differences, but is that it?

Second question: what's a good "standard" high-end brush? I'm not sure I want to start collecting but I might save up for a luxury brush by the end of the year and I'd want it to be fairly conservative, simple, uncontroversial. The Chubby looks good to me, but do yall have any other recs?

The numbers designate the size. A brush is sized by the height of the bristles from where they leave the handle to the top. Known as 'loft.' The 'knot' is the diameter of the bristles. A Simpson chubby is a relatively short loft for the knot size from what I see on their site. Just as razors go up in price based on the width of the blade, larger is more expensive, so do brushes since you're getting more of the high end badger hair.

When I was following brushes the Simpson Super, Plisson HMW (high mountain white) and the Rooney Finest were the top of the line AFAIK. Shavemac makes some very high quality brushes and Thater is as good as you can get IME. Back to the chubby, the only one I had was a Somerset made Simpson Manchurian Chubby 2. It was so scritchy I think it could have taken the chrome off a trailer hitch. Back then I would have said if you like scritchy go for a Simpson Super but I'm not sure how the Vulfix made Simpson Supers are.

The Rooney Finest is no longer available but the Plisson HMW is still made and is scritchy IME. If you like backbone and soft tips the Thater is more bang for the buck than any of them AFAIC. While it is not a hard and fast rule, in general, shorter loft lends itself to face lathering while the taller , say 55mm and up, to bowl and cream lathering. Some guys do fine with one or another loft/knot in whatever puck, cream, face lather, bowl lather, but I like pucks and short lofts. YMMV.

Check out the Simpson Classic #1 or #2 for an alternative to the Chubby #1. I have a Classic #1 and the Chubby #1, like them both. The Chubby needs a lot of product because it's a lather hog and I find it's a little more "scrubbier" than the Classic #1.

+1 on the Thater brushes. I have a 4125/2 two band fan and it has the softest tips of any brush I own. I wish I would have got it in a bulb knot. It lacks a bit of backbone and a bulb shape should help out. I have a Chubby 2 in best hair and it is a very dense nice brush. Simpson best hair can be pretty scritchy but I got lucky and mine is not. I would go with the Thater. More bang for the buck.

I have quite a few brushes, but the Simpson Duke # 2 is my favourite. Cheaper than the Chubby but is still a seriously fantastic brush.



Check it out.

I have the Chubby 3 in the two band which isn't available anymore. It's a big brush with incredibly dense fill with a 60mm loft. Like all the old two banders they were at the top of the heap. I guess Plisson still makes them in the HMW but they are very expensive.

The price leap is based on the amount of fill you are getting.

I think any Rooney or Simpson or Thater is a good high end brush with Silvertip. The new Thaters and Simpson Manchurians are pretty close to the old two banders. of course you have the small guys who make brushes too and for those you need to read the forum for discussions on those.

Thanks for the details, guys! I like the look of the Simpsons - bulb shape, not too lofty, seems like it would be less floppy than my current brush - but I'll take some time looking at the others mentioned here.

I really wanted a Chubby #3...or even a #2. But the price just scared me away every time. But what I was really after was the dense loft. I have two other Simpson brushes and they are nice. But I picked one of these up for about $50 (actually it was free with my Amazon points) and its become a favorite of mine. I don't know if it even compares to the Simpson Chubby but then again, the price doesn't compare much either. Its very dense and scrubby. But the silver tip hair keeps it from feeling scratchy. It might be a poor mans Chubby #2.

THE FRANK SHAVING BRUSH GROOMING INDUSTRIAL LIMITEDThe Frank Grooming Industrial Limited

Id second this brush as well, i have the manchurian hive as well but theres just something about the duke in best badger that just makes it a joy to use.

Thanks for the continued recs! I'm curious - I don't know anything about brushes beyond the basics (boar, badger, super badger, &c.) - what properties contribute to making the Simpson Duke such a good brush? I look at the *extensive* Simpson line and, honestly, I can't tell one from the other beyond aesthetics. Why is the Duke any better than, say, the Classic? What makes the Chubby so talked-about?