Simpson Berkeley, Best Badger

What's to add to these two to-the-point reviews above?
It is great brush.

I bought the Simpsons Berkeley 46 in Best Badger because Badger & Hone has it on sale, and I wanted a smaller complement to my workhorse favorite, the Vulfix 660 in Super (Medium). The Berkeley was cheap ($36 on sale), and I wasn't expecting all that much. And on first appearance, it didn't look like much. Its handle is smallish, the loft is relatively small, and it doesn't spread much. But the hair is tightly packed, and it seems very well-made.

Upon use, the little Berkeley is surprisingly good. It does soak up a lot of water, which in my book is a good thing. A few swirls around the soap loads the brush, some more water in the bowl, five or six swishes, and the lather figuratively explodes outwards. Not wimpy thin lather either, but thick, stands-up-like-meringue lather. The bristles are beautifully soft and yet have significant backbone, and so do a great job scrubbing the face for the first pass. And it's a snap to whip up more lather; just add a few drops of water, swirl four or five times, and you're set for the next pass. The only thing I mark it down for is the small handle; I found it a little hard to hold.

I always have trouble on ratings, because I can't rate most things a perfect 10; there always must be something better, whether or not I've seen it yet. That's the only reason I used 9's instead of 10's. For the price, for its size, for what it does, the Berkeley is fabulous. And if this was your only brush, you'd be well served.

This is my only my second "good" brush and my first Simpson, so take my review with a grain of salt.

The Berkeley is a 20mm knot, 45mm handle, 42mm loft, excellent best badger. It's hard to measure, but I can't really notice a difference in softness compared to my EJ super. It is quite dense, and combined with the short loft makes it work especially well with soaps.

Simpson handles aren't that attractive to me, but I liked the ridges on this one. I chose it over the Case because its handle is more versatile. It offers enough purchase for palming the base in the hand for face-lathering, and with the flare at the bottom this brush works fine for bowl-lathering too.

The bulb is a bit miss-shaped, but not noticeable. As you can see in the photo, there's barely any bloom, and the bristles don't sag at all when wet. A perfect size for travel (see my post on a DIY brush container).

View attachment 110532 Out of box.

View attachment 110533 Post-bloom.

View attachment 110534 Next to EJ pure and VDH.

View attachment 110535 Soakin' up da soap.

View attachment 110536 Sexy Tabac pic.