Simpsons Special In Best

Of all of my Simpsons this is no doubt the best deal. I love small brushes for facelathering and this meets my standards very well. Enough backbone and density, great flow-through, creates lather very easily and feels great on the face.

The knot stays compact during the shave (not too much bloom) making it a very precise little brush. The density is less than with a Berkeley or Classic but because the shape of the knot stays together the backbone is almost as firm.

The handle fits the hand very well; it is a good thing that Simpson put a relative large handle under the small knot so it is really comfortable in use.

This Simpson is flying a bit under the radar but it deserves more than that imo; this is the best value you can get from Simpson I think. With the same price as the Wee Scot you have at least twice that brush with the Special.

Highly recommended!

This is a great and affordable brush. I also bought it from Tony at Penworks below $40.

I'm in love with Simpson best hair. This is a little dense brush that has done a good job with both soap and creams.

This could be the only brush I own.

Price. I bought this brush two months ago for £23 / 35USD. Its a lot of brush for the money.

Quality. It has lost 2 hairs in this time.

Density. I gave it an 8 only because its not a chubby!

Stiffness. If I'm using soaps I like to face lather. No problem here.

Softness. Not far removed from super or silvertip.

Ergonomic. It suits me but I have smaller than average hands?

Latherability. This wee brush will soon whip up your favorite cream or soap with ease.

I would whole heartedly recommend this brush to anyone.

As the other reviews reflect, even when you know the measurements of the brush before you buy, it still seems surprisingly small. For me, though, that's a good thing. I really dislike brushes with ridiculous lofts; they're great for whipping up a quick lather, but they're difficult for me to transfer that lather from a bowl to my face. Plus, the giant knots tend to act like badger brooms on my face, sweeping the lather around more than anything else.

All that to say, I really have been looking forward to using a smaller brush, and I have not been disappointed.

Price: 9. I got this for a great price from Tony at Penworks. Can't argue with a best badger for less than $40!

Quality: 10. C'mon folks, it's a Simpson. Did you expect less?

Density: 9. This was a pleasant surprise. Though small, the knot is quite dense, and bloomed beautifully.

Stiffness: 5. I almost feel like rating for stiffness in this case is detrimental to the overall rating, but meh. It's a small best badger, which means that it's not as stiff as a pure badger, boar, or synthetic. The size, however, means that (in my opinion) you'll get a fantastic blend of stiffness and softness.

Softness: 8. See above. But, in the end, it's a best badger, and the difference between this and a pure brush seems to me to be pretty significant.

Ergonomic: 8. Yes, the handle is small, but it fits really well in my small hands. It's got a decent heft to it, and when wet the handle isn't slippery like other similar handles.

Latherability: 10. Wow, was I surprised. No problems making a crazy lather with Pre de Provence, my current soap of choice, with just a few swipes (not that I've ever really had problems with it). I can't imagine it would have much trouble with my other soaps and creams.

Final Thoughts: I'm not sure yet if this is a usual-rotation brush, but it certainly feels like a waste to just relegate it to a travel brush...unless SBAD has hit you hard, and you have a silvertip for every day of the week . Love it, and highly recommend it.

I bought this brush a few weeks ago as I liked the small size of it for my Dopp and it's inexpensive price tag. The handle is comfortable to use despite it's dimunitive size and it works great with creams and soaps. I did notice that the hair in this (best) is not as white at the tips as my Duke 3 in Best but it feels equally soft. It's not as densely packed either but I found it does not splay out alot and maintains it's shape well while lathering. Perhaps due to it's short loft. In fact, I think it has the right amount of give and doesn't "hold onto" the lather like my more densely packed D3.

Anyway, I love this brush and would not hesitate to recommend it.

Pros: Inexpensive and feels well made.

Cons: Can't think of anything...Perhaps it would be too small for those that like big brushes

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