Rooney or Simpson?
- Thread starter aeonius
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Perhaps joel's recent article on the front page of B&B will help you sort out the different grades of hair.
http://www.badgerandblade.com/shaving-brush-standardization/
And he also wrote an excellent article about high-end (>$150) brushes.
http://www.badgerandblade.com/2014-awards-brushes-over-150/
- Thread starter
- #23
- Thread starter
- #24
When it comes to the Chubby, which one do you guys think fits my preferences most? Chubby 1 (in Super or Best) or Chubby 2 (in Super or Best)?
Given my wish for a slightly bigger brush than my Rooney 1/1, I'd say that the Chubby 1 fits that bill pretty good.
Now, regarding having a brush that offers the best backbone as well as no prickly tips, I haven't been able to get a clear answer as to which hair grade to prefer between 3-band Super or Best.
Given my wish for a slightly bigger brush than my Rooney 1/1, I'd say that the Chubby 1 fits that bill pretty good.
Now, regarding having a brush that offers the best backbone as well as no prickly tips, I haven't been able to get a clear answer as to which hair grade to prefer between 3-band Super or Best.
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- #25
I read both those articles and almost pulled the trigger on a Chubby 2. The thing is though that I also read Joel's article about the best brush under $130 (Savile Row 3124). That price class includes the Chubby 1 as well. Does that mean that the SR is better than the Chubby 1? As you might have guessed, I prefer a brush with a lot of backbone. Will the SR provide backbone and density that rivals the Chubby 1?
It's hard to beat the Chubby if you want backbone and scrub in a 3 band brush. If you also want to be sure it has soft tips I'd get it in the super badger grade. I would also consider a Shavemac D01 3 band brush. They are perhaps not quite as dense as the Chubby but I have found them excellent and I prefer them to all the Simpson 3 bands I've owned. It is a good time to buy one with the weakening Euro. Shavemac is rumored to make the Saville Row brushes you asked about.
From the direction you have steered the thread, it seems you've answered your own questions by now. Get the Chubby 1 in Super. If you get anything else you'll still likely end up with a Chubby 1 in Super (probably as your fourth or fifth brush, instead of your third). It is densely packed enough that it will have plenty of backbone, and the tips are probably slightly softer than the Best Badger grade.
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- #28
As I understand it, the Chubby in 3-band Super seems to have slightly less backbone due to the hairs being a bit thinner, in general, compared with Best. It also seems to have a bit softer tips which translates to a less-to-no prickly feeling. At the same time the brush seems to be denser because of the aforementioned thinner hairs; more hair fits into the knot. I haven't had any of this confirmed though. Also, I haven't figured out how much less backbone the 3-band Super provides in comparison with Best.
I know that the difference is probably very small but I would still like to know if it is noticeable and worth it for the difference in price points. In other words, if the price between Best and 3-band Super was the same, would there be any reason at all to buy a Chubby 1 in Best?
For instance, would a Chubby 2 in Best solve both issues? As in, would it provide the stiffer backbone of the Best hair grade and at the same time make the less-soft tips of Best a non-issue because of its higher loft (longer hairs = more splay)?
At this point in time, I've "narrowed" it down to 3 brushes: Chubby 1 in Best or 3-band Super and a Chubby 2 in Best.
As always, thanks for your patience in answering my questions and bearing with me and my mile-long blocks of text. And sorry for being a pain in the behind with my indecisiveness.
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You appear to have done all of the analysis and it is difficult to imagine that you will get any further until you buy a brush. The experiences of others can only help you so much.
They are all good brushes- buy one and try it... I'm sure you will enjoy it. Until you try a second (or third) you won't know if it is the perfect brush for you.
They are all good brushes- buy one and try it... I'm sure you will enjoy it. Until you try a second (or third) you won't know if it is the perfect brush for you.
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- #30
I hear what you say. It's just that I would like to eliminate the chance of buying the "wrong" brush. The thing with me is I tend to collect what I buy. So if I end up buying a brush I sort of dislike, I don't see myself selling it since it still has a collectors value. It also means that I have to wait for an undesirable amount of time before I can buy a new brush because that kind of money for a shaving brush is economically indefensible (read: SHMBO said so). Especially at this price point.
As far as the right brush goes, based on my reference points, I want it to have a crapload of backbone in order to provide a nice scrubbing but at the same time have as little scritch as possible. To me scritch is scratchy/prickly. Scrub is nice/massaging. Granted, I can stand for a bit of scritch, but I tend to really mush the brush to my face when facelathering so even a little scritch would go a long way with me.
As I understand it, the most backbone is found in a Chubby in Best (due to the combination of density and hair grade). I read somewhere that the variation in Best batches is too great. Some people are lucky and get a Chubby with, what essentially seems to be, 3-band Super hair. Others have less luck and end up with a brush that is "too" scritchy for their taste. One person deemed a Chubby in 3-band Super as always being lucky with the batch when buying a Chubby in Best. In that case the ideal brush for me would be a Chubby 1 in 3-band Super given that the lower backbone of the Super hair is negligible while its tips have little-to-no prickling. That is, of course, unless a Chubby 2 in Best brings the same softness of tips (due to a bigger loft) without sacrificing any backbone. If that is the case, I would probably be more prepared to go for a Chubby 2 in Best as it seems to be better at bowl lathering due to its bigger size, while still being touted as a face-lathering brush.
Btw, does a Chubby in 3-band Super have better Flow Through than one in Best? Or is it the other way around due to the 3-band Super being denser?
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I bought my Chubby 2 from England. I can tell you the customer service is great at simpson. You should garner all your questions and contact them directly so you get the correct answer. Make sure you post your questions and your answers 
simpsonshavingbrushes.com/shop/5/index.htm
simpsonshavingbrushes.com/shop/5/index.htm
Just do eeet! Get the Chubby 2 in Best (CH1 is small, and you'll be wanting a CH2 at some point anyway).
