What's new

Simpson's Chubby 1 in Best

Pros: Chubby 1 is ONE of the VERY BEST
Cons: Possibly a bit on the smaller side, but still perfect
I kept returning to Kyle's review (above) over and over again as I was trying to make up my mind over which Simpson to buy. His review was clever and funny but made a lot of sense. If I had to pick only one brush to keep of those that I own.... I would think long and hard about giving up the Savile Row 3120 Silvertip, but I think this small Chubby would finally win out. It is comfortable, a great exfoliator, a great lather machine and is completely in control of distributing the lather much like an artist's paintbrush........ did I say comfortable? There are only two negatives. 1. It is on the small side, but still fits the hand perfectly. 2. It has been almost a year and the brush has had enough shedding to cause me concern, though the hair loss has not happened in the last two or three shaves. There is one other small disappointment. A brush this fine..... A brush this well made..... A brush this well regarded by the shaving community..... A brush with such a legendary history..... SHOULD NOT HAVE a Decal fixed onto its handle that has to be PROTECTED FROM WATER. Now that the decal has come off the brush has a cleaner feel and appearance. UPDATE: the shedding stopped completely after much use and the handle that seemed on the small side now seems to be perfectly proportioned. I could not be more pleased. What luxury.
Price
5.00 star(s)
Density
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Ergonomic
4.00 star(s)
Latherability
5.00 star(s)
Softness of Tips
5.00 star(s)
Stiffness of Tips
5.00 star(s)
Well, following the old adage that a picture is worth 1000 words, here is my 23,000+ word review. :biggrin:

displayimage.php


Total Height - 88mm
Handle Height - 41 mm
Bristle Loft - 47mm
Knot Diameter - 23mm

Comparison Pics:
displayimage.php

26mm Shavemac, CH1 in Best, PJ3 in Super

Top view
displayimage.php


In looking at the bristle tips, you can see that the PJ3 Super has definitively whiter tips than the CH1 Best. That being said, if you look at the bases of the two brushes, they look identical in color. After handling both, I tend to agree with the camp that thinks the difference in the two grades of hair (across many brush lines) is bleaching and nothing more. Additionally, I've handled a CH1 Super and CH1 Best side by side and I'm not sure I can tell any difference there either (just my opinion).

Price - It is a fairly common perception that
displayimage.php

a Simpson's brush
will cost you
displayimage.php

lots of cash
and while this may be true for some of the upper end models, the CH1 in Best is attainable for about
displayimage.php

$130
With the price of quality brushes slowly on the rise, this is an average price for an excellent product.

Quality - In terms of quality, Simpson makes some of the best stuff out there. Some folks out there will warn you that Simpson's brushes will shed and eventually end up looking like
displayimage.php

a prematurely balding man
and certainly this would make you feel
displayimage.php

angry as all get-out
Both of my Simpson's, however, are built like a
displayimage.php

fireplug
and I have nothing but good things to say about them. The fit and finish are outstanding, despite the label that may or may not stay affixed.

Density - This is where the Chubby really takes the
displayimage.php

checkered flag
While density standards of other high-end brushmakers will sometimes resemble
displayimage.php

a floppy fern
or a
displayimage.php

sparsely populated forest
the CH1 has hair even more densely packed than
displayimage.php

David Hasselhoff

Stiffness/Softness of Tips - The tips of this brush make for an interesting, if not perfect, combination as they are stiffer than the spike in
displayimage.php

Alfalfa's hair
yet not at all like a
displayimage.php

scrub brush
This brush will
displayimage.php

gently massage
the face and make you feel like a
displayimage.php

king, minus the beard

Ergonomic - I really like the handle on this brush. I think that it works nicely with its shorter bristle loft. If you have hands like
displayimage.php

Andre the Giant
then it may not be a comfortable size for you, but for the
displayimage.php

Average Joe
it should be fine.

Latherability - This is an area where the CH1 really excels. It will quickly and easily whip up enough beautiful
displayimage.php

meringue
like lather to shave
displayimage.php

four men

While this brush's strength is lathering up soaps, it is by no means a slouch with the creams. Also, bowl lathering may take a bit of practice to perfect, but face lathering is downright amazing.

Overall -
displayimage.php

No BS
this is quickly becoming my favorite brush. While it is truly a luxury product, it will hold up to the workload of an
displayimage.php

Amish plowhorse

I am very pleased with this acquisition. Even
displayimage.php

celebrities like Borat
give it their seal of approval.

Discussion regarding this review can be found here.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Density
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Ergonomic
4.00 star(s)
Latherability
5.00 star(s)
Softness of Tips
3.00 star(s)
Stiffness of Tips
5.00 star(s)
Top Bottom