Simpson Limited Edition Shaving Brushes

[Manning]

I know that this is a touchy subject, but here we go.

As most know, Simpson offers a number of "Limited Edition" brushes direct from their website. For the most part these are run of the mill models with special grades of hair e.g., 2 band or Manchurian or offered in special colors e.g., ivory or butterscotch. There are other models that are offered exclusively as "Limited Editions" e.g., the M7.

As a result of the "Limited Edition" label, these brushes receive quite a markup; reflecting in most cases, the "Limited Edition" label rather than an increase in production cost or more hair.

And here, I dont mean to step on toes, but the prices are silly. There is very little chance that these brushes will hold their value and pretty much zero chance that they will appreciate in value. Vintage Simpson brushes do tend to fetch decent prices, but these models were not marketed as "Limited Edition" and are definitely more rare than any of these limited edition brushes will ever be.

I'ver had my eye set on a Silvertip M7 for quite some time, but I just cant justify the price, which is reflective of the "Limited Edition" label. I dont buy things based solely on marketing or "Limited Edition" labels; I just like the handle. As Simpson says "Its the most gorgeous brush design we've ever seen or used." Make me an M7, put some Best grade hair in it, and sell it to me for $150 rather than $250. Its only 22mm. The Chubby1 is 23 mm and as we all know, is packed with hair. It sells for $125. I doubt Butterscotch colored plastic and the turning of the M7 handle justifies the $125 price jump.

If Simpson took brushes like the M7, butterscotch offerings, and various limited edition 2 bands and offerend them at prices in line with their non limited edition brushes I think that they would turn quite a nice profit and sell more brushes. As for me, the only thing holding me back from buying an M7 is the silly Limited Edition label and inflated price tag.

So, who out there is buying Limited Editions? Do you expect them to hold their value? Would you buy some of these offerings at lower price points reflective of the actual brush? Other thoughts?

 

[brucered]

So, who out there is buying Limited Editions?
Not the Simpson, I can't afford them. But I do buy the odd Semogue which are numbered and not to be repeated, which I enjoy getting my hands on.

Do you expect them to hold their value?
Yes. But I don't plan on selling them or trading them anyway and if I do, it will most likely be for what I paid or less. I don't buy them with that intention, I buy them based on my liking the handle and hair and the added bonus of it being Limited is just that, a bonus.

Would you buy some of these offerings at lower price points reflective of the actual brush?
Yes. Like you, I'd love to see an M7 in Best at a decent price point, similar to other Best brushes at which point I'd probably buy one.

Other thoughts?
I don't really get the LTD brushes from Simpson (sorry everyone who does). They are not numbered, most of them you have no idea how many were produced and like you said the ones with Best or Silvertip are the same brush with a different coloured handle, it's just different coloured acrylic and I don't get the markup either. I do enjoy the numbered or known how many are produced LTD ED brushes and have see a few Simpsons that had it listed as "only 4 made" or something similar and/or the Rover which was to benefit a charity and believe it was known how many were produced.

 

[Mike_P]

I've purchased LE Manchurians, 2 Bands and Butterscotches from Simpson directly. So I guess the answer is, someone like me.

As far as holding their value? No... No brush will always hold its value. I ordered them because I like things that are sort of unique, and offer the traits I want. If I decide to sell them I know I'll lose a bit, but hey, at least I can say I got what I wanted and sold what I didn't.

Would I buy them if they were cheaper? Probably if I wanted the handle or something. But the reason I've custom ordered my brushes from Simpson or ordered the LE's is because I wanted the knots to my specs in a specific handle or the standard size for a certain reason.

 

[jazzguy]

I don't think people buy these an investment but to have a Simpson brush with characteristics that are otherwise unavailable. If you think they are too expensive then don't buy them. Obviously someone is purchasing them or they'd stop making them. Mark posted on Twitter a while ago that they are making some numbered limited editions.

 

[BrookR1]

The only LE I'm interested in is the Jubilee, but I'm going to wait and see how much they want for it. I agree that prices are pretty inflated, but Simpsons must have known they weren't going to sell many.

 

[danjared]

And here, I dont mean to step on toes, but the prices are silly. There is very little chance that these brushes will hold their value and pretty much zero chance that they will appreciate in value. Vintage Simpson brushes do tend to fetch decent prices, but these models were not marketed as "Limited Edition" and are definitely more rare than any of these limited edition brushes will ever be.

It just seems to me like there's always someone out there looking to make a quick buck. I think it's a shame to tarnish a good brand with that sort of behavior.

 

[Rudy Vey]

It just seems to me like there's always someone out there looking to make a quick buck. I think it's a shame to tarnish a good brand with that sort of behavior.

+1, a limited edition is, as the name said "limited"! This means there is a certain number of an article, and each item is numbered until this final number is reached.
So, say the max edition number is 100, only 100 brushes are made and numbered 001/100 through 100/100 - that's it, this is a limited edition. Simpson does not make a limited edition brush, just calls it this way to get more $$$ for it. What is the limitation here?? The limits are either when the hair runs out or the special rodmaterial for the handles.......

 

[life2short1971]

To the OP if you PM Rudy you might be pleasantly surprised unless it has to have a Simpsons stamp.

 

[SliceOfLife]

When Semogue does LE's people complain about them not being unlimited. When Simpson does them, people complain about them not being limited.

Yes it's silly to call something with no obvious limit on its production Limited. Let's think of it as a product line name. Like that girls clothes store in the mall. There's a seemingly unlimited number of those, isn't there?

And yes, the price of the Simpson LE's I've seen were off-putting. But they're only off-putting to me because I really don't find Simpsons high end hairs to be where they shine. If I want a high end two band, I'll take Rooney Finest or M&F Blond. If I want a high end three band I'll... Well I don't want a high end three band since I prefer Simpsons Best to any other three band I've tried.

If I really loved Simpsons Super or Manchurian hairs, I'd probably consider some LE's, but really, I doubt I'd want any of the LE models over a simple Chubby 1. And frankly, I haven't tried a Simpson I like better than a Chub 1 Best, so while it's nice seeing others happy with their LE's, I can't say I've considered buying one since the first GY LE was being talked about. In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money for a three band I doubted I'd like more than the Chubby I paid $105 for new.

 

[German]

Let's call it what is is: a marketing strategy to make more profits out of the same stuff... now that is not unique to Simpson but capitalism.. where there is a buyer there is also a supplier... don't jump on the bandwagon and the lesson will be learnt... but as far I can tell most "LE"s were sold out and the strategy is working... More "LEs" to come I am sure...

 

[GMofmiami]

I too am "one of those" who has purchased the Simpson LE brushes...I'm not thinking if they hold their value, I buy them cause I like the offerings and differences from some of their regulars and I really enjoy using them...No doubt that it's part of a marketing strategy, but everything around us is part of a marketing strategy...Whether it's brushes, humidors, cigars, pens, watches, cars, etc...it 's ultimately up to the individual who wants to "buy" into the hype. Just my humble opinion.

 

[jpakstis]

My advice to the OP is to check with Simpson's directly - maybe if you say you want an M7 handle but with best hair and you'd like it to be $150, they might be able to do it.

 

[njpaddy]

Unfortunately, I can't afford to drop that much money on the new LE's. I did purchase a Simpson Rover LE in Best last year from WCS. It was just under $100 and it's been my favorite soap brush since I got it. Dense and, in my opinion, it was a steal at that price. My more expensive Thater can't even touch it. I would suggest that you contact Simpsons directly. I've had them do custom lofts on a brush before and found them great to work with.

 

[k2clones29]

+1, a limited edition is, as the name said "limited"! This means there is a certain number of an article, and each item is numbered until this final number is reached.
So, say the max edition number is 100, only 100 brushes are made and numbered 001/100 through 100/100 - that's it, this is a limited edition. Simpson does not make a limited edition brush, just calls it this way to get more $$$ for it. What is the limitation here?? The limits are either when the hair runs out or the special rodmaterial for the handles.......

To be fair, everything is limited. They aren't going to make an infinite amount of brushes. They just seem to be using the term more loosely than others.

 

[dundak]

I don't blame Simpsons. They are catering to an existing market and the people buying them seem satisfied.

 

[Doc4]

To be fair, everything is limited. They aren't going to make an infinite amount of brushes. They just seem to be using the term more loosely than others.

"Limited" to however many of these they can actually sell ...

(I always get that feeling when I see car companies make a "Limited Edition" model of one of their cars or trucks ... you just know that they'll gladly make and sell as many as they can.)

Nothing wrong with that ... making and selling stuff ... but IMHO it abuses the term "Limited Edition" ... call it a "special edition" or a "collector's edition" or a "my aren't you special for buying this version edition" or whatever ... but unless it's actually ... you know ... limited in number, don't call it limited.



As for the 'collectability' question, and 'retaining value' ... it seems to me that the most collectible stuff, which most retains value, is the stuff that was made without any thought to it being collected and retaining value. Back in 1977, they put Han Solo action figures in packaging merely as a means of selling them to parents who would immediately take the action figures out of the packaging and give them to their kids ... or the kids would take them out ... either way, it was just a cool toy and the packaging was tossed. By the time they milked that franchise for the 6th time, you could buy all sorts of special "collector's edition" toys with hologram authenticity marks and these were carefully preserved in the packaging on bookshelves all over North America ... and no one cares. But an 'original' action figure from 1977 in the packaging ... cha-ching!


Now, I have no interest in paying $300 (or whatever it's up to now) to find out if "Manchurian" grade badger is "better" than regular old silvertip ... IMHO I have better things to do with my money. ... at least, better to me. You'd probably think I'm nuts for how much I spend on Japanese fountain pens or whatever. And I think "that guy over there" is nuts to have spent thousands of dollars on a wristwatch.

Meh.

I doubt that anyone is getting into the "Simpson's Special Edition" brush market as an investment or as a way to make money or own something that will appreciate in value ... that's what the Franklin Mint is for. But there are a few guys out there who are dedicated and fanatic about any given brand ... including Simpson's ... and for them, the chance to get their hands on "something special" that very few others will ever own is an opportunity not to be missed.


... it's not for "the masses" ... but at $400 a pop for "Chubby 3 Manchurian", I doubt anyone was thinking that to begin with.

 

[heybatter]

I own a Butterscotch two-band Colonel X2L. It is a superb brush.

And it is over priced for sure. I agree with OP.

 

[Arcadies]

To the OP if you PM Rudy you might be pleasantly surprised unless it has to have a Simpsons stamp.

+1

No way I would personally pay Simpson LE prices..if there was an LE I absolutely had to have I would have Rudy turn it for me in whatever material I fancied and pop in a Shavemac knot of my choosing. I guarantee it will end up being much cheaper and similar if not better quality.

 

[Galengwath]

To take slight disagreement with the OP, the price on tese LE brushes is only silly if it doesn't make Simpson money. If people are willing to buy brushes at such a high price, then it's not at all silly for a manufacturer to offer brushes at said price. Of course it's possible that they are attempting to create or expand the market for rally expensive brushes, but if they have success then it was a good business move. Personally I wouldn't buy one, but there seem to be people out there who do.

 

[Perished]

Does that apply to any and all LE's in life, or just shaving brushes? I own Rudy Vey brushes, and they are what they are. if I want a 'knock off', fine, but I wouldn't justify it by putting down the brand I aspire to own, but can't afford or maybe can't justify paying for.
Not aiming at anyone personally by the way.

I own LE Semogues and Simpsons. Are they over priced? Maybe, but compared to what? They are limited runs, however limited is up for debate, but limited all the same. Luxury goods can and do cost more from time to time, it's up to the buyer as to whether in their opinion it's worth paying for or not.