I just snagged one to use as a travel brush. 
The Simpson 46 Berkeley Thread
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Beautiful pictures of an excellent brush!
I just got a Berkeley 46B on BST. what a great brush! The only other Simpson I own is Wee Scot and I absolutely LOVE it. In fact, I was trying to find a brush similar to Wee Scot but with a larger handle. Berkeley is not exactly that. It is much larger than the the Wee and not nearly as precise in applying lather as the Wee Scot. I really enjoy applying the lather in small circles scrubbing my face thoroughly that way. With a bigger brush I find the scrubbing to be reduced. also small brush is excellent at getting around ears and nose. Berkeley is just about the largest brush I would use. I face lather pretty much all the time and a big brush really irritates me. I had to sell a wonderful Semogue 1305 brush because I found it too big. In fact, I am still on the quest for a brush that is in between Wee Scot and Berkeley. Perhaps a Case or a Special. However, the Berkeley is a fantastically good brush and is a great value at under $50. It is very dense and I wonder if a little less density would be better. I know most people think the more density the better, but I really value flow-through in a bush and super dense brushes tend to hold on to the lather. I think Berkeley gives up the lather nicely (only used it once so far, so I am not too qualified to make the final judgement), but again, the Wee Scot seems to excel at being "just right" in that department.
Here is the pic of my Berkeley, the Wee Scot and the Ever-Ready 650PB I restored with a TGN finest fan knot that is very similar in size and performance (a bit more backbone than the Berkeley and a touch more dense. Every bit as soft). I used a 20mm TGN knot, but the final dimensions of the brush came out 22mm knot with 49mm loft.
Here is the pic of my Berkeley, the Wee Scot and the Ever-Ready 650PB I restored with a TGN finest fan knot that is very similar in size and performance (a bit more backbone than the Berkeley and a touch more dense. Every bit as soft). I used a 20mm TGN knot, but the final dimensions of the brush came out 22mm knot with 49mm loft.
Berkeley is one of the more quality brushes that I've been paying attention to. I'll likely be ordering one next month.
This is my next Simpsons to try. Good price point and overall great reviews.
Don't overlook other Simpsons at this price: Commodore X1B is, IMO, even better than the Berkeley. It's a tiny bit smaller, which for me is a good thing. There is also Case and Special in best. I would say the Berkeley is the largest Simpson brush for the $50-ish. I just got a Commodore 1XB and think it's one sweet brush!
I've heard that, and ultimately, my given whim will decide on it. I've got the Case. It's a dense little scrubby brush, it's pretty much a smaller version of the Duke 2. The Special in best doesn't have the backbone (based on pics, dimensions, and having a Special in pure) that I think a Commodore or Berkeley would have.
Special has same knot size as the Case and 2mm shorter loft according to the specs. I would think that would give it more backbone, not less. It also has to do with density of the knot, though. Hard to just go by specs. I love the Commodore 1X in best, but I could go for even a smaller brush. I'll be on a lookout for the Case or Special. My SBAD is going strong, but I am resisting by restoring or making brushes. I have a 16mm TGN finest knot coming that I will put into a home-made handle.
I would agree on the Commodore X1. It is a beast of a brush. The knot size is around 21mm and due to this, I find it a bit denser than the Berkeley (assuming you compare the same loft). The face feel of the X1 (Best grade) is amazing, kind of scrubby without any scritch.
I would also recommend you get Simpson brushes from thesuperiorshave.com
Buying Simpson brushes has become a lottery with their poor quality control. You get to choose the piece you want.
I just went to their site and you can see the X1's lines up. Look at #1 and #6 and notice how dark the hair is compared to the rest. They look more like Pure instead of Best grade!!!
I got my berkeley and gave it a try yesterday. I must say to be completely honest it is a bit better than my frank shaving silver tip. However, I don't know if I can really justify the higher price. I got maybe a 10-15% improvement in quality of the overall experience with the berkeley but it was about 2.5X the price. Is this a common experience or do you think its just cause I need to spend some more time with the brush?
Just ordered one from Phil. Yeah!
Kirk
Kirk
Hey guys n girls,
I just ordered a berkeley from WCS as my second badger, after my Stevens woodworking silver tip from straight razor designs fell apart(shame really, but shows the poor quality of the handle, all the laqcuer just came off and water soaked into the wood and it fell apart).
Can't wait for it to arrive! Just got one question for fellow berkeley owners.....
Does it fit a usual brush stand? And what brush stand will it fit?
I just ordered a berkeley from WCS as my second badger, after my Stevens woodworking silver tip from straight razor designs fell apart(shame really, but shows the poor quality of the handle, all the laqcuer just came off and water soaked into the wood and it fell apart).
Can't wait for it to arrive! Just got one question for fellow berkeley owners.....
Does it fit a usual brush stand? And what brush stand will it fit?
Congrats Dude! The Berkeley has a smallish 20mm knot so will fit just about any standard brush stand you may have or choose to purchase.
I hang mine from a Col Conk stand that I bought from WCS. The handle doesn't fit (none of my brushes' handles fit) so I hang it where the knot meets the handle. Looks and works just fine.
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