Simpson recently had ivory Duke 3 Manchurians available. Ivory is my preferred handle color, so I decided to purchase one. My prior Simpson Manchurian experience is with a Chubby 2 and M7. I've never tried a Duke 3 in any Simpson hair grade, but I'm aware of how highly regarded this brush is, even in Best.
The first picture is the new brush out of the box, and the second one is the brush after 3 shaves on consecutive days.
My knot has a diameter of 24.50+mm, with a loft of 48mm. This places it within the range of that 1:2 diameter:loft ratio preferred by many who like backbone.
A lot has been written about the Duke 3 and Simpson Manchurian, so I'll keep my comments brief. The handle on this brush reflects the typical Simpson craftsmanship. The fan knot is nicely and symmetrically shaped, without stray hairs. The brush has not shed a single hair in its first 3 shaves, each of which was 3 passes. The fan shape on this knot makes it feel larger than 24mm. Most of my brushes are bulbs in 26-28mm, but this brush does not feel small on my face. As one would expect on a Manchurian, the knot is soft, but not as soft as Simpson or Shavemac 2-band. The knot has more backbone than I expected for a fan shape. Finally, and perhaps most characteristic of Manchurian, the knot has a lot of scrub without any scritch whatsoever. I like backbone and scrub, so this knot has characteristics which are optimal for me.
This is the smallest handle in my brush arsenal. I have large hands and was concerned the handle may be too small for me. However, those concerns proved unfounded, and the handle is quite comfortable in my hand.
I already know that this brush will have a permanent place in my rotation.
The first picture is the new brush out of the box, and the second one is the brush after 3 shaves on consecutive days.
My knot has a diameter of 24.50+mm, with a loft of 48mm. This places it within the range of that 1:2 diameter:loft ratio preferred by many who like backbone.
A lot has been written about the Duke 3 and Simpson Manchurian, so I'll keep my comments brief. The handle on this brush reflects the typical Simpson craftsmanship. The fan knot is nicely and symmetrically shaped, without stray hairs. The brush has not shed a single hair in its first 3 shaves, each of which was 3 passes. The fan shape on this knot makes it feel larger than 24mm. Most of my brushes are bulbs in 26-28mm, but this brush does not feel small on my face. As one would expect on a Manchurian, the knot is soft, but not as soft as Simpson or Shavemac 2-band. The knot has more backbone than I expected for a fan shape. Finally, and perhaps most characteristic of Manchurian, the knot has a lot of scrub without any scritch whatsoever. I like backbone and scrub, so this knot has characteristics which are optimal for me.
This is the smallest handle in my brush arsenal. I have large hands and was concerned the handle may be too small for me. However, those concerns proved unfounded, and the handle is quite comfortable in my hand.
I already know that this brush will have a permanent place in my rotation.
