The Simpson Two-Banded Tulip 2

[johnniegold]

Okay. The two-banded mania is definitely reaching a fever pitch so I have decided to join the fray. This just came in the mail today from WCS (thanks John).

Here is the Simpson Tulip 2 just out of the box:

The little fella standing alone, pre-bloom:

Dense. Oh yes. This brush is very dense:

This is the T2 next to an original two-banded Simpson Emperor 3:

The obligatory upside down brush picture:

A side by side comparison of the E3 and the T2:

In the next several photos the brushes used in comparison to the T2 are all original Simpson brushes in Best. I say this as a caveat because some of the lofts on the Simpfixes may differ slightly from the original Simpson brushes.

A side by side of the T2 next to the Duke 3:

A side by side of the T2 and the Chubby 1:

A side by side of the T2 and the Polo 8:

The Simpsons:

The Simpsons - Alternate Shot:

The next four photos are pre/post bloom comparison pics with different lighting. The brush was worked out twice on a puck of IK and then towel dried. Notice even in post-bloom that the bristles don't go over the shoulders of the handle much more than they did in pre-bloom. That is the resilience of the the two-banded badger hair.

Although I never owned an original Simpson T2, this is what I believed it would be like. I am glad that I have an original two-banded Simpson to compare it to and the only difference I can discern is that the Simpfix super two-banded hair has softer tips but just as much backbone (maybe more) than the original Simpson two-banded E3. Of course, the E3 has much more loft and only a 19 mm knot so although it has the resilience to retain its shape it may have a little less backbone than the T2. The tips of the T2 are definitely softer than that of the E3. They feel closer to a Rooney Finest than a original Simpson two-banded Super.

Overall, I think Vulfix has got this one right. I had purchased a Simpfix T3 and was somewhat disappointed by its un-Simpson characteristics. It was a more luxurious brush with very soft tips with little backbone.

Vulfix, with this two-banded T2, has knocked this one out of the park. Kudos to them for staying on top of this brand. I do believe early on that Vulfix didn't really try to retain the characteristics of the Simpson brand but I think they hit the nail on the head with this brush.

Oh yeah, I still have to shave with it tomorrow.

 

[mdunn]

thats a damn fine looking brush, mate

 

[scoopster]

Bob, Thanks for taking the time - this is an excellent write up. I have a 2-band T2 in the mail and now I can hardly contain myself!

 

[jkh]

Awesome! I, as well, have one of the WCS Simpson T2 2-banders en route ... now waiting is that much harder

 

[kooshman7]

Yeah... The itch for one of these is just getting a bit worse... Only a bit...

 

[HoratioCaine]

It's not only good looking, but it looks like it could rival a Chubby in density, which could not be said about Somerset Simpsons. Good catch!

 

[blantyre]

Beautiful brushes. My guess is that the "old" T2 had a slightly smaller loft and did not bloom very much - it's quite scrubby but certainly no Chubby in that regard.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=60658&stc=1&d=1248781061
T2.jpg

 

[johnniegold]

I do prefer the curvier base of the original T2 however. Does the original T2 have the bullseye on the bottom?

I noticed that the current T2 does not have the bullseye while the Simpfix T3 that I had did have the bullseye on the bottom of the brush.

 

[Confilo]

As a Tulip fan, those are great pics. It goes a long way to show the 2 bands and what Vulfix is doing well.
Enjoy them

 

[blantyre]

I do prefer the curvier base of the original T2 however. Does the original T2 have the bullseye on the bottom?

I noticed that the current T2 does not have the bullseye while the Simpfix T3 that I had did have the bullseye on the bottom of the brush.

No bull's eye in mine. It seemed to be a short-lived Vulfix phenomenon.

 

[Confilo]

My Simpfix T3 has the bullseye. Someone remarked it is from the lathe.

 

[letterk]

As far as the handle goes, I noticed that there is some slight variation in shape and even color in the lot I received. I'll pay more attention to my next shipment for the bullseye.

Bob, I, too, believe these batch of hair to be similar to the Rooney Finest.

 

[drP]

As far as the handle goes, I noticed that there is some slight variation in shape and even color in the lot I received. I'll pay more attention to my next shipment for the bullseye.

Bob, I, too, believe these batch of hair to be similar to the Rooney Finest.

That's my impression as well, but it's much, much cheaper...one wonders how this is possible....

 

[letterk]

That's my impression as well, but it's much, much cheaper...one wonders how this is possible....

Ahhh...the mysterious badger hair pricing scale.

Oh, thanks for quoting my grammar mistake.

 

[blantyre]

IMO Vulfix should re-introduce the old "Manchurian" name or make up a new equally high falutin name and only sell the 2-band super under that name at a price premium. This would: (i) take the guess work out of getting a 2-band, and (ii) increase their margin. Simpson super (and sadly Plisson's HMW these days) has always been all over the map - some of it is really only best, some is incredible.

Only Rooney sticks to a consistent grading system that everyone can understand - Finest always means finest, not "maybe finest if your lucky and get it quickly or phone round all the vendors and hassle them". They charge a premium, but you can be sure of a winner every time. As Jim pointed out, when it doesn't meet their standard, they don't ship finest brushes until a new source is found.

 

[HoratioCaine]

IMO Vulfix should re-introduce the old "Manchurian" name or make up a new equally high falutin name and only sell the 2-band super under that name at a price premium. This would: (i) take the guess work out of getting a 2-band, and (ii) increase their margin. Simpson super (and sadly Plisson's HMW these days) has always been all over the map - some of it is really only best, some is incredible.

Only Rooney sticks to a consistent grading system that everyone can understand - Finest always means finest, not "maybe finest if your lucky and get it quickly or phone round all the vendors and hassle them". They charge a premium, but you can be sure of a winner every time. As Jim pointed out, when it doesn't meet their standard, they don't ship finest brushes until a new source is found.

I agree 1000%. Manchurian was the only "grade" Simpson put out that was guaranteed to be very high-end two-band. According to Charles Roberts, it was because they applied the name only to a single batch of specific hair they'd received, and once it was gone, it was gone. But at least one could rely on the name, if one were to find it. Rooney has the right idea with their Finest. I would rather see one Finest brush every five blue moons that I knew would be two-band than see twenty that might be filled with three-band. Same with Simpson Super or Plisson HMW. I was quite disappointed the first time I saw a three-band HMW. Prior to that, I was under the impression that the grade was a guarantee of absolute reliability. Back before Rooneys were widely on the market, if you were frustrated with the variability of Simpsons, you turned to Plisson. Alas, no more. I wish brush makers would read a post like yours and realize it is completely sensible and simple to establish standards for a grade and adhere to them. After all, that is what a grade is. If you don't stick to the standards, why have grades at all?

 

[Michael S]

I wish brush makers would read a post like yours and realize it is completely sensible and simple to establish standards for a grade and adhere to them. After all, that is what a grade is. If you don't stick to the standards, why have grades at all?

Hi I think badger hair standards can more meaningfully be set by the hair suppliers, who are in control of variable factors such as badger breed, age, diet, health, method of rearing etc. The brush makers can only inspect the lots they receive and then decide if/how to use them, according to their own experience/chosen standards. Does a Chinese badger hair standard exist? Anyone?

 

[mretzloff]

Does a Chinese badger hair standard exist? Anyone?

No.

You just need to know how companies grade their hair. For example, Shavemac's finest grade is less than their silvertip. Rooney's finest grade is above their (super) silvertip.

 

[scoopster]

Got my Tulip 2 from West Coast shaving yesterday and had its first use today. Here are my notes from initial observation and use:

Note: I have a Prefix 2-band Chubby 1. It is my only other Simpsons brush.




Appearance:

• The handle color is a bit more aged in appearance than my Chubby. The Chubby is whiter. The Tulip is a bit yellowed or more vintage looking. I like the color, I like the whiter Prefix color as well.
• If the handle is hand turned it was very nicely done. There is a very small dot on the bottom of the brush that looks like it is remnants of the turning process. My Chubby 1 was hand turned and had visible indications of it. The surface was polished and shiny but if I look closely I can see some "chatter" marks from a bit of a bumpy turning process that didn't fully polish out. Overall I would say the quality of the handle of the Simfix is better than the quality of the original Simpsons. The original looked a bit more "crafty".
• My brush new was less spread out at the top compared to Bob's pictures. The loft was tighter together, very small diameter at the top.
• In comparing the bristles to my Chubby - the diameter of the knot is less than the Chubby 1 and the loft just a tab bit higher so I'm thinking this brush will feel less dense and have more splay.
• The brush before use felt very, very springy.
• The base of the knot feels as dense and perhaps even a bit denser or more tightly packed than my Chubby 1.
• The Label: The label feels a little more durable than the original. My Chubby 1 label came off on the first shave. I may have even scraped it off before it's first use. I like the look of the label but if it is designed to fall off, so be it. I refuse to paint nail polish on the handle to keep the label intact.

The Shave

• The first use was a bit awkward. The brush didn't bloom a lot. The head is bulb shaped like Bob's pictures but mine is even narrower at the top. Given these two factors and the springiness, only a small part of the brush contacted the soap and my face for face lathering. It felt more comfortable and easier on the brush to do painting motions instead of swirling to generate the lather. I think this brush is going to need, and will do, some serious break in over the next few shaves.
• The tips feel a bit different than my Chubby. They feel a bit scritchier. But it is not really relevant to compare the feel of a well broken in brush to a brand new one. The brush definitely has the 2-band feel which I love.
• After my first use there was not much bloom at all. It was actually pretty astounding to see how tightly together this brush stayed during and after the shave. It will be interesting to see how this brush breaks in. My first few uses with the Chubby 1 were awkward as well. The brush and the shaver both needed to be broken in. I am doing that all over again with this T2.

Overall I am very excited to add another Sinpsons 2-band to my collection. There were some posts early on about the new Vulfix Simpsons not being like the originals and some folks were disappointed. I don't have one of those early Vulfix Simpsons brushes. This new brush is awesome and has that magical, mystical Simpsons feel. I would not hesitate to recommend one of these new Simpsons brushes. If you are Simpsons-curious and have the opportunity to get one of these 2-bands - Seize the day!

 

[johnniegold]

Great assessment Dave. I just used mine for the first time today as well and I have to say that I am very pleased with this brush.

This brush is reminiscient of the Simpson brushes from the pre-Vulfix days. The two -band tips are soft yet you get a bit of that scritchy feeling which are characteristic of two-band badger.

What I am most pleased with is this brushes ability to retain its shape. When I see all the great photos of the original Tulips you see that the bloom is still very tight. Not much more than it is pre-bloom.

When the bloom on my Simpfix T3 opened up like a mushroom cap, I immediately knew that that brush was not for me. The luxurious softness of the T3, although dense, was not a Simpson brush. It was a Vulfix brush in a Simpson handle.

This Tulip 2 is a Simpson brush with all the Simpson characteristics that I had come to appreciate in the past.

This T2 is not a Simpfix. It is a Simpson brush made by Vulfix. Everything in is right in the world.