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Brush Wars discussion Thread for Simpson Chubby #2 - Super....

Joel, Great review, as always. I've been eying this brush for a while myself. I have small hands and I feel it would be a good fit. But I can't decide Best or Super?
 
Joel, Great review, as always. I've been eying this brush for a while myself. I have small hands and I feel it would be a good fit. But I can't decide Best or Super?

I just picked one up in Best. I figured the softer tips and high density would be a pretty good combo. I have only used it once, but I do enjoy it. After it breaks in it should soften up a bit. I do want to get a Chubby 1 as well. I might go super in that one for something different.

As always Joel, outstanding review.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Joel, Great review, as always. I've been eying this brush for a while myself. I have small hands and I feel it would be a good fit. But I can't decide Best or Super?

The Best would be super but the Super would be best! Ah, I'm glad the brush terminology is so clear. :lol:

I'll join the queue of guys who (a) are eyeing a Chubby and (b) want to give major kudos to Joel for his work reviewing.
 
Firstly - thanks fellas!

Secondly.... (this pains me) I cannot, and would not recommend a Simpson shaving brush any longer. Too many of my Simpson are falling apart after a year or so of use, and with how terribly expensive they are, coupled with what a pain in the rear it is to send them back, or heaven forbid deal with Simpson - as far as I am concerned, they are just no longer worth it.

If I were to buy another Simpson - it would ONLY be a second-hand simpson, one that had been used well, so as to be assured it wasn't going to be falling apart on me.

As many know, I have a lot of Simpsons (well over 10) and I am quite a fan of Simpson brushes... but their quality has radically diminished over the last year - and as a result - EVERY Simpson I have purchased within the last year has started to fall apart on me, where as my older ones are of MUCH higher quality/fit and finish.

To answer your direct question however - it depends on what kind of brush you want. The simpson "super" hair is going to be firmer than their best, so if you want a more intense/invigorating scrubby action - go with the super, if you want something softer - go with the best.

Hope this helps. :smile:
 
Joel,
Thank you. This is extremely helfpul & timely info as I have been thinking about a Simpson's and specifically the Chubby. I wanted to hear your thoughts, and others', on some of the topics of this review and of Chubby/Simpson in general:

  • A lot of the reviewers echo your observations that the Super is going to be firmer and provide a more invigorating/scrubby action compared to Best.

    I am curious why that is. It seems like a lot of vendors' offerings get scrubbier the lower down the quality/cost totem pole you go but a lot of the Simpsons reviews indicate Super being firmer/scrubbier then Best. Just trying to satisfy my intellectual curiosity here.

    Do people think the difference between the Best and the Super is dramatic? I've read posts in either direction on this one (Yes, it's dramtic. vs. No, it's subtle and not worth the extra cost). I also believe this is somewhat dependent on the specific model in question and whether it has "two banded" or a "three banded" hairs.

  • I've read a lot of posts lamenting about Simpson's quality issues but it seems like there have been a few recent posts with a glimmer of hope, indicating quality issues fixed (new and improved glue, etc). I would love to hear a little more about the quality issues you (and others) have run into and whether these were recently purchased brushes. This is a huge concncern to me and any issues about quality from B&B reviews give me pause.

  • Sizewise how would the Chubby2 compare to the 2006 B&B Brush? Yes I know they are very, very different beasts. B&B 2006 is my only point of reference.
 
Joel,
Thank you. This is extremely helfpul & timely info as I have been thinking about a Simpson's and specifically the Chubby. I wanted to hear your thoughts, and others', on some of the topics of this review and of Chubby/Simpson in general:

  • A lot of the reviewers echo your observations that the Super is going to be firmer and provide a more invigorating/scrubby action compared to Best.

    I am curious why that is. It seems like a lot of vendors' offerings get scrubbier the lower down the quality/cost totem pole you go but a lot of the Simpsons reviews indicate Super being firmer/scrubbier then Best. Just trying to satisfy my intellectual curiosity here.

    Do people think the difference between the Best and the Super is dramatic? I've read posts in either direction on this one (Yes, it's dramtic. vs. No, it's subtle and not worth the extra cost). I also believe this is somewhat dependent on the specific model in question and whether it has "two banded" or a "three banded" hairs.

  • I've read a lot of posts lamenting about Simpson's quality issues but it seems like there have been a few recent posts with a glimmer of hope, indicating quality issues fixed (new and improved glue, etc). I would love to hear a little more about the quality issues you (and others) have run into and whether these were recently purchased brushes. This is a huge concncern to me and any issues about quality from B&B reviews give me pause.

  • Sizewise how would the Chubby2 compare to the 2006 B&B Brush? Yes I know they are very, very different beasts. B&B 2006 is my only point of reference.


Dave,
Alrighty - here goes....

1.) Regarding the brush hair?

The super is firmer because... because... well... it is, there is no real logical explination - that's just how it occurs in the land of Simpson. The difference is there - and it IS dramatic, as my Duke, and other simpsons with best badger hair are softer (albeit not "luxurious" like a shavemac, kent etc) than that of the simpson brushes I have and super - which are not at all "luxurious" in my opinion - but scrubby and invigorating, which isn't bad - just different. One of the biggest gripes with Simpsons is their inconsistent hair - for instance, my PJ2 has very soft and luxurious hair three band hair (MUCH softer than any other 3 band simpson I own) however Nick's PJ2 is a 2 banded scrub machine, with more of a rounded head (versus my PJ2's traditional flat english formed head) - two RADICALLY different shaving brushes - both the same model, in "super." Some of my Simpson 2 banded brushes are so firm they are almost uncomfortable to use, and others are quite nice. When you buy a Simpson brush, basically you are doing it blindly - and it's a complete crapshoot as to what you are going to get. There is not a single model of simpson shaving brushes that is always 2 banded, or always three banded, ALL of them have quite a vast amount of variation.

2.) Regarding Simpson's Q/C - and the "glimmer of hope."

I can't comment as there is only way to know if this is true or not... and that is waiting a few years and seeing how they will hold up. A shaving brush (properly cared for) should last decades - so "assuming" they have fixed the problems they have run into that have been present in their brushes for about 2 (possibly 3) years now is really up to you. I can say this - there is NO other high end brand of shaving brush (IE over $20) that has EVER had as many issues as Simpson brushes have had - period. A TON of fellas own Vulfix's, Kent's, EJ's, Shavemacs, MP's, Rooney's, Omegas, Savile Rows and so on and so forth - and yes - all of the aformentioned brushes will have problems/issues every once in a rare while - however Simpsons constantly have issues.

I've bought 6 Simpson brushes over the past 2 years.... all but 2 I am having issues with.

Only you can make the decision if YOU feel they have made enough changes (or if it is even true) to risk your $ on one of 'em - but as Simpson's biggest "Sychpant" (as Scotto or Ron would say :wink: ) I can honestly say, I am so let down, dissapointed, and down right disgusted, that I cannot see myself ever buying another new Simpson shaving brush - no if ands or buts.

3.) Size difference between B&B Brush and Chubby 2...

Well a picture is worth a thousand words... so here's 2,000 :wink:

full


full
 
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Yes, for most vendors, in most cases the lower down the line you go, the scrubbier they usually get. However, when you get to Simpson Super (especially "two-band"), Rooney Finest, and Plisson HMW ("two-band") the scrub comes back. The story is that the hair is more rare. I'm not sure I buy that, but if you want that style of brush, that's what we have to deal with.

The Simpson grading has driven me bonkers as well (for instance, the Best hair in my Duke 3 was the same as my previous PJ2 Super). Now, when purchasing Simpson brushes, I've taken to purchasing from one vendor that knows what I want and can hand-sort for the brush that fits my request.

For what it's worth, I've had 4 Simpson brushes since the beginning of the year. One has shed. Hopefully, it stays that way.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
On the 'issues' issue, I bought a Major from Lee (Lee's Razors) this spring. It was new stock (I assume) as he had to wait for it to come from England to ship it to me. I've used it (roughly) every 4th day since; it has shed about 3 hairs total, and none in a while ... touch wood ...

Maybe I lucked out, maybe the collapse is imminent, I dunno. I'll probaby wait on a Chubby for a year or two and see how the quality issues sort out ... we won't know if the problem is fiixed until the new brushes have been exposed to regular and long-term use.


Totaly off-topic, but what's with the gold base on the B&B brush? Both of mine (silvertip and finest, both faux-horn) have silver. Was there any rhyme or reason to gold? I've seen a gold base in the odd photo, and never got around to asking.
 
Nice review Joel.
On a positive note, my last three brushes from Simpson (CH1, E2, and T2 all in super) have all been fantastic, and I can honestly say that not one of them has lost a single hair!
So, I hope that this would mean that Simpson has finally solved their faulty epoxy problems.
My advice would be to either purchase a brush that has just been manufactured, or like Joel said...go for a vintage model.
 
On the 'issues' issue, I bought a Major from Lee (Lee's Razors) this spring. It was new stock (I assume) as he had to wait for it to come from England to ship it to me. I've used it (roughly) every 4th day since; it has shed about 3 hairs total, and none in a while ... touch wood ...

Maybe I lucked out, maybe the collapse is imminent, I dunno. I'll probaby wait on a Chubby for a year or two and see how the quality issues sort out ... we won't know if the problem is fiixed until the new brushes have been exposed to regular and long-term use.


Totaly off-topic, but what's with the gold base on the B&B brush? Both of mine (silvertip and finest, both faux-horn) have silver. Was there any rhyme or reason to gold? I've seen a gold base in the odd photo, and never got around to asking.

Gold (genuine) bases were an option available to the moderators as a thank you for their time/service to the site - paid for by myself, Nick and John. They also had the option of a matching gold DE EJ razor as well.
 
Joel,
Thanks for taking the time for the detailed reply to my questions. I especially appreciate the pics of the Chubby next to the B&B - a brush I know very well. It really helped me get a good idea of the scale of the Chubby. Man that thing is dense! Looking at how much bigger the knot is in the full frontal, then seeing how much smaller the diameter of the bloom is in the top down compared to B&B was very helpful. You rock!
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Gold (genuine) bases were an option available to the moderators as a thank you for their time/service to the site - paid for by myself, Nick and John. They also had the option of a matching gold DE EJ razor as well.

Cool. Thanks for the info.
 
On the 'issues' issue, I bought a Major from Lee (Lee's Razors) this spring. It was new stock (I assume) as he had to wait for it to come from England to ship it to me. I've used it (roughly) every 4th day since; it has shed about 3 hairs total, and none in a while ... touch wood ...

According to Lee, he has all of his brushes made by one brushmaker to ensure quality control. He claims that he has had far fewer problems with the Simpson brushes he sells than has been the case generally.

If you're interested in a Simpson brush, I think you should consider doing business with Lee - he offers B&B members great prices and will stand by anything he sells (I'm not suggesting this is not the case with other vendors). If you're not sure what brush is right for you, give him a call and he'll help you out.

This is a very helpful review and thread.
 
Simpsons seems to be hit or miss over the past couple of years. Personally, I would avoid the hassle (who needs it on such an expensive item?) and go with another brand. I have a Tulip 3 that has had no problems, followed by two Persian jars which had issue after issue. No more Simpsons for me.
 
Simpsons seems to be hit or miss over the past couple of years. Personally, I would avoid the hassle (who needs it on such an expensive item?) and go with another brand. I have a Tulip 3 that has had no problems, followed by two Persian jars which had issue after issue. No more Simpsons for me.

From what I've seen, the PJ line seems to have been hit the hardest with the QC problems.
 
According to Lee, he has all of his brushes made by one brushmaker to ensure quality control. He claims that he has had far fewer problems with the Simpson brushes he sells than has been the case generally.

If you're interested in a Simpson brush, I think you should consider doing business with Lee - he offers B&B members great prices and will stand by anything he sells (I'm not suggesting this is not the case with other vendors). If you're not sure what brush is right for you, give him a call and he'll help you out.

This is a very helpful review and thread.

On that note - all of my dud brushes have come from Lee :wink:

Lee is a great vendor - but I suggest trying to call Simpson, or talk to them in ANY way shape or form... they are MISERABLE to deal with, and that is why few vedors deal with them - and they give you things their way - or no way.

I'd be highly suspect of any special arrangement RE: special treatment, or a specific brushmaker making their brushes. According to the owner of Simpson Brushes - with whom I had spoken to on numerous occasions - Simpson brushes are manufactured in an assembly line process (according to their catalogue as well) so it would be pretty much impossible to have one person make the brush from start to finish.

I'm not saying Lee is b/sing ya... but I am saying be weary of that statement, as it just plumb doesn't make sense. For Simpson - Lee is a very small customer, and I cannot imagine them radically changing the manner in which they run their business (and the efficiency) JUST for Lee, but hey - you never know, I could be wrong.

What I DO know however, is that ALL of the "bad" brushes I have received have been from Lee - and that I personally will be doing as Scotto - and purchasing other brands - as there are so many other options out there just as good, if not better - without the hassle of a Simpson.
 
Hey Joel! Now just wait a minute there! Maybe Lee has Chuckles of Austins little old Manchurian maker working for him since the Manchurian has been replaced by the auto-shedding porpoise-built brush.. (Nothing fishy about porpoise, but ya' got have a hole in your head to be one..:a19: )
 
Hey Joel! Now just wait a minute there! Maybe Lee has Chuckles of Austins little old Manchurian maker working for him since the Manchurian has been replaced by the auto-shedding porpoise-built brush.. (Nothing fishy about porpoise, but ya' got have a hole in your head to be one..:a19: )

:lol: :lol: :lol:

When you need a good gut buster, you can always count on Ron!
 
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