My first brush: really a Simfix?

[rexcarolus]

Hello everyone,

My very first brush, a Simpsons Harvard 1, is now my travel brush. The more I know and the more I compare it to my other Simpsons, I am starting to question whether it is really a Vulfix-era Simpsons. Yes, it has engraving, but it also has "Somerset Rose" handle stock and an interesting pattern on the base that none of my other recent Simpsons have:



The general appearance of the brush is different, too, because it has "grind marks" (for lack of a beter term) on the handle. The brushes that are obviously CNC-turned don't have this, as far as I have seen:



Maybe these marks are too subtle to be seen here. I welcome any comments or other shots of Harvards. Maybe this one is typical after all. Perhaps coincidentally, it has the softest (and least "banded") Best hair I have experienced with zero dark or broken tips.

Best,

rexcarolus

 

[NSmalls]

I think Simpsons brushes are all handmade. It's hard for me to see the marks on the handle but I believe I know what you are talking about. All of my pre-Vulfix Simpsons did have a similar marking. They didn't look as smooth as the modern day ones. I don't think the Harvard is a very popular model, so it may very well be an older brush. Do you have pics of the box?

 

[Rudy Vey]

These marks you refer to is the indication that the handle was turned and sanded by hand on manual lathe, same procedure as I make my brushes. The modern brush handles are all turn on automated machining center where the rod stock is fed in one side and the handle comes out on the other side - so to speak - not much handiwork anymore. The setting of the knots into the handle is probably done by hand and also the production of the knot may be mostly done by hand as well.

 

[rexcarolus]

Thanks very much for the reply, Rudy. It bears the evidence of some hand work to my eye, too. This is really interesting since I bought the brush in 2012 from Jarrod at The Superior Shave. He stated emphatically that the brush was of vintage handle material but the turning itself is contemporary Simpsons/Vulfix.

Just to summarize what I believe is the consensus is regarding these issues:

+ The brushmakers of Somerset Simpsons did not continue on after the Vulfix acquisition
+ Current Simpsons handles are CNC machined
+ There are old stock, hand-turned handles around in the Simpsons factory/warehouse--Mark tweeted back in June about a NOS Chubby handle that was available and sold within a matter of minutes

What we don't seem to know:

+ Are there "transitional" brushes--Somerset materials and turnings and knots but with Vulfix-era engraving?
+ Are there brushes that contain only one or two of these "vintage" features?
+ Were such brushes (if they exist) sold as normal stock through the regular channels?
+ Is there still a quantity of Somerset brushes at the factory that will be for sale to consumers?
+ Can "Somerset Rose" or "Somerset Yellow" handle stock be requested in a special order?

I'd really like to hear more about these points or any unusual brushes in the wild.

 

[rexcarolus]

Sorry for the double post, but I forgot to reply to Nsmalls--the box is bog standard Vulfix-era. It has the current label (with the slightly messy logo font) and doesn't have the "Made in England" stampings the older boxes had. Interestingly my Eagle 3 Pure bought this year has the old-style label. There must have been a surplus of "Pure" labels from the Carter-era.