Souring Simpson fan

[Noodles]

I was a pretty big Simpson fanboy. I have a Special and a Duke 3, both in best. The Special has always shed 1-2 hairs per shave which I didn't think was awful considering the price and nice hair. It has been my travel brush, but I've been working it into the regular routine for a few months.

I bought a Duke 3 about six months ago, lightly used. Very nice hair, no shedding for the first few months. The Duke 3 was easily closest to the Goldilocks brush of any I had owned. But, in the last couple of months, it has started shedding between 2-6 hairs per shave and when I've done the recommended cleaning, brushing etc, it sheds ~10-20 hairs. I rinse them out really well each shave and use brushes, at most, every other day to allow them to dry. The only thing I can think of that changed is I used MWF consistently for a few months and it seems to have started the shedding around that time. Uniquely amongst my soaps, it has lanolin and works best, IMO, by creating kind of a paste with a dry-ish brush and then adding water while face lathering.

Anyway, it is disappointing. I've read the advice of others with shedding issues and tried a number of things recommended, so I'm not really asking for advice. Just bummed.

OTOH, my Rudy Vey with a Shavemac 2-band knot hasn't shed at all. I guess I know where my money is going in the future.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

I've had no shedding problems with the three or four Simpsons brushes I've used, but have read quite frequent posts about those who have. At the prices Simpsons charges for many of its brushes, this really ought not to happen. There seem to be many fewer complaints about Shavemac, who probably don't sell as many brushes but still shift a very substantial number.

 

[sarimento1]

Sir Noodles, have you tried to ask Simpson to replace you shedding brush?
And, no doubt, Rudy Vey brushes are also great!!

 

[Scott0079]

I’d talk to Simpson

 

[Tester28]

It's a bit of a crapshoot....with brushes.

My Simpson M6 has no problems since day one, a Shavemac brush I purchased
used to shed a lot.

I took pictures and sent them over, and they refunded the cost in full. Very nice
of them and the right thing to do. I also had a knot pop out of a Thater 4125. Thater
offered to repair it and asked me to post it to them....but after three months the package
was returned unopened to me. That was my poorest experience to date.

Some brush makers will try and pin the blame on you....you must have mashed it too hard,
handled it badly etc etc.

That said, its always good to have rotation of 3-4 brushes, to ease the load on them.

 

[A.E. Simpson 1919]

I’m unsure whether a link to an advice page from our website is acceptable but for guidance purposes it might be useful in this event:

Prepare to Shave

The majority of the piece is common sense & I’m fairly certain discussed around these parts for many years.

 

[polanalyst]

I’d talk to Simpson

Agreed. Send them an email. They replaced my own Duke 2 after excessive shedding but it cost me postage. Their customer service is really good, but the shedding issue still put me off future purchases. Pity.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Solid company, great products, but shedding with Vulfix and Simpson brushes can happen. Experienced a problem with an Eagle. (Replaced.) OTOH, used a pure Special that shed only three hairs total.

 

[Bhugo]

I have a Duke 3 that I bought barely used at a great price that sheds a hair occasionally and is great overall. I have a special in pure that is the same but they are not expensive. I would contact Simpson as well if I had the op’s brush. If nothing else, transplant a nice new bundle of badger in it as a last resort. The Simpson handles are very special indeed.

This op, as well as all the examples of other expensive brushes shedding is why I can never bring myself to pay the big bucks for an expensive brush. Even if the customer service is great, I don’t want to deal with a shedder. I figure if it’s a cheaper brush ($25-45$ range for me), no big loss. Of course, I have not had any shedding issues with any of my cheaper brushes....... Maybe it’s the massive glue bumps holding my cheaper brushes together... Maybe expensive brushes use less epoxy to avoid the bumps.... Maybe we just hear about the expensive shedders.........

Best Wishes

 

[BigJ]

I’d talk to Simpson

+2! Good advice! Plus you have nothing to lose at this point!

 

[Noodles]

I’m unsure whether a link to an advice page from our website is acceptable but for guidance purposes it might be useful in this event:

Prepare to Shave

The majority of the piece is common sense & I’m fairly certain discussed around these parts for many years.

Yes - that is the article I used to mitigate the issues. I have followed all of the advice, aside from shampooing/drying/combing it twice, not four or five times. I could try a few more times, I suppose.

 

[Joshua223]

I’m unsure whether a link to an advice page from our website is acceptable but for guidance purposes it might be useful in this event:

Prepare to Shave

The majority of the piece is common sense & I’m fairly certain discussed around these parts for many years.

As someone who hasn't invested in a nice badger brush yet, it was still a good read. Thanks

 

[ajkel64]

Like what the other members have said. I would contact them with your concerns.

 

[HiPowerRon]

If you are outside Simpson’s warranty period, they will not help you.

 

[Rory1262]

I had a shedding Wee Scot, and Simpson's kindly replaced it.

 

[Steve56]

I’ve got a herd of them, never a shedder. I’ve had them occasionally lose a hair, but nothing on a regular basis. I have other brands that do though, including a favorite that I bought used that didn’t shed, started, then stopped!

 

[njpaddy]

I've had 8 Simpsons over the years and only a Rover continued to shed a couple of hairs after the first few shaves. If I hadn't lent that brush to a friend who dropped it and chipped the handle (Life Lesson: never lend out a book or shave brush), I would have had Rudy drop a shavemac knot into the handle. I like the Rover handle and may still do it sometime despite the chip.

 

[mata_66]

Ahem...
Mr. @A.E. Simpson 1919 himself wrote a post here and nobody seems to have noticed it...
For what I know he might have contacted the OP by pm already.

 

[Ice-Man]

I make a habit of every 3rd use I wash my brushes in brush cleaner, as yourself I had a shedder but once I did this it stopped shedding and now I swear by it....

 

[sm29]

I have five Simpson brushes and needed to have a Duke 3 best and a Chubby 1 super replaced for excessive shedding. The company was great about replacing the brushes and sending a Simpson product as a gift to offset the shipping costs that I paid. I never mash the brush or use excessively hot water and therefore suspect the shedding was inevitable for those two brushes. Because Simpson brushes are excellent, I would not rule them out in the future.

My Rudy Vey/Shavemac 2 band has become my favorite brush however and has had no shedding issues.