I picked up a Berkeley 46 last week with the intention of getting a brush that would primarily be used for face lathering, was not too large, did not break the bank, and did not bloom out to something ridiculous after it was broken in. So far I have to say that the Simpsons Berkeley 46 has fit that bill perfectly, but has also proven that it's no slouch as a bowl latherer as well.
I am pretty much a Semogue boar fan, owning three of them currently, and being very happy with all of them and they are wonderful brushes. But after recently trying my hand at face lathering was wanting a knot that was a little smaller and more precise. Out of the three Seomgues I own (830, 1305, 1800) the 1800 has the tightest knot with the least amount of spread/bloom, but was still looking for something a little different, and this was possibly an excuse to try my hand at a badger again.
I previously owned a Tweezerman badger, which was super prickly, and then on the other end of the spectrum, a Duke 3. As I have mentioned in the past, the Duke 3, although it gets VERY high marks here, was not my cup of tea. I describe it as a badger hair sponge. Sure it whips up a great lather, but it's greedy and doesn't want to share it with your face. That experience put me off on badgers for a bit, so I stuck with boars for a while.
I will admit, at first look the Berkeley seems a bit small, but in reality the handle is really similar to my Semogue 830, and although the knot is smaller, that's what I was looking for. Packed with enough hair to whip up a great lather, but not so dense that your lather disappears into the voids of the brush never to return, I was easily able to get a 3 pass shave while face lathering, and was impressed that it whipped up more than enough in the bowl with plenty left over after a 3 pass shave as well.
So overall, given the versatility and overall value of this little/medium size brush I have to say it is probably one of the more overlooked, underrated Simpsons brushes out there. By no means am I an expert on Simpsons, and have only owned one Simpsons brush in the past besides the Berkeley, but as a result think I favor a less dense knot than the duke series, which isn't to say that the Dukes aren't quality, just not my cup of tea. I'd could almost say with confidence that this brush could fill a void in almost anyone's shave den. For the beginner it's a great value but still gives you that sense of luxury and history associated with the Simpsons name, or spend a few more $$ over a Wee Scott and have a killer travel brush. Or if you are like me and don't like a giant brush that cover your entire face once it's fanned out, and like shorter loft, smaller knot brushes that still deliver, this is a great option. The only problem now is, I see the Berkeley as a 'gateway brush', meaning I am looking for a similar brush with similar characteristics; shorter loft, small-ish knot, but a longer handle that lends itself more to bowl lathering. Checked out the Colonel, but that knot seems to bloom out to something ridiculous, and already have been eyeing up a 56 or 57!
I am pretty much a Semogue boar fan, owning three of them currently, and being very happy with all of them and they are wonderful brushes. But after recently trying my hand at face lathering was wanting a knot that was a little smaller and more precise. Out of the three Seomgues I own (830, 1305, 1800) the 1800 has the tightest knot with the least amount of spread/bloom, but was still looking for something a little different, and this was possibly an excuse to try my hand at a badger again.
I previously owned a Tweezerman badger, which was super prickly, and then on the other end of the spectrum, a Duke 3. As I have mentioned in the past, the Duke 3, although it gets VERY high marks here, was not my cup of tea. I describe it as a badger hair sponge. Sure it whips up a great lather, but it's greedy and doesn't want to share it with your face. That experience put me off on badgers for a bit, so I stuck with boars for a while.
I will admit, at first look the Berkeley seems a bit small, but in reality the handle is really similar to my Semogue 830, and although the knot is smaller, that's what I was looking for. Packed with enough hair to whip up a great lather, but not so dense that your lather disappears into the voids of the brush never to return, I was easily able to get a 3 pass shave while face lathering, and was impressed that it whipped up more than enough in the bowl with plenty left over after a 3 pass shave as well.
So overall, given the versatility and overall value of this little/medium size brush I have to say it is probably one of the more overlooked, underrated Simpsons brushes out there. By no means am I an expert on Simpsons, and have only owned one Simpsons brush in the past besides the Berkeley, but as a result think I favor a less dense knot than the duke series, which isn't to say that the Dukes aren't quality, just not my cup of tea. I'd could almost say with confidence that this brush could fill a void in almost anyone's shave den. For the beginner it's a great value but still gives you that sense of luxury and history associated with the Simpsons name, or spend a few more $$ over a Wee Scott and have a killer travel brush. Or if you are like me and don't like a giant brush that cover your entire face once it's fanned out, and like shorter loft, smaller knot brushes that still deliver, this is a great option. The only problem now is, I see the Berkeley as a 'gateway brush', meaning I am looking for a similar brush with similar characteristics; shorter loft, small-ish knot, but a longer handle that lends itself more to bowl lathering. Checked out the Colonel, but that knot seems to bloom out to something ridiculous, and already have been eyeing up a 56 or 57!
