A while back I sold my Duke 1 ( a great little brush) and bought a Duke because I wanted something a bit bigger. I've been thinking of going bigger still and was looking at a Duke 3. But I know Chubbys get a lot of love. In comparing them I notice their knot sizes are almost identical. So if there's anyone out there that has used both, either both in Best or both in Super, can you tell me how they differ, which you preferred, and why?
Duke 3 vs Chubby 1
- Thread starter jwilock
- Start date
I have both the D3 and chubby 1 in best. Although the knots appear to be similiar, they do have unique characteristics which may be best suited to your preferred product and method of making lather.
the chubby is a bit denser and has more backbone. I face lather both croaps and soaps, and the chubby excels at this. The D3 is considered by many to be an excellent all-purpose brush. It is a very good brush if you want a little less backbone and prefer to bowl lather creams and croaps. However, I do not use/like creams and haven't bowl lathered in almost a year. So for me, the D3 is almost too "safe"- it does everything well, but for my preferred uses it just isn't what I reach for 1st (probably not in my top 10 brushes).
I have had the chubby 1 in both super and 2-band, and ended up selling them both. The 3-band super was nice and felt very luxurious. However, due to its density I felt that a lot of lather ended up in the knot as opposed to on my face. When I want to use a luxurious brush, i reach for a Rooney heritage 2-band stubby which is much more enjoyable and has better face feel.
The chubby 1 2-band I recently sold. Unlike its brother in best, for some reason the lather always ran down the handle, which bugged me a little. Unlike other 2-bands I have, it just wasn't the sweet spot for me. Like the D3 as described above, I just didn't reach for it often, and when I did I thought about other brushes I have that I prefer to do the same job.
I can certainly add side by side pics over the weekend if you'd like.
here is an older thread that shows some of the rushes I've discussed
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/314734-Kooze-s-brushes?highlight=
a friend of mine once tried to differentiate the simpson grades of hair for me, prior to me purchasing them, and the following are his thoughts, which may be (probably are) more helpfu than my own:
The chubby is a premium offering from Simpsons...it's a great brush and you really can't go wrong with it! If you like a soft brush, then go for the 3-band super...if you like a bit of scritch, less dense knot with more backbone, get it in 2-band Super...want more scritch but don't want to sacrifice too much density, get it in Best...provided you're buying new that is...older simpsons feel different...and keep in mind there's variation from batch to batch...I've seen newer Best knots that are very soft with hardly any scritch and practically same face feel as the super knots...in my honest opinion, the newer best knots are very well done...
Of course, as with everything ymmv blah blah blah
the chubby is a bit denser and has more backbone. I face lather both croaps and soaps, and the chubby excels at this. The D3 is considered by many to be an excellent all-purpose brush. It is a very good brush if you want a little less backbone and prefer to bowl lather creams and croaps. However, I do not use/like creams and haven't bowl lathered in almost a year. So for me, the D3 is almost too "safe"- it does everything well, but for my preferred uses it just isn't what I reach for 1st (probably not in my top 10 brushes).
I have had the chubby 1 in both super and 2-band, and ended up selling them both. The 3-band super was nice and felt very luxurious. However, due to its density I felt that a lot of lather ended up in the knot as opposed to on my face. When I want to use a luxurious brush, i reach for a Rooney heritage 2-band stubby which is much more enjoyable and has better face feel.
The chubby 1 2-band I recently sold. Unlike its brother in best, for some reason the lather always ran down the handle, which bugged me a little. Unlike other 2-bands I have, it just wasn't the sweet spot for me. Like the D3 as described above, I just didn't reach for it often, and when I did I thought about other brushes I have that I prefer to do the same job.
I can certainly add side by side pics over the weekend if you'd like.
here is an older thread that shows some of the rushes I've discussed
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/314734-Kooze-s-brushes?highlight=
a friend of mine once tried to differentiate the simpson grades of hair for me, prior to me purchasing them, and the following are his thoughts, which may be (probably are) more helpfu than my own:
The chubby is a premium offering from Simpsons...it's a great brush and you really can't go wrong with it! If you like a soft brush, then go for the 3-band super...if you like a bit of scritch, less dense knot with more backbone, get it in 2-band Super...want more scritch but don't want to sacrifice too much density, get it in Best...provided you're buying new that is...older simpsons feel different...and keep in mind there's variation from batch to batch...I've seen newer Best knots that are very soft with hardly any scritch and practically same face feel as the super knots...in my honest opinion, the newer best knots are very well done...
Of course, as with everything ymmv blah blah blah
i had both in Best and i much preferred the Chubby 1 for the better backbone as i face-lathered. Great little brush, but unfortunately, i tried larger brushes and 2-bands and i was hooked!
Good luck.
Good luck.
- Thread starter
- #4
Jim, I'm a huge lover of Simpson brushes and of the Chubbies and Dukes in particular. As about your question on comparing the Chubby 1 to the Duke 3 here are my thoughts. Both have a dense knot that ranges between 22 and 24 mm, but the Chubby is denser and is also the densest brush in the entire Simpsons line-up. The short "fat" handle on the Chubby 1 makes it ideal for face lathering, while the Duke 3 is more versatile and works great either face and bowl lathering. Some find the Chubby 1 handle too short, but I don't. I think that, once you get used to it, it is superbly designed and offers great counterbalance. The Duke 3 handle, being bigger, simply does not give any kind of issues to almost anyone. Both shapes are very traditional. As about the hair type I find that the Best is soft with a hint of scritch (and there are quite some differences from one batch to another), holds a good amount of water and blooms nicely. The Super is silky soft with snow White tips, has superior water retention qualities and blooms more. I really enjoy both.
I was in this dilemma as I had a Duke 2 and Chubby 1 which are much closer in size/performance than the Duke 3 and Chubby 1 would be.
I did a head to head comparison thread which you might find helpful (even though you are talking Duke 3 not 2)
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/285366-Duke-2-vs-Chubby-1-Face-lathering-title-bout
I did a head to head comparison thread which you might find helpful (even though you are talking Duke 3 not 2)
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/285366-Duke-2-vs-Chubby-1-Face-lathering-title-bout
I think everyone should own a Chubby. It is THE iconic shaving brush. Just pick the size & hair that best suits your preferences.
I sold my Chubby 1. I kept my Duke 3. The Chubby handle was too small for me and the knot was scritchy.
Same her, but Chubby 1 / Duke 1. I have no problems with small Simpson handles (Wee Scot, 55, Duke 1, Case, Berkeley…
, only the Chubby 1 is awkward. Most probably it's so short and too thick for the shortness. And I was rather disappeared by the Chubby 1 performance. I really like Simpson brushes, but find the Chubby the most over-hyped Simppson. Sold it very quickly!- Thread starter
- #10
Thanks I enjoyed readig this thread. Question ... I didn't wee a reply to the questions about whether your Ch 1 was a 2-band or not. Were you compaing Best to Best or 2-band to Best?
- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks everynne. Perhaps it's not so surprising that Ive heard from people who prefer the Chubby, some who prefer the Duke, some who think it's a tie, and at least one who suggested trying the Chbby simmply because it's a "must try" brush. Hmmmm. What to do? I was thinking of selling my D2 to fund the purchase of a Ch or a D3. Myabe teh answer is to keep the D2 AND buy the Ch 1. Of course! That's it.Maybe what I should do though is try the CH in a idfferent hair from my D2 - either the 3-band Super or the 2-band. Any thoughts on how a Ch1 in 3-band Super would compare to one in 2-band?
I had both a Chubby 1 in Super 3 and 2 band - and ended up selling both: The one in Super had just the perfect size for face lathering with a nice and dense fan shaped knot - but the super hair was too scrubby for me. The 2 band had wonderful soft tips, but this particular specimen had a very pointy bulb knot, i.e. despite the soft tips, creating lather with circular motion was really uncomfortable. I am contemplating to have Mark from Simpson make me a Chubby 1 in 2 band with a fan shaped knot - that might be the best of two worlds.
If I would be in your position I would go for a Chubby 2 in 2 Band... no more issues with the smaller handle, a wonderful soft knot with a friendly bulb shape (but not pointy)... Some pics below...
If I would be in your position I would go for a Chubby 2 in 2 Band... no more issues with the smaller handle, a wonderful soft knot with a friendly bulb shape (but not pointy)... Some pics below...
- Thread starter
- #13
These are 3 different D3 knots: Super, Manchurian and 2 Band...
