Simpsons Eagle G3 performance

[FLTiger]

Now that most folks who have them have had an opportunity to break in and get acquainted with the Simpsons Eagle G3, I want to ask, in what ways does this brush really shine? I ask the question because I am mildly dissatisfied with mine (gasp).

Granted, my experience with brushes is rather limited. I own two Kents, a BK4 (which has been my workhorse for the past 18 months) and the B&B 2009 LE, both of which I love. They are the right size, not too small, not too big. I also have a 25mm Shavemac that I will put up on the BST one day, because although it is a fine brush, it is a bit big for my tastes.

I have used the Simpson maybe 15 times, and yet, I can't seem to "get the handle" on it. It takes me longer to make lather in the bowl. Am I just too used to using the Kents that I can't find satisfaction with this Simpson? The label is starting to peel off, and I am fighting the urge to throw it (and the Shavemac) up on the BST in an effort to fund another brush purchase. Please help!

Mods: If there are too many threads on this brush, please merge mine into one you find appropriate. As always, thank you for your time.

 

[Sullybob]

I love mine. It has the right combination of density and the stiffness. I really like that the top is slightly flat, I think it really improves loading the brush and face lathering.
I only have a couple of brushes to compare it too; B&B Essential, Simpson's Tulip 2, B&B 2009 LE and a Semogue 620. The 2009 LE feels like a big pillow in comparison.

 

[beginish]

One area that I find it really shines is bowl lathering soaps. There is definitely a learning curve with it, and what I have found to work quite well in both bowl and face lathering is to squeeze as much water out of the brush as possible after the soak before loading from the puck. I then add water back to the bowl in small increments, or lightly dip the tips of the brush in the sink when face lathering, giving a controlled build to the lather. It doesn't take much water to get the nice final product, but doing it incrementally works best for me.

 

[djh]

I have found that my Eagle simply thrives on product. Maybe because it is such a dense knot, it needs to see plenty of cream or soap before being satisfied. Bob's comment about removing nearly all of the water from the Eagle before starting to lather is probably just the other side of the same coin.
Overall I am very impressed!

 

[AJMiami]

One area that I find it really shines is bowl lathering soaps. There is definitely a learning curve with it, and what I have found to work quite well in both bowl and face lathering is to squeeze as much water out of the brush as possible after the soak before loading from the puck. I then add water back to the bowl in small increments, or lightly dip the tips of the brush in the sink when face lathering, giving a controlled build to the lather. It doesn't take much water to get the nice final product, but doing it incrementally works best for me.

Thank you for the advice..During Tonight's shave I gave it a good squeeze and had much better performance from the brush. Also, having a better lather made the brush much nicer on the face.

 

[beginish]

Thank you for the advice..During Tonight's shave I gave it a good squeeze and had much better performance from the brush. Also, having a better lather made the brush much nicer on the face.

No problem. It's a very dense brush and holds a lot of water, making it a little finicky to load. It's always easier to add water as you go.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Shhh. No talking about G3's until mine arrives.

 

[40boy]

I've used mine every day since it arrived to face lather soaps exclusively, and agree with what as posted above..
It need to be squeezed out well to load from the puck, then add water back in in very small increments as you work the lather.

After a week or so, it really started to give up the lather well.

I like it alot.

 

[Confilo]

I keep 31 brushes in my harem and the Eagle G3 is queen. Density,stiffness and softness f tip now that is break in in. I'm a bowl latherer and still have to see a soap she doesn't make superb lather out of it.
I think that water control is key. IMO most shavers add too much water to soap and keep the brush too wet. Keep working with it, you will be rewarded

 

[FLTiger]

I keep 31 brushes in my harem and the Eagle G3 is queen. Density,stiffness and softness f tip now that is break in in. I'm a bowl latherer and still have to see a soap she doesn't make superb lather out of it.
I think that water control is key. IMO most shavers add too much water to soap and keep the brush too wet. Keep working with it, you will be rewarded

This seems to be the prevailing advice so far. I took it for a spin this morning, using this tip as my guide. It still took me longer to lather, but it was less frustrating than it has been. I've decided to give it a couple more weeks of use before rendering a final verdict. That should give it a little more time to break in, and a little more time for me to get the hang of it.

My thanks to all who shared their experience, here--you gentlemen have my gratitude.

 

[johnniegold]

The brushes that the OP favors would lend themselves to your apparent dissatisfaction with Eagle G3. The Kent BK4 which I had and sold, was a bit too floppy for me. The LE'09 which I don't have but based upon the manufacturer (same as the LE '08) would tend to lean towards a softer, more luxurious feel than the Eagle.

The same would hold true with the Shavemac (which is comparable to the SR 3226).

I think you would be happier selling the Eagle and getting a Tulip 3 (not 2-banded) but the regular T3 in Super. That brush is more in line with BK 4 but with more density.

 

[htownmmm]

The brushes that the OP favors would lend themselves to your apparent dissatisfaction with Eagle G3. The Kent BK4 which I had and sold, was a bit too floppy for me. The LE'09 which I don't have but based upon the manufacturer (same as the LE '08) would tend to lean towards a softer, more luxurious feel than the Eagle.

The same would hold true with the Shavemac (which is comparable to the SR 3225).

I think you would be happier selling the Eagle and getting a Tulip 3 (not 2-banded) but the regular T3 in Super. That brush is more in line with BK 4 but with more density.

My thoughts exactly.......
pssst, hey buddy got an extra Eagle to sell? I'm buying!



marty

 

[MichaelG]

My experience with the G3 Eagle was very similar. I used it for about a week and a half and I just couldn't get comfortable with it. I primarily use creams rather than soaps (creams probably 90% plus of the time). I found it needed a lot more cream than some of my other soaps. I had to squeeze a lot of water out of it. I also found the brush had too much backbone and was too dense for me. I think I prefer a less dense, smaller diameter knot and a smaller handle. I recently sold mine to another forum member. I think it would make a great soap brush but I don't use soaps enough to justify keeping it.

So, now I have some money in my PayPal account and am eyeing either a Shavemac 177-21, or a Shavemac 3120 or 3122 or a Simpsons Tulip T2.

Now that most folks who have them have had an opportunity to break in and get acquainted with the Simpsons Eagle G3, I want to ask, in what ways does this brush really shine? I ask the question because I am mildly dissatisfied with mine (gasp).

Granted, my experience with brushes is rather limited. I own two Kents, a BK4 (which has been my workhorse for the past 18 months) and the B&B 2009 LE, both of which I love. They are the right size, not too small, not too big. I also have a 25mm Shavemac that I will put up on the BST one day, because although it is a fine brush, it is a bit big for my tastes.

I have used the Simpson maybe 15 times, and yet, I can't seem to "get the handle" on it. It takes me longer to make lather in the bowl. Am I just too used to using the Kents that I can't find satisfaction with this Simpson? The label is starting to peel off, and I am fighting the urge to throw it (and the Shavemac) up on the BST in an effort to fund another brush purchase. Please help!

Mods: If there are too many threads on this brush, please merge mine into one you find appropriate. As always, thank you for your time.

 

[Left Coast DJ]

I think the Eagle is a true raptor when it comes to face lathering. With it's short dense loft, especially compared to the BKs, I can see how bowl lathering might be a challenge. To really get the Eagle to kick it up a notch, I'd highly recommend using either a Speick or a La Toja shaving stick and going to town with the Eagle.

As for the label falling off, I do not think it's a defect. Being decals, it's almost a statistical certainty it will eventually fall apart with continued handling of the brush. Personally, I like my Simpsons clean, without the decal. YMMV though.

 

[drandall]

one of the things i've learned about simpson brushes is that their sheer density is both a blessing and a curse.

when you lather a soap with a normal brush, you get less backbone, more splay and as a result, more of the inner knot makes contact with the soap and aeration is easier....but you don't get the benefit of greater density and the feel is lacking.

simpson brushes, by virtue of their density, have a tendency to only contact the soap at the bristles tip and unless you can get the soap and water deeper into the brush, you miss out on how well they can truly lather.

with my G3, i've noticed it takes more soap, and more water...but most of all, when lathering up i must change my angle several times and rotate the handle to distribute my lathering pressure against different sides of the brush...or go up and down... anything to put more soap into more places on the brush. do that and add a bit more water and the lather builds beautifully.

it's rather counter-intuitive, actually. you'd think a dense brush known for its lather would require less product to do its thing, but in fact its the opposite. greater density = greater need for both soap and water. since discovering this, my lather has really improved and i expect further improvement as the brush truly breaks in.

 

[kevinm]

My experience is pretty much the same as many of the prior posts. I've been using the G3 for about 8 or 9 days now. I like the brush very much; the bristles are very soft and I love the handle. The density is what's causing most of us trouble but as others have said, with a little practice, the brush performs very well. Generally I prefer a less dense brush (I'm a soap user and face latherer) and Shavemacs still rule, but I'll be keeping my G3!

 

[FLTiger]

The brushes that the OP favors would lend themselves to your apparent dissatisfaction with Eagle G3. The Kent BK4 which I had and sold, was a bit too floppy for me. The LE'09 which I don't have but based upon the manufacturer (same as the LE '08) would tend to lean towards a softer, more luxurious feel than the Eagle.

The same would hold true with the Shavemac (which is comparable to the SR 3226).

I think you would be happier selling the Eagle and getting a Tulip 3 (not 2-banded) but the regular T3 in Super. That brush is more in line with BK 4 but with more density.

Bob,

Thank you for your recommendation. I still intend to give the G3 another two weeks, but if I do end up selling it, I will keep the Simpsons T3 in Super in mind as a possible replacement down the road. My next brush, though, is most likely a Rooney 3/1 in super.

I would like to offer my thanks again to all who took time to post in this thread, I really appreciate everyone's thoughtful feedback!

 

[SliceOfLife]

Bob,

Thank you for your recommendation. I still intend to give the G3 another two weeks, but if I do end up selling it, I will keep the Simpsons T3 in Super in mind as a possible replacement down the road. My next brush, though, is most likely a Rooney 3/1 in super.

I would like to offer my thanks again to all who took time to post in this thread, I really appreciate everyone's thoughtful feedback!

If you do sell it, I doubt you'll have trouble finding buyers. I've seen about 5 people WTB this and only heard of two being resold.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Got mine and used it tonight.

First, there's no mistaking a Simpson knot. This thing is dense. Almost jokingly dense. My three top brushes are all vulfix/Prefix knots. (23mm super, 24mm three band silvertip, Chubby 3 (Somerset) three band Super). And they all have the same kind of crazy density this thing bears. I've also got an 08LE and a Shavemac custom D01, both of which are no slouches in the density department, but they're really a lot more open than these knots. Simpsons does this type of brush really well. I call it the Wall of hair.

Second, loading. This thing is definitely Best hair. It loads wickedly. I was surprised I had soap left in the bowl by the time this thing was done loading. It went on like I was using a shave stick. I was slathering a thick layer of soap on my face.

Third, Efficacy. With that much soap, you need a lot of agitation to work a lather fast. The density comes into play here. I had good shaving lather a few seconds into the rub. A couple tip dips in my bowl of hot water and I had some great, moist, slick lather I could have probably rested my razor on top of without depressing it.

Fourth, Feel. It's like the Simfix Super/Silvertip with a bit more scrub and a little bit more stiffness. Definitely a step above TGN Best. I'd compare its face feel to the TGN finest. It still flayed out and had the soft, massaging feel of my Chubby, but it was noticeably more rubby.

Fifth, handle. I like the look a lot. Hand feel is pretty good. I have better and worse. Size is very good. Weight is very good.


Anyone got this and a Chubby 1 in best? Based on my experience with the C3, I wouldn't be surprised if this was just a C1 Best in a different handle.