Simpsons Chubby 1 Super Badger

[Whitewolf777]

I have Chubby 1 and 2 in best and super.
Lately I keep going from CH1 in best to the one in super.
I really like both equally. The one in best took a little time to break in but now that it has it is very enjoyable, where as the one in super was nice quite immediately. I am not sure if I do not prefer now my version in best now that it is broken in. My advice if you are short on budget do not bother with the version in super. Best will perform great after breaking in, and might even produce better lather.
I am now wondering how these perform in two band and Manchurian.

 

[BigJ]

I have Chubby 1 and 2 in best and super.
Lately I keep going from CH1 in best to the one in super.
I really like both equally. The one in best took a little time to break in but now that it has it is very enjoyable, where as the one in super was nice quite immediately. I am not sure if I do not prefer now my version in best now that it is broken in. My advice if you are short on budget do not bother with the version in super. Best will perform great after breaking in, and might even produce better lather.
I am now wondering how these perform in two band and Manchurian.

My experience is similar, for me a good specimen of Simpsons best is the sweet spot! Others may disagree for sure but my Chubby 1 in best is one of my absolute favorite brushes.

 

[HiPowerRon]

For the money its hard to beat Simpsons best badger.

 

[sm29]

I have a chubby 1 in super that is outstanding, however my duke 3 and classic 2 in best are also outstanding and I’m not sure that there is much difference between the super and the 2 bests that I have. My Wee Scot in best is noticeably a lesser grade of badger than that found in the classic 2 and the duke 3.

 

[JMax]

I have a chubby 1 in super that is outstanding, however my duke 3 and classic 2 in best are also outstanding and I’m not sure that there is much difference between the super and the 2 bests that I have. My Wee Scot in best is noticeably a lesser grade of badger than that found in the classic 2 and the duke 3.

If you absolutely had to give up all your Simpsons brushes except one, would you keep the Chubby 1 in super or the Duke 3 in best?

 

[HiPowerRon]

If you absolutely had to give up all your Simpsons brushes except one, would you keep the Chubby 1 in super or the Duke 3 in best?

I personally think the Duke 3 is a better all around brush. But I'd probably keep my Duke 2 instead of the 3 if I had to choose.

 

[JMax]

I personally think the Duke 3 is a better all around brush. But I'd probably keep my Duke 2 instead of the 3 if I had to choose.

Im stuck between the D3 in best and the CH1 in super at the moment. Think you could tell me what you like more about the D3? Main things I'm wondering about is if there is a difference in softness and if the CH1 hogs the lather too much.

 

[Blueskye09]

Manchurian is a completely different experience than any other grade. Very firm yet soft without scritch with the batch my brush came from.

 

[sm29]

If you absolutely had to give up all your Simpsons brushes except one, would you keep the Chubby 1 in super or the Duke 3 in best?

Difficult question. My Duke 3 in best feels like Super. The handle is a little larger which is not a huge plus for me, but might be for some. The Chubby 1 in super is great and I know a replacement would also be in Super. The Duke in Best might (and probably should) have an inferior badger hair. Therefore I would most likely buy a Chubby 1 in super before a Duke 3 in best. Since I know what I have and my Duke in Best is so good, this question would be answered differently depending on which brush was most recently used. I expect that tomorrow I would pick the Duke 3 as it is already out and ready, but the Chubby 1 will be up for the next day and probably selected that day. (They both are that good). Since the CH1 is denser, it does take a little longer to break in and get a good flow through. The lather hog aspect is not that significant, the CH1 may use marginally more soap, but not enough to be concerned about. Does it matter if the puck lasts a week or two longer? Not for me, given a typical soap rotation the pucks last months to over a year anyway. I’m sorry I can’t give a better answer because they are both excellent. But like I said earlier, I would buy a CH1 first because my risk of not getting what I want is less. YMMV

 

[sm29]

If you absolutely had to give up all your Simpsons brushes except one, would you keep the Chubby 1 in super or the Duke 3 in best?

Here are my Chubby 1 in Super and Duke 3 in Best side by side for comparison.

 

[JMax]

Difficult question. My Duke 3 in best feels like Super. The handle is a little larger which is not a huge plus for me, but might be for some. The Chubby 1 in super is great and I know a replacement would also be in Super. The Duke in Best might (and probably should) have an inferior badger hair. Therefore I would most likely buy a Chubby 1 in super before a Duke 3 in best. Since I know what I have and my Duke in Best is so good, this question would be answered differently depending on which brush was most recently used. I expect that tomorrow I would pick the Duke 3 as it is already out and ready, but the Chubby 1 will be up for the next day and probably selected that day. (They both are that good). Since the CH1 is denser, it does take a little longer to break in and get a good flow through. The lather hog aspect is not that significant, the CH1 may use marginally more soap, but not enough to be concerned about. Does it matter if the puck lasts a week or two longer? Not for me, given a typical soap rotation the pucks last months to over a year anyway. I’m sorry I can’t give a better answer because they are both excellent. But like I said earlier, I would buy a CH1 first because my risk of not getting what I want is less. YMMV

Thank you sir for the elaborate and specific response. Also the pictures are a huge help.

 

[JMax]

View attachment 844400
Here are my Chubby 1 in Super and Duke 3 in Best side by side for comparison.

What are those adjustable razors behind the Chubby?

 

[sm29]

What are those adjustable razors behind the Chubby?

On the left is a 1959 E-4 Fatboy and next to it is a 1962 H-2 Slim. Next to the right is a 1957 C-4 Flare tip SS and next to that is a 1957 C-1 Tech. On the left is a gold NDC post-war (1946-1950) Tech and a relatively new Merkur 34C on the far left.

 

[BigJ]

For the money its hard to beat Simpsons best badger.

+1! This! So long as you recognize that the best ranges widely, on one end overlapping with the pure to the other end overlaping with super grades.

 

[JMax]

 

[Sideways Tremolo]

+1! This! So long as you recognize that the best ranges widely, on one end overlapping with the pure to the other end overlaping with super grades.

So, and this is addressed to everyone as well, does this overlay on the brush line; i.e. do the less expensive brushes get the "less best" best? Or is the best badger distribution random across the product line? I realize this is a little subjective but I'm interested in people's responses. Also apologies if this is a bit of a hack.

 

[garyg]

So, and this is addressed to everyone as well, does this overlay on the brush line; i.e. do the less expensive brushes get the "less best" best? Or is the best badger distribution random across the product line? I realize this is a little subjective but I'm interested in people's responses. Also apologies if this is a bit of a hack.

Without having spent a lot of time in the Simpson's "production line" I can't answer definitively, but having used at least 40 Simpson's brushes, haired from Pure to the Manchurian, and still possessing several in Best as well as the other grades .. my experience is that the Best grade is as consistent as their Manchurian, moreso than the Super, I won't venture a guess on Pure because I've had only the one Eagle. But, given they are handmade goods, all's possible. Me, I like their Best, well, best of all, and I can't tell much difference between them -

 

[sm29]

So, and this is addressed to everyone as well, does this overlay on the brush line; i.e. do the less expensive brushes get the "less best" best? Or is the best badger distribution random across the product line? I realize this is a little subjective but I'm interested in people's responses. Also apologies if this is a bit of a hack.

Based on my limited experience, the Best badger hair on my Duke 3 Best and Classic 2 Best approaches and is similar to the Super badger hair on my Chubby 1 Super and Major Super. The Best hair on my Wee Scot has a scritchy quality unlike the Duke and Classic with what is marked as the same hair. I also purchased and almost immediately disposed of a Case in Best which was far too scritchy for me. Based on my experience, albeit limited, the Best hair on the more expensive brushes has been of a higher quality than on the less expensive brushes.

 

[JMax]

Based on my limited experience, the Best badger hair on my Duke 3 Best and Classic 2 Best approaches and is similar to the Super badger hair on my Chubby 1 Super and Major Super. The Best hair on my Wee Scot has a scritchy quality unlike the Duke and Classic with what is marked as the same hair. I also purchased and almost immediately disposed of a Case in Best which was far too scritchy for me. Based on my experience, albeit limited, the Best hair on the more expensive brushes has been of a higher quality than on the less expensive brushes.

My Berkeley in Best also possessed unwanted scritch but I can only compare it to super.

 

[Blueskye09]

I have had both ends of the best spectrum, soft silky hair similar to and at times better than some super knots I have owned , and a horribly scritchy CH2 in best knot that left me wondering if I should ever try best again? I’m not sure if pure badger hair is added in with the best hair to create backbone or if it’s just a matter of sorting but for me those thick blunt tipped pokey hairs are not pleasent and scritchy brushes are not something I would ever purchase. It’s tough because a non scritchy best knot is an excellent value from Simpson and if I had a way of purchasing just these knots I would own several.