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I consider upgrading to a good quality badger brush,opinions needed...

My choice would be the DaVinci 293 (have it...) or a Zenith Copper Manchurian. Best grade from Simpson can be hit and miss, better go with their Manchurian (excellent quality hair) or a Super.

Rudy,

Our Best has never been more consistent. We’ve been monitoring batches for several months & are pleased to say it’s exceptional.

Thought it fair to comment given your past experience.

Cheers,

Mark
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
My most recent Simpsons' Best badger is an Astor I bought a year ago, and it is an outstanding knot. Read through the hundreds of posts here generated by the Alrossa price plunge in the past 6 months and take note of the overwhelming satisfaction dozens of men have expressed about these Best badger brushes. It is extraordinary. People aren't shy when it comes to complaining about the occasional scritch in Simpsons' Best, but I haven't seen much of that lately. I'd say Mr Watterson is correct.
 
I will say that I've only bought one Best Recently, but it (a duke 2) was everything I like about Simpson's best. No complaints... and I prefer their best to super, so I think I have pretty high standards for the Best. Honestly, Simpson Best is probably my favorite three band. If you are of the opinion that softer = better, then yeah go super, or ultra soft synthetic... For me natural hair should have some character, and that's why I like a hair that has a (good) feel to it.
 
I have a M7 Best I bought last year that is excellent. It prevented me from buying a M7 Super to complete my set (also have Manchurian and synth) as my Best looks as good as any M7 Super I have seen and the knot hair is very similar to my Tulip 3 Super.

I also have a Polo 8 Best in the mail from WCS. It better not suck @A.E. Simpson 1919 . 😜
 
I’ve tried
3x Best
2x Super
2x Manchurian
2x SiLVERTiP

The best might actually be my favorite hair of the lot. It’s a good honest knot. A Goldilocks knot in many ways. I’m not overly keen on excessive backbone, softness or density. These are niche preferences and most of the time I prefer a badger brush that’s more middle of the road. As long as there isn’t any scritch.

Don’t ever think that you’re cheaping out by going with a Best brush. Best is a classic. It’s the star of the show.
 
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@Gts So which way are you leaning? (just get them all right? :) )
Lol! Well...no...not really , usually confusion makes me step away from quick decisions. Now i am considering even higher up in price. Like a chubby 2 best for example.
At this period i can get the Zenith for 85€, the Duke for 90€, the wellington for 70€ ,the commodore for 65€,the colonel for 50€ and the Davinci for 110€. That's with a 10% discount on the Simpsons , so the chubby will cost me about 135€, which is not bad really as the lowest i have found it is 150€ and up.
On the other hand, I don't really need a brush immediately as the ones i already own are hardly broken in really. You see this whole experience started to take place 10 months ago. During those months i went from DE ,to shavette, to straight razor and from the brushes side it went ,synthetic to boar to pure badger and settled back to boar again. All that costed me roughly 150€ and that included the blades, before i decided to spend more serious money for a decent straight razor really.
Could i go any faster???
 
How about a chubby 1? Is it uncomfortable to hold because of the small handle? Better backbone than a Duke 3?
 
Lol! Well...no...not really , usually confusion makes me step away from quick decisions. Now i am considering even higher up in price. Like a chubby 2 best for example.
At this period i can get the Zenith for 85€, the Duke for 90€, the wellington for 70€ ,the commodore for 65€,the colonel for 50€ and the Davinci for 110€. That's with a 10% discount on the Simpsons , so the chubby will cost me about 135€, which is not bad really as the lowest i have found it is 150€ and up.
On the other hand, I don't really need a brush immediately as the ones i already own are hardly broken in really. You see this whole experience started to take place 10 months ago. During those months i went from DE ,to shavette, to straight razor and from the brushes side it went ,synthetic to boar to pure badger and settled back to boar again. All that costed me roughly 150€ and that included the blades, before i decided to spend more serious money for a decent straight razor really.
Could i go any faster???

Hello. Just my little advice... Buy a Simpsons. Because, if you read this forum, sooner or later you will have to buy a Simpsons, just because there is a mist of legend that surrounds it, so you will have to buy one. Once you buy a Simpsons, two things can happen: 1) You get thrilled by it and want a Chubby, 2) You become disenchanted by the legend and look elsewhere too.

My advice: Buy something like a Colonel XL in best. If you get crazy about it, you can get Chubby. If not, you haven't spent too much money. Personal opinion: I am in the disenchanted category. I have a Simpsons best, but i prefer Yaqi silvertip at half the money. Yaqi 2 bands have high backbone, in case you are interested.
 
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Hello. Just my little advice... Buy a Simpsons. Because, if you read this forum, sooner or later you will have to buy a Simpsons, just because there is a mist of legend that surrounds it, so you will have to buy one. Once you buy a Simpsons, two things can happen: 1) You get thrilled by it and want a Chubby, 2) You become disenchanted by the legend and look elsewhere too.

My advice: Buy something like a Colonel XL in best. If you get crazy about it, you can get Chubby. If not, you haven't spent too much money. Personal opinion: I am in the disenchanted category. I have a Simpsons best, but i prefer Yaqi silvertip at half the money. Yaqi 2 bands have high backbone, in case you are interested.

Well... now that you mention it , a store on the opposite side of the street of the place that i work sells Yaqi brushes. That's where i also bought my first ever brush , the Yaqi 22mm white knight synthetic. Maybe i should check them out , when instore visits will become available to the public again. Thanks!
 
Well... now that you mention it , a store on the opposite side of the street of the place that i work sells Yaqi brushes. That's where i also bought my first ever brush , the Yaqi 22mm white knight synthetic. Maybe i should check them out , when instore visits will become available to the public again. Thanks!

Nobody ever lost anything checking out Yaqi. Their real value is way higher than their monetary value. For the rest, it is all a matter of preference and mindset. Sooner or later, you WILL buy a Simpson. Otherwise you will keep wondering whether the brushes come from a magical badger or anything. They use very good hair, very dense knots with high backbone, but it is a matter of preference, i prefer softer, more luxurious badgers when i pay high money. I prefer the Vulfix Grosvenor 404 compared to my Simpson best badger as a matter of fact. Strange as it is. The badger is a fine brush, but you know, my cheek doesn't remember how much i paid for each brush. So, it has a mind of its own. :laugh:
 
The only Simpson I own is a Wee Scot. Getting past the small size, I'm not impressed with their Best badger hair. I have no need to explore Simpson's product line any further.
 
Seriously considering the chubby 1 and the classic 2 from Simpsons, these last few days.i am constantly searching for reviews and opinions of those two. Both seem to be a bit shorter than my Yaqi 22mm white knight synthetic, that i've come to appreciate much more lately , but people seem to like them despite the fact that they can get lather on their handles, which can become a nuisance most of the time really. Density and backbone is being praised more often than not on these, as a big plus. I think that i should see those two in person in order to understand their size and grip. Anyone can inform me of the diameter on their handle bases?
 
Nobody ever lost anything checking out Yaqi. Their real value is way higher than their monetary value. For the rest, it is all a matter of preference and mindset. Sooner or later, you WILL buy a Simpson. Otherwise you will keep wondering whether the brushes come from a magical badger or anything. They use very good hair, very dense knots with high backbone, but it is a matter of preference, i prefer softer, more luxurious badgers when i pay high money. I prefer the Vulfix Grosvenor 404 compared to my Simpson best badger as a matter of fact. Strange as it is. The badger is a fine brush, but you know, my cheek doesn't remember how much i paid for each brush. So, it has a mind of its own. :laugh:
I also prefer my Vulfix (375) to my "Simpson Simpsons" . Not to say that Simpson Simpsons aren't quality brushes, because they absolutely are.
I just ordered a 404 and I think I'm about to break down and but a Yaqi Silvertip as well ><
 
I also prefer my Vulfix (375) to my "Simpson Simpsons" . Not to say that Simpson Simpsons aren't quality brushes, because they absolutely are.
I just ordered a 404 and I think I'm about to break down and but a Yaqi Silvertip as well ><

I hope you will enjoy it or both of them, sir! Maybe our cheeks, think alike! :lol1:
 
Both seem to be a bit shorter than my Yaqi 22mm white knight synthetic, that i've come to appreciate much more lately , but people seem to like them despite the fact that they can get lather on their handles, which can become a nuisance most of the time really. Density and backbone is being praised more often than not on these, as a big plus.

The shorter loft and the backbone are related -- generally relatively lofty brushes will be floppier, though the hair also plays a big role, of course. If getting lather on your hands is something you don't like, maybe you should look at a longer-handled brush, like a Colonel or an M7? Those wouldn't have Chubby-level density, of course, but they'd still be pretty dense & backbony, certainly compared to the Yaqi.
 
The shorter loft and the backbone are related -- generally relatively lofty brushes will be floppier, though the hair also plays a big role, of course. If getting lather on your hands is something you don't like, maybe you should look at a longer-handled brush, like a Colonel or an M7? Those wouldn't have Chubby-level density, of course, but they'd still be pretty dense & backbony, certainly compared to the Yaqi.
Or go with a Chubby 3...it has a pretty big handle:001_tt2:
 
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