Simpson's Emperor E3

From the size and comfort of the handle to the luxury performance the knot provides, this brush could be any wet shavers favorite go to badger. Luxury and comfortable control make for an outstanding brush. Recommended without reservation or the need for a lot more words in this review.

Disappointed in this brush—I'm not saying it's bad, but it's definitely not for me. The term "silver tip" should not be used to describe this brush as its hair quality has nothing to do with what is normally called "silver tip." Stiff, scritchy, and difficult to build lather.

When I first started reading all of the user comments about Simpson's brushes, I did NOT want to like them. They were way too expensive and made by a company who refused to list their brushes' measurements. They were shave brushes made by shave snobs, for shave snobs. Every good comment that I heard about the Simpson brush line merely aggravated me more.

The positive comments just kept coming, and when these were followed up by the big price drop, I couldn't resist any longer. I just had to see what all the fuss was about, so I emailed Lee (Lee's Razors) and struck up a deal.

Now, I've waited quite some time to post my review on this brush because I wanted to really put it through in depth testing. I've lathered every soap and cream that I can get my hands on and I have done so both in a bowl and on my face. Surprisingly, I cannot find a single deficiency with this brush. From the base of the handle to the tip of the bristles, this brush is a masterpiece. I think you could get lather out of a rock with this baby, and it would be a Luxurious lather.

I have no problem recommending this brush to anyone. The price is not cheap, but when compared to the quality of the item you are receiving, it is justifiable.

I thoroughly enjoy these reviews; time to do my bit.

Pictured is the Simpson's E3 Emperor in super badger. It stands 115mm tall with a 22mm knot. The bristle is of the upland silvertip type, although there are a couple of grey solids in the knot that keep it from being 100% uniform. The white tips extend some 15-17mm down the bristle and are NOT of the hooked, "split end" variety.

It generates excellent lather with the soaps; I didn't think I could get such a thick, rich lather with soap. It's density and stiffness really shine here.

It will generate a terrific lather with cremes, but requires some practice. One would believe that such a small knot would not hold much water, but the opposite is true. It needs 2-3 firm shakes before going to the bowl, otherwise you get a thin, soupy mix.

I like the way it "gives up" the lather without having to splay it hard on my face. A few light, circular strokes, with a couple of "paintbrush" strokes to even everything out, is all it takes.

This little bugger is very stiff and dense. It has hardly bloomed after a month of near-constant use. If I were to cut the crown flat, it would easily stand on its bristle. Although the soft tips keep it from being scratchy, like grey solids, it definitely scrubs the face when used. It could be my imagination, but I think this scrubbing action stood my beard up better and resulted in superior shaves. It's definitely at the opposite end of the spectrum from my Shavemac which, while dense, is very soft and splays easily.

The handle is ideal for me. It is long enough to mix creme in a bowl without banging the handle, but is not unwieldly. The knob at the bottom really works well; I can wrap my thumb around it to mix vigorously and take a good grip with my fingertips to take it to my face.

My only real complaint is the is the initial smell. I expect new brushes to have that "soggy dog" smell that dissipates quickly enough. This brush smelled like a urinal puck (no kidding.) It only lasted a week or so but, oh man, it's awful.

Overall, I'm thrilled with the brush: it has become my "daily driver." It performs the way I want a brush to, is a good size for me, and looks great. At $160 (from The Gentleman's Shop) it is not a cheap brush, plus there's always the question of exactly what bristle you're getting from Simpson. Make sure your vendor explains what you're getting. But,for an upland white with this quality of construction, I think it represents a good value, compared to brushes such as Plisson HMW and Rooney Finest.