What's new

What's the real story on Simpsons Chubby brushes and shedding?

I took care of mine, and the thing shed 10 hairs a shave until I decided to retire it. I won't say I will never buy another Simpson but it's the only brush that has done that, and if you search for Simpson brush shedding, there are countless threads on it.
Yes, I know, which is why I started the topic here. One never knows how a person "took care" of their brush.
 
I have to say I have a Simpson Chubby that shed several hairs each time I have used it from the beginning. The seller I purchased it from yrs ago basically quit responding at all. I personally have never even considered another Simpson because of it. I am not a wealthy man and that was a major splurge for me.
Did you ever directly contact Simpson and discuss the issue when you first got it? I certainly would have.
 
I have two Simpson brushes, including the exact one the OP shows. Combined both have lost maybe 10 hairs, maybe, and the Chubby in Super I think shed one. The other is a Classic 2 in Best.
 
Did you ever directly contact Simpson and discuss the issue when you first got it? I certainly would have.
I did not and I should have. Now it's just too late. I will say in all fairness the brush does feel really nice on the face. It just sheds so much it's not worth using to me. One of these days I will break down and get a new knot for it.
 
I did not and I should have. Now it's just too late. I will say in all fairness the brush does feel really nice on the face. It just sheds so much it's not worth using to me. One of these days I will break down and get a new knot for it.
Is it worth replacing the knot on a handle vs. just buying a new brush? Just curious.
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
Is it worth replacing the knot on a handle vs. just buying a new brush? Just curious.
A Simpson brush handle is hand made by a craftsman in my own country, who are paid a decent wage and who receives proper employment benefits. The handle will make up a significant portion of the total brush cost, especially for a cheaper grade hair such as pure or best, or if the handle is complex such as a Major. The Simpson reknotting cost is cheaper than you might think. Putting in a non Simpson knot might be difficult as Simpson handles are often drilled to more than 50% of the total handle length. This means the knot is set very deep compared to some makers who simply purchase a knot glued into a plug, and then set it 5 to 10mm deep into the handle.

Here is an example reknotting cost:

 
A Simpson brush handle is hand made by a craftsman in my own country, who are paid a decent wage and who receives proper employment benefits. The handle will make up a significant portion of the total brush cost, especially for a cheaper grade hair such as pure or best, or if the handle is complex such as a Major. The Simpson reknotting cost is cheaper than you might think. Putting in a non Simpson knot might be difficult as Simpson handles are often drilled to more than 50% of the total handle length. This means the knot is set very deep compared to some makers who simply purchase a knot glued into a plug, and then set it 5 to 10mm deep into the handle.

Here is an example reknotting cost:

Thanks for the answer.
 
I’ve had 10 Simpsons in various grades and never a shedder.

I have to wonder by what mechanism a brush can consistently loose 1-2 hairs per shave over time. The first couple shaves should flush out any loose hairs in the knot that didn’t get glued in at the bottom. After that you may get a couple of super fine, weak, hairs that are glued in but break off at the base. Maybe even a few that are hardly touching the glue and get pulled out easily.

Once those are out, the brush should in theory be fine until the bristles get old and brittle and start breaking off on mass. In terms of glue I would think that it’s either glued in or it’s not. I can’t imagine a slow release glue that fails a hair or two per shave. If the glue fails the hair would probably come out in big clumps. Aggressive use my continue to rip hairs out I guess. You could sit there and pluck them out all day if you wanted to. I really don’t know. I’ve never had a shedder so can’t imagine why it would happen like that.

If you look at a badger knot, it’s not tied and held together with a piece of string. The hairs are all set in a big plug of glue at the base and trimmed off. Once the hairs are glued in like that they’re not coming out. They might break off but that’s another story.

94C1CEA0-1B82-4A1B-9790-197EEA8E1E19.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Rudy Vey

Shaving baby skin and turkey necks
A Simpson brush handle is hand made by a craftsman in my own country, who are paid a decent wage and who receives proper employment benefits. The handle will make up a significant portion of the total brush cost, especially for a cheaper grade hair such as pure or best, or if the handle is complex such as a Major. The Simpson reknotting cost is cheaper than you might think. Putting in a non Simpson knot might be difficult as Simpson handles are often drilled to more than 50% of the total handle length. This means the knot is set very deep compared to some makers who simply purchase a knot glued into a plug, and then set it 5 to 10mm deep into the handle.

Here is an example reknotting cost:

I did actually just "free" a knot from a broken Chubby 2 handle and set it back into a new handle I created.
Simpson does indeed set their knots deep, deeper than others. This knot needed a 30 mm deep hole. This was the deepest I have ever encountered (I am also a bit careful and keep a little of the handle/glue on the bottom, making sure not to cut into the glue part). Before, I have seen 22 mm or so depths. Not sure why this was so deep. Interesting fact is also that this knot (Super grade) did not show the typical double ties with a string, just a glue plug. This was the odd part for me.
My experience is with Chubbies only, other Simpson brushes might be set less deep.
Most other companies brushes are set about 12-18 mm deep.
 
Occasionally this urban legend comes out and I have no doubt that it can happen.
Other high-end brushes may also lose hair …
Extremely dense knot even if from time to time they lose an hair I don't think it's a tragedy.
definitely not a 10 euro boar brush that you can scratch in the soap every day .
it must be treated with care, left to dry for a few days before being used again.

3F350397-F5E5-47F9-AA90-5E685A6E62A1.jpeg
6B4D2B2D-D8FA-4303-A602-B96A727D33F5.jpeg
 
Well, to conclude this thread for the time being. Simpson can only do a Paypal sale and PP has a fair amount of currency exchange fees that make buying a brush direct only a few dollars less than buying from a stateside vendor so I cancelled the sale. Hopefully, I can get something in the near future from a vendor with a sale or coupon code. I needed this like another hole in the head as I don't consider myself a collector - just like a little variety.
 
Well, to conclude this thread for the time being. Simpson can only do a Paypal sale and PP has a fair amount of currency exchange fees that make buying a brush direct only a few dollars less than buying from a stateside vendor so I cancelled the sale. Hopefully, I can get something in the near future from a vendor with a sale or coupon code. I needed this like another hole in the head as I don't consider myself a collector - just like a little variety.
Amazon sells Simpson brushes as well. I don't know anything about their exchange fees, but might be an option if you decide to purchase one in the future.
 
The only Simpson brush I own is a Colonel Best Badger 2XL. It sheds bristles all the time, to the extent I seemed to be spending as much time picking bristles out of the bowl and off my face as I did shaving. I didn't try and return it, so I can't comment on Simpson's customer service. However I can honestly say that Simpson's quality control is poor and that I will never, ever buy anything from them again.

I have two synthetic brushes that I treat exactly the same way and they barely shed at all, so it's definitely the brush at fault.

I hope that helps.
 
I have had a fair number of Simpsons over the years including a very nice Chubby 1 in best that is not going anywhere! Currently I also have a Classic 2, Duke 2, Wee Scot and 57 in best as well as Tulip 2 and 3 in super. Most have not shed at all. The others have lost a few hairs only. :thumbup1::thumbup1:
 
I think I'll stick with what I've already got. Maybe I'll try a synthetic to see what all the fuss is about.
 
Well, to conclude this thread for the time being. Simpson can only do a Paypal sale and PP has a fair amount of currency exchange fees that make buying a brush direct only a few dollars less than buying from a stateside vendor so I cancelled the sale. Hopefully, I can get something in the near future from a vendor with a sale or coupon code. I needed this like another hole in the head as I don't consider myself a collector - just like a little variety.
I’ve used PayPal before but learned my lesson.

This last time I just used my CC on Simpsons site, my CC has no foreign transaction fees.

You can also within PayPal choose your credit card and select pay in the local currency. So in that case £ GBP. And so long as your CC company doesn’t charge the fees you are golden. (Your bank does the conversion) I save about $30 doing this rather than using PayPals terrible conversion rates.
 
I’ve used PayPal before but learned my lesson.

This last time I just used my CC on Simpsons site, my CC has no foreign transaction fees.

You can also within PayPal choose your credit card and select pay in the local currency. So in that case £ GBP. And so long as your CC company doesn’t charge the fees you are golden. (Your bank does the conversion) I save about $30 doing this rather than using PayPals terrible conversion rates.
Good info, thanks. My CC company doesn't charge fees and I'd asked Simpson to send me an invoice for a CC and not PP but they seem unable to do that.
 
Well, to conclude this thread for the time being. Simpson can only do a Paypal sale and PP has a fair amount of currency exchange fees that make buying a brush direct only a few dollars less than buying from a stateside vendor so I cancelled the sale. Hopefully, I can get something in the near future from a vendor with a sale or coupon code. I needed this like another hole in the head as I don't consider myself a collector - just like a little variety.

If you pay in Pounds instead of Dollars, your credit card company determines the exchange rate, which is normally much more favorable. I always use a credit card, which charges no additional fees for the exchange.
 

captp

Pretty Pink Fairy Princess.
I've owned probably 20+ Simpson brushes over the years, including, I believe 6 Chubbies (1, 2 & 3) in Best & Super. I kept the Chubby1 Best. Never had a shedding problem with any of them.
 
Top Bottom