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New Simpson Chubby 2 in Super

Received my Chubby 2 this evening and came home to shave. I showered and did my normal prep. I did not have as easy a time getting this brush to lather as I do with my synthetics. I did notice that when lathering all of the lather seems to be in the brush, as it is heavier when lathering. I didn't produce a good lather at all, and as a result am now suffering irritation. The brush is also kinda scritchy. At this point, I'm kinda starting to wonder if this was a good purchase. I'll give it some more time since all of my experience has been with synthetics. Right now I feel that I'm not sure how to feel about this.
 
I'd recommend washing it with shampoo or brush soap and letting it dry ... at least once. It will bloom some. The Chubby in badger is extremely dense to start. Blooming will help it have better pass through. However, the Chubby 2 will take more soap then other brushes. I ordered a Best a couple months ago and also found it scratchy. I just ordered a Manchurian today. It may take 30 or so shaves to soften significantly, but it should have some break-in. However, I don't think you'll find a badger that is as efficient at giving up soap as a similar synthetic.
 
Palm lather with a few different soaps across 2-3 days. Mine took a little while to break in as well.
When it does bloom and start doing it's thing it will be worth the wait.
 
Chubbies eat/hold a lot of lather. I would try loading significantly more than you’re used to, the sheer density of them basically requires that you load more product to get the results you want. And like was mentioned above, the flow-through should improve with more use.
Don’t get down on it, you’ll dial it in and I’m sure you’ll end up loving it.
 
You have heard all of the complaints from natural bristle users when they first use synthetics? It is just different and requires a little time to dial it in.
 
Badger brushes, especially those with dense knots like the Chubby, tend to hold lather. I have a Chubby 2 in Best and a Tulip T4 in Super and they will take time to break in. I did notice with each use they got softer. The lather hogging may never go away though, so just use a lot soap to load the brush and occasionally squeeze the knot at the base to get the brush to release the lather.
 
The chubby is very dense. It’ll take a little bit to get used to, especially if you’re used to synthetics. Just remember that there was a learning curve with every piece of gear that was different to what you’ve been used to in the past. The curve isn’t as steep as your first shave with a single blade razor, but it’ll take a time or two to learn your new brush.

Badger brushes perform better if you soak them for a bit before whipping up your lather. Allow those hairs to get hydrated. And dense chubby brushes will, as you noted, hold more lather, so spend the time your brush needs to get enough lather for your shave.

As a fellow sensitive skin guy, I haven’t had any irritation from any badger brush I’ve ever had. And some of them weren’t near the quality of a Simpsons. I’d be willing to bet that this is more of an issue with your lather than your brush. A chubby 2 is a hefty knot, and it’s going to take a good bit of soap/cream to make it perform. I usually put at least 1.5x as much cream for a chubby as I do for a less dense knot.

As sharp-obsession said, you can expect the brush to bloom and get softer over time. Hang in there. Try a couple of different creams or soaps to see what kind of difference they make.

Your new brush has a good solid lineage and reputation. They’ve been around a long time. Don’t be discouraged from a disappointing first trial. Give it another try. And keep us posted!!!
 
I have a Classic 2 and it changed over the last 6+ months. It was scratchy and ate up soap. The tips dried instantly like a synthetic which I've never seen in a badger brush. Now it's softer and the tips are wetter after a shave. It needs at least 50 seconds of loading off a hard puck like Haslinger for a 3 pass shave.
 
Chubbies eat/hold a lot of lather. I would try loading significantly more than you’re used to, the sheer density of them basically requires that you load more product to get the results you want. And like was mentioned above, the flow-through should improve with more use.
Don’t get down on it, you’ll dial it in and I’m sure you’ll end up loving it.

+1! The Chubbies are dense lather bandits: dense and luxurious! This is part of their charm. :a14::a14:
 
There is a learning curve as well as a break in period. Both are worth it. In time you will discover that the brush it's as luxurious as a brush can be. I wouldn't use it every day or it will never dry out. At most, every other day or even less. If natural hair stays damp it will begin to rot over the long haul. Also rinse it thoroughly after use.
 
If you think a Chubby hogs the lather, you haven't used enough soap. Try using a soap that is fool proof like Tabac, Arko, Proraso, Cella, ...
 
@PreachTheWord I also have a Chubby 2 in Super and it holds A LOT of water. I usually pinch a good deal of the water out of my brush after soaking it and then load the brush. I often have to go back and add more water later in the lathering process, but not to the extreme of the water that I pinched out of the brush.

I tend to bowl lather most of the time so the water adding part is easier for me. The brush also gets softer after break-in, but still maintains a good deal of backbone. The Chubby 2 is not my "daily brush" but it is in my rotation with several other badger brushes.
 
Limited experience here but going to dense badger knot (Simpson Duke) from synthetics I’d echo most of the comments. Soak brush for a few minutes, squeeze out most of water, and load a lot of soap. It should build lather well. Good luck.
 
After the first pass when I go to relather I squeeze from the base of the knot (as mentioned above). That’s where all the good lather is hiding!

But this is why I love my Chubby 1, I feel like you keep most of the Chubby 2’s good characteristic density, water/heat retention, backbone, while decreasing the degree of lather hoginess.
 
Ok. I took all the advice listed here. I shampooed the Chubby pretty good. Then I let it soak in warm water for about 5 min. I decided my soap would be What the Puck. I got a very good lather. I squeezed the brush at the knot and lot of lather came out. I think that the 2 things that I did wrong last night were wringing all of the water out of the brush, and not loading long enough. My sample lather today was great. The brush is a little less scritchy after shampooing, and I'm looking forward to it getting less so over time. I'm feeling better about this brush than I did last night. Thank everyone for your help.

Side note: My chrome Razorock brush arrived today. Ordered it while I was still contemplating the Chubby and forgot about it until it showed up. I should probably send it back, but I know that I won't. Can't go wrong with an extra brush!
 
I am excited to hear that you are getting familiar with the brush and enjoying it. It will be a great brush. I look forward to hearing your impressions when you've had more time with it. You'll have to share.
 
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