Simpsons "Chubby" 3, in Super badger

I have used a Simpson CH3 exclusively for 7 years. Six years it was in Super and then I bought a Manchurian from another member on this forum a year and a half ago.

I cannot say enough about this brush. Unlike most members on the forum, I use only 2 brushes. The Ch3 Manchurian and a Rooney Finest (my travel brush.) The only time I don't shave with the CH3 is when I am traveling so I would say that it gets used daily. If you're only going to own one brush, the CH3 in Super is it. For lathering directly on the face, (which IMHO is the ONLY reason to buy a 350.00 badger hair brush,) there is no better. Many say the brush is "scrubby," which it may in fact be, if you are rubbing the dry brush across your skin. But when it's loaded with soap or cream and your building the lather directly on your face I think it is extremely smooth, (dare I even say, SOFT). And yet it is dense enough to keep the tips of the bristles in contact with your skin at all times instead of the sides of the bristles like my floppy Rooney.

It has been commented that the CH3 handle seems to large and poorly designed. I believe that the proper grip for this particular brush should look more like your smoking a pipe than holding it with the tips of your fingers. This is a great ergonomic hold for lathering directly on the face, but admitedly worthless if you build lather in a bowl.

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Again I cannot say enough....This is one GREAT BRUSH!!

I've owned a Simpson C3 for over 10 years. My experience with it has been mixed. It has shed lots of hairs over the years when I used it every day. If used every day, the brush will not completely dry, even though I keep it up side down on a brush stand. That seems to be the cause of the hair loss, because it sheds few hairs when I began rotating it as part of a three-brush rotation. That being said, the brush is so densely packed that it is still usable.
My other issue with the brush is that it is a "soap hog". A cake of triple-milled soap such as AoS or MWF will only last about two months if the brush is used every day. The reason for this is obvious; the brush is huge.
The up sides of this brush are
1. It makes huge amounts of rich lather; enough for a three-pass shave plus touch-ups.
2. It feels very luxurious on my face when I lather it up.

Price: $290-$330 I found EM's place had the best deal in the US, but check around.

Quality: This is a hand made brush using the best quality resins, and badger hair available. The brush feels heavy and well made, with the only complaints I have being that the "Sterilized" sticker falls off after a couple of uses. The logo stamping is also a bit simple looking and not quite as fancy as one sees on machine stamped handles, but it's 100% hand made, and this mark of imperfection is what makes a Simpson, a Simpson. I'm told a lot of labor and man hours goes into the making of brush with such a dense knob, and while I don't know what a craftsman in the UK earns, I'm sure that for the amount of time, labor and materials that goes into one of these, $300 is well worth the quality.

Density: You are hard pressed to find a denser knot than on the chubby.. and the 3 being the biggest (I think it's 27mm), is among biggest brushes out there. The bristle stands firm, but soft and the hair stays quite neat and dressed after use. It's almost too dense in that there is little play in the bulb when you apply it to your face, but the fact that it's so soft makes up for the lack of "bounce". The picture taken below is of a brush that was just used just an hour or so before, and even when still damp, it holds together quite well. I've not lost a single hair in the two weeks or so I've had it.

Stiffness and Softness: As I said above, the brush is both quite stiff and soft, which gives it a great feeling on your face, but it doesn't flop around like brushes that are less dense. It stays together quite well and when you want the bristles to yield, they'll yield without losing the form of the bulb.

Ergonomic: This ares is the only area where the brush falls a bit short of the perfection that one expects of a brush in this price range. For my hands (and I'm 6' tall and 200lbs), I find the handle a bit thick, or massive. I don't know if it's due to the large diameter knot, or if it's more of a design issue, but I would like if the handle was maybe 3-4mm smaller in diameter. With that said, you quality adapt to the handle and find that you're able to apply lather quite precisely, large handle not withstanding.

Latherability: Here is an area where this brush is king once again. I can tell you that with just one almond sized dab of shave cream, and what water the brush holds in after a couple of shakes into the sink, I'm able to get quite a bit of lather built up into this thing. Enough so that I can do 3 passes or more, and still have a lot left over. The bristles seem to have an unlimited capacity to hold and create more lather. The best of the 3 fine brushes I own in this department, for sure.



A size comparison to the R.A. Rooney Style 1, Medium brush, and a German made Dachs, horn handle "Silvertip" brush from EM's place.