Go for another Rooney or swap to Simpson?

[Sobriquet]

I've used a Rooney 3/1 in Super for the last few years. I have a Rooney 3/2 in Super that I've used maybe 10 times total - it's just too large for my tastes. My SBAD is starting to kick in and I've been seriously eyeing either a Rooney Stubby size 1 (not the XL) or a Simpson Chubby CH1 in Best.

• I've never owned anything other than a Rooney, so can someone help me understand the practical difference between the Simpson in Best and my Rooney's Super?
• Any advice on choosing between the Stubby and the Chubby?
• Given that I find the Rooney 3/2 too large, am I looking at the correct size brushes?

Part of my motivation for "upgrading" is that as my technique has evolved, I've moved from bowl lathering to face lathering. I'd like something with a bit more backbone. Thanks, gentlemen!

 

[TallyShave]

Get a Thater...great for face lathering.

 

[maxman]

I've owned a Simpson Eagle and Duke. Both very nice brushes.
I've also owned many Rooney brushes (and still do).
Between the two I prefer Rooney.

 

[celestino]

You may find the Chubby 1 Best is very, very dense and a bit of a lather-hog. i would go with the Rooney Stubby if i were you. The Rooney Stubby seems like the correct knot size for you and the two-band bristles are luxuriously soft.
i have the Rooney 1XL and a Chubby 1 two-band super and they are fantastic. Good luck.

 

[Sobriquet]

Thank you for your responses. Can anyone speak to the "backbone" of a Rooney Stubby vs a Rooney 3/1 in Super? Should I be looking at a Thater 2-band? I'll scratch the Simpson's Chubby from the list.

 

[Loric]

The Stubby has a bit more backbone than the 3/1, or at least mine did a couple years back. The XL line is a bigger step up though. The regular Stubby line is a brush that is slightly biased for face lathering, but is really made to bowl and face lather. While the Stubby XL line is tuned all but exclusively for face lathering. They are denser, have shorter lofts, and a smaller handle, all making them dedicated face lathering brushes.

MM of knot size to MM of knot size the regular Stubby line feels slightly bigger on the face because of the taller loft. Though the current specs posted on Vintage blades are much closer to one another than older batches were.

 

[German]

The stubby 1 is very similar to the Rooney 1/1 in feel and look just with 2 band hair...
For variety you may want to consider a Thäter 2 band bulb with 22mm knot.

 

[Sobriquet]

Can someone please help me understand how the bloomed size of a Stubby 1XL and a 2XL is going to compare with the Rooney 3/1 and 3/2 in Super that I'm used to? I'd really like to choose the Stubby that falls somewhere in between the 3/1 and 3/2 in terms of size on the face, but with as much backbone as possible.

From what I'm reading about the Thäter 2-bands, it seems like they have less backbone than the 2-band used in the Rooney Heritage Stubby line. Is that accurate? The last thing I want to do is end up with a floppy brush when I'm trying to *gain* backbone from my Rooney 3/1 Super.

If a Rooney's Finest was still an option, I'd probably be looking in that direction, but I'm not prepared to spend that type of money given the limited supply of them (if I could even find one). It seems like Simpson charges quite a premium for their brushes compared to Thäter and Rooney. Forgive me if I've formed the wrong idea, but it appears for a given price point, you get one step down in hair quality versus Rooney or Thäter.

 

[taco8slo]

If I was you, I would look through the Morris and Forndran thread and ask for Lee's email, get a 1xl (or any handle you prefer really) with a bulb shape (won't bloom as much as the fans) has good backbone too.

 

[Sobriquet]

I really want to stick with a fan shape rather than bulb.

Can anyone tell me how the 1XL and 2XL compare in size on the face to a Rooney 3/1 and 3/2? I can't find a picture that's been able to answer that so far.