My SBAD had been completely gone for a little while after I bought a Thater 4292. I used it exclusively for the better part of a year and sold pretty much everything else I owned. Recently I felt like I wanted a Simpson brush again, I just missed the density. I started looking for a smaller, denser brush as I only facelather and ended up torn between the Classic 2 and the Chubby 1. Without asking for any help, I did what most of you addicts would have recommended anyways and got both of them to see for myself.
Now, this is not really a head to head comparison, nor a thorough review, it's just random thoughts and hopefully it can help maybe one person out there that has things in common with me.
Chubby 1 Super 3 Band
Knot 23.5 / 45.5 mm
I love the feeling of this hair. I enjoy simpson best as well but the super 3 band is all the scrub without any scritch. Was just what I was looking for, and very dense. The densities should be similar on these two brushes but in my case they weren't even close. The Chubby 1 is much denser than the Classic 2.
What I like:
-Iconic image:
There is something comforting as a buyer when you get something that hundreds of people are fanatic about. It takes some pressure off, and I know we are all about expressing our individuality, but sometimes you just need a little nudge to beat the paralysis of choice. So for me, on a superficial level, going with a chubby brought me a sense of peace that the classic did not provide.
-Looks:
More superficiality. I love that it's a small brush that looks like a big brush. To me, big brushes look better, the knots and loft look more proportional, the handles are better looking but smaller brushes are just more functional to use. The chubby 1 combines both those aspects in one brush, it's the biggest small brush, or the smallest big brush and I love it. I'm 5'10'', my hands fit medium sized gloves and I find the handle perfect for me. There seems to be some variation in the shape of the base, I've seen some with a sharper base ring that might be less comfortable. I bought mine from the superior shave for that reason. Personally I would not buy a Simpson without seeing it first or having a vendor hand pick it, so it's either, from the BST, TSS, or Pasteur Pharmacy here in NY (way more expensive than online though).
-Hair grade:
It's just great. The density and short hair loft (shorter than specs) take care of the backbone and the tips are so soft. It does bloom but doesn't splay very much on the face. Simpson best can definitely give me rug burn if I get too excited and facelather in circular motions for a long time out of giddiness. With the super I could probably go on for hours.
Is it worth it to pay for 3 Band instead of best? For most people I don't think so. For me it is. I'm not a collector, I have tried probably around 20 or more brushes (Custom Shavemacs, Duke 3, Rover, Eagle 2 Best, SOC Badger, Semogue LE 2011, Semogue 1305, 1250, a bunch of custom RVs, Thaters, M&F 3/1 and I'm forgetting some) but I don't keep them. They go face to face with my current favorite and they either take its place or go. I currently have 4 brushes and am about to downsize to 2. So for me, with such a small rotation, the added luxury of super is worth it. If you have a bigger rotation I believe the best grade definitely has its place and is a way better bang for your buck. And sometimes it's actually identical in feel to the super depending on the batch. Also I like soft
-Flow:
Honestly I don't really have problems with flow. Just like some soap require more or less water, I don't hold it against them. Some brushes need different things; if the lather is sub-par I change ratios until I understand the brush. So, from that perspective, the Chubby 1 did not give me a hard time whatsoever to whip up sufficient amounts of lather and releasing it. Then again my water is so soft that I could probably lather up with a toothbrush. Like some have said before me, if you don't want a crap ton of lather at the base of the knot, soak only the tips.
Dislikes
I would say price, as the super is quite a chunk of change for a smallish brush but it is absolutely what I was looking for so I must say that I'm very happy even with the price tag. It took me many brushes to understand what I like and what is perfect for me. If you are not experienced with brushes, I would recommend that you try out many different cheaper options and pull the trigger on a higher end brush once you know exactly what you are looking for (function, loft, backbone, density, looks, feel), or alternatively, buy many high end ones and sell the ones you don't like.
Classic 2 Best
I really like this brush a lot actually. The handle is pretty small. I found that I was naturally holding it in a "fingers straight out grip". I enjoyed using it like that and the lather would get pretty close to the fingers but it wasn't an annoyance at all. When the lather was overflowing I would grip at the base again.
I enjoyed the feel of having a bunch of hair attached to a tiny handle. I picked this one myself at Pasteur and I'm still pretty annoyed at how much more they charge but that's the luxury of seeing the product in person I guess... Also, taxes.
The face feel is really nice, it's actually pretty close to the super. This one reminds me of my Duke 3 best but smaller, easy to lather, easy release from the get go without fine tuning anything. Also unlike the Chubby the handle fits my brush stand (sacrilege!). Facelathering in circular motions is perfect with the backbone and when you finish up with painting motions the lather explodes. At least that's how I do it.
I have really nothing bad to say about this brush, I acquired it before the Chubby 1 and thought it really hit the mark. But I still had this nagging SBAD and was just waiting for the CH1. I like its size better than my Duke 3 that I found a bit on the bigger side to face lather. My particular one was above nominal specs if i recall correctly.
Verdict:
In my case, what is important in a brush is handle design (looks/ergonomic) and how the brush interacts with my face. I do not really care what it does with the lather since that is just a matter of taming it IMHO (within reason).
I tremendously enjoyed both but the winner in small dense brush department for me is the Chubby 1. I fully recognize that a lot of it is not only based on performance. I wanted a legendary Chubby so that definitely tipped the scale. But even so, I do find the handle more comfortable which is a relief since I read about so many people complaining about its awkwardness. To give you an idea, other handles I enjoyed are: Duke 3, Semogue 1305, Simpson Rover, and most of all Thater 4292. I also have a custom Dobson, long handle brush that was designed originally for bowl lathering but I love face lathering with it as it has the comfort of a "manly" make up brush. As far as knot goes, the Chubby 1 is the perfect complement to my Thater 4292 22mm. They are pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum. The Thater is not very dense yet retains good backbone, tips are extremely soft, it splays large if you mash it against your face (which I don't) and it dries in a matter of minutes. It retains less water but then again I have never used a single brush's full water retention capabilities while lathering. Also I find it beautiful.
So there you go, I might take more crappy pictures later on if anyone cares. Hope someone can benefit from these subjective ramblings, if not, I still had fun doing it
Now, this is not really a head to head comparison, nor a thorough review, it's just random thoughts and hopefully it can help maybe one person out there that has things in common with me.
Chubby 1 Super 3 Band
Knot 23.5 / 45.5 mm
I love the feeling of this hair. I enjoy simpson best as well but the super 3 band is all the scrub without any scritch. Was just what I was looking for, and very dense. The densities should be similar on these two brushes but in my case they weren't even close. The Chubby 1 is much denser than the Classic 2.
What I like:
-Iconic image:
There is something comforting as a buyer when you get something that hundreds of people are fanatic about. It takes some pressure off, and I know we are all about expressing our individuality, but sometimes you just need a little nudge to beat the paralysis of choice. So for me, on a superficial level, going with a chubby brought me a sense of peace that the classic did not provide.
-Looks:
More superficiality. I love that it's a small brush that looks like a big brush. To me, big brushes look better, the knots and loft look more proportional, the handles are better looking but smaller brushes are just more functional to use. The chubby 1 combines both those aspects in one brush, it's the biggest small brush, or the smallest big brush and I love it. I'm 5'10'', my hands fit medium sized gloves and I find the handle perfect for me. There seems to be some variation in the shape of the base, I've seen some with a sharper base ring that might be less comfortable. I bought mine from the superior shave for that reason. Personally I would not buy a Simpson without seeing it first or having a vendor hand pick it, so it's either, from the BST, TSS, or Pasteur Pharmacy here in NY (way more expensive than online though).
-Hair grade:
It's just great. The density and short hair loft (shorter than specs) take care of the backbone and the tips are so soft. It does bloom but doesn't splay very much on the face. Simpson best can definitely give me rug burn if I get too excited and facelather in circular motions for a long time out of giddiness. With the super I could probably go on for hours.
Is it worth it to pay for 3 Band instead of best? For most people I don't think so. For me it is. I'm not a collector, I have tried probably around 20 or more brushes (Custom Shavemacs, Duke 3, Rover, Eagle 2 Best, SOC Badger, Semogue LE 2011, Semogue 1305, 1250, a bunch of custom RVs, Thaters, M&F 3/1 and I'm forgetting some) but I don't keep them. They go face to face with my current favorite and they either take its place or go. I currently have 4 brushes and am about to downsize to 2. So for me, with such a small rotation, the added luxury of super is worth it. If you have a bigger rotation I believe the best grade definitely has its place and is a way better bang for your buck. And sometimes it's actually identical in feel to the super depending on the batch. Also I like soft
-Flow:
Honestly I don't really have problems with flow. Just like some soap require more or less water, I don't hold it against them. Some brushes need different things; if the lather is sub-par I change ratios until I understand the brush. So, from that perspective, the Chubby 1 did not give me a hard time whatsoever to whip up sufficient amounts of lather and releasing it. Then again my water is so soft that I could probably lather up with a toothbrush. Like some have said before me, if you don't want a crap ton of lather at the base of the knot, soak only the tips.
Dislikes
I would say price, as the super is quite a chunk of change for a smallish brush but it is absolutely what I was looking for so I must say that I'm very happy even with the price tag. It took me many brushes to understand what I like and what is perfect for me. If you are not experienced with brushes, I would recommend that you try out many different cheaper options and pull the trigger on a higher end brush once you know exactly what you are looking for (function, loft, backbone, density, looks, feel), or alternatively, buy many high end ones and sell the ones you don't like.
Classic 2 Best
I really like this brush a lot actually. The handle is pretty small. I found that I was naturally holding it in a "fingers straight out grip". I enjoyed using it like that and the lather would get pretty close to the fingers but it wasn't an annoyance at all. When the lather was overflowing I would grip at the base again.
I enjoyed the feel of having a bunch of hair attached to a tiny handle. I picked this one myself at Pasteur and I'm still pretty annoyed at how much more they charge but that's the luxury of seeing the product in person I guess... Also, taxes.
The face feel is really nice, it's actually pretty close to the super. This one reminds me of my Duke 3 best but smaller, easy to lather, easy release from the get go without fine tuning anything. Also unlike the Chubby the handle fits my brush stand (sacrilege!). Facelathering in circular motions is perfect with the backbone and when you finish up with painting motions the lather explodes. At least that's how I do it.
I have really nothing bad to say about this brush, I acquired it before the Chubby 1 and thought it really hit the mark. But I still had this nagging SBAD and was just waiting for the CH1. I like its size better than my Duke 3 that I found a bit on the bigger side to face lather. My particular one was above nominal specs if i recall correctly.
Verdict:
In my case, what is important in a brush is handle design (looks/ergonomic) and how the brush interacts with my face. I do not really care what it does with the lather since that is just a matter of taming it IMHO (within reason).
I tremendously enjoyed both but the winner in small dense brush department for me is the Chubby 1. I fully recognize that a lot of it is not only based on performance. I wanted a legendary Chubby so that definitely tipped the scale. But even so, I do find the handle more comfortable which is a relief since I read about so many people complaining about its awkwardness. To give you an idea, other handles I enjoyed are: Duke 3, Semogue 1305, Simpson Rover, and most of all Thater 4292. I also have a custom Dobson, long handle brush that was designed originally for bowl lathering but I love face lathering with it as it has the comfort of a "manly" make up brush. As far as knot goes, the Chubby 1 is the perfect complement to my Thater 4292 22mm. They are pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum. The Thater is not very dense yet retains good backbone, tips are extremely soft, it splays large if you mash it against your face (which I don't) and it dries in a matter of minutes. It retains less water but then again I have never used a single brush's full water retention capabilities while lathering. Also I find it beautiful.
So there you go, I might take more crappy pictures later on if anyone cares. Hope someone can benefit from these subjective ramblings, if not, I still had fun doing it
