CH2 Dilemma

[Billy T.]

So... I was lucky enough (or so I thought) to receive a CH2 Best from a trade. It was the first premium I saw when I first started out wetshaving and I was looking forward to owning one for a loooooong time. Sadly the brush didn't meet my expectations. The brush is nice and DENSE it loses some hairs now and then but it's so heavily packed in that I do not worry about "balding". Its splay is easy, I expected it to be very hard at splaying due to its density. The backbone is perfect, not too much-not too little. Gives a nice scrubbing feel and it loads hard triple milled soaps easily. Now to the only con I could find. The scritch.... Don't get me wrong it's a great painter but as a predominant circular motion user I find it kinda annoying. The brush is probably not broken in yet, unless the scritch is to be expected even when broken in? I have done around 5 shaves with it and about 10 face/bowl lathers. I am not sure how much the brush was used by its previous owner. Do I keep lathering in hopes of the brush getting softer or do I just sell it. Pic for reference? Nope I just liked this pic

 

[macintoshBR]

Simpson’s Best Badger has very little, if any, break in period in my experience.

It’s surprising you find the Chubby 2 scritchy. Given the relatively high loft and the very deep setting of the knot in the handle, it is expected that these Chubbies use longer strands of Badger hair, which is unlikely to be feasible with Pure Badger (typical case of scritch in Best Badger brushes). It’s likely that your face cannot take Best Badger hair.

My suggestion is to sell it and look for a Chubby 2 in Super Badger. It will definitely please you

 

[Billy T.]

I've tried a Duke 3 and a Classic 2 both in Best. They were both fine and had no scritch. I would've kept the Classic but the handle was too little for my sausage hands the Duke was also not as dense as I would've liked and offered little to no scrub.

 

[Doug135]

I can relate to your experience. My 2 badger brushes: a silvertip (Kent BLK 8) and a Duke 3 Best. The Kent has always been superbly soft, but I’ve periodically been displeased by the less soft Duke 3 Best—not terrible but still seemed a touch lacking. I don’t notice it quite as much lately. That could be due to it softening over perhaps 30-50 shaves, my getting used to it, or the wash I did to it with clarifying shampoo I did a while back. Nevertheless, my next brush will be a Simpson, Super.

 

[BigJ]

There are two issues to consider IMO:
1. Simpsons best grade shows marked variability; it can range from something close to their pure grade to examples that are essentially identical to their super grade.
2. Simpsons handles, loft etc. also vary from brush to brush even within a particular model. This is either maddening or part of their charm.

That said, my guess is that you may not enjoy this particular brush so perhaps time for BST.

You might consider another Simpsons, perhaps in super or you could get lucky with a different one in best.

This AM I had a very enjoyable experience with a Tulip 2 in super, which is an option you might consider!

 

[Billy T.]

Well the Chubby is no more. Thanks you gentlemen for your input.

 

[Icebear]

You have a very quick turnaround .
I bought a CH2 best and it wasn't enjoyable at first, some scritch and an example of a lather hog. I was about to sell it off but after 20 - 25 uses it became the wall of badger that made this brush into a legend. It was a long way to go but it was worth it ... at least in my book. YMMV.