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Thoughts on the Alexander Simpson Trafalgar T3

I am not a big fan of the Sovereign fibre used in the Trafalgar series at all. IMO the Simpson Platinum fibre (Chubby 2, M7, Duke 3) is much better. Albeit MUCH more expensive.

Variety is the spice of life and everyone likes different things, but I will be PIFing/selling my T1 and T2 as they are collecting dust.

Not a dis against Simpson as I own over 20 of their brushes (mostly badger) and am a huge fanboy but I just do not like the Soverign knots.
 
I ordered the Trafalgar T3 and it came today. So far, I am very happy with it.

It came packaged in a plain Jane red box, and was wrapped in tissue paper and styrofoam.

First impressions were it was a somewhat large brush, but not the necessarily tall. I like it. It is very soft on the hand, and when swirled on the hand it had a good amount of of backbone in my opinion. It has more than my west coast shaving synthetic, although that brush feels softer to me.

I grabbed a trusty tub of proraso red and my scuttle and went to work. This brush held a lot of water. I rang it out good and got to loading. It loaded very well. It had just the right amount of backbone that it didn't take long to get a good amount in the brush. Took to the bowl and the first batch turned out a little too watery. I squeezed the brush and gave it a few flicks before loading, but apparently that wasn't enough.

Next I tried face lathering. I wrung the brush out a little better this time, loaded a little more soap, and this time it was a little dry. A pass under the faucet a few times and I had a lather worthy of a shave.

The face feel of the brush is perfect for me. Soft with backbone. It is noticeably less stiff than my west coast shaving synthetic and less scritchy than my badgers.

For my needs, this brush is about perfect. Soft, backbone, loads easy, holds lots of soap. I'm very glad I went with the T3 size as well. I wanted a large brush, and I think I would have been disappointed with the T2.

In my personal opinion, this would be an excellent beginner brush. It's soft, it's easy to load, no stink, break in, maintenance like badgers or boars.

Obviously like everything in shaving and other hobbies, this may not be the brush for you. If you like scritchy or smaller knots, this isn't for you. But for the price I paid for this to be delivered to my door, I for one am thrilled.
That’s a great review! The T3 is my everyday brush and I really like it.

Paul D
 
Trafalgars are just amazing, especially considering the price tag!

I also own the Chubby 2 synthetic and although it is a better brush overall the Trafalgar doesn’t seize to amaze me. Price/Performance ratio the trafalgar is the winner for me.
 
with Christmas around the corner, I think a T3 is in my future, I have a T1 and I love it, it's one of the best brushes I have ever owned, and to be honest, I have been using it for over a year straight. It wasn't until a week or more ago that I decided to start using my PAA Green Ray.

For the money there isn't a better deal on a brush then the Trafalgar.
 
Love my T2. If my face and hands were bigger I would have purchased the T3.
I don't feel like I'll get another synthetic in the foreseeable future. The Trafalgar is just that good.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
I know that you enjoy smaller badger knots, Marco. While I am fairly certain that the Chubby 2 would delight you, I also believe that the Duke 3 synthetic would bring you great pleasure.

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Dear Owen, I've just pulled the trigger on the Chubby 2 Synthetic! I contacted the retailer and it's scheduled to ship in 2 days. The Duke 3 Synthetic at this point may very well be a nice Christmas gift for myself. :yesnod:
 
Trafalgars are just amazing, especially considering the price tag!

I also own the Chubby 2 synthetic and although it is a better brush overall the Trafalgar doesn’t seize to amaze me. Price/Performance ratio the trafalgar is the winner for me.

What makes the chubby synthetic a better brush in your opinion?
 
I ordered a T3 because 1. Price was pretty low, and 2. It's a Simpsons. I keep pursuing synthetics and they just don't send me. A Simpson's Super Badger or Manchurian? I'm in shaving heaven, but synthetics leave me literally and figuratively cold.
 
What makes the chubby synthetic a better brush in your opinion?

The backbone is great on the Chubby, the trafalgar practically doesn’t have any.
Also, it holds more water and feels much more like budger. The thick knot is also something that grows on me (knot diameter is 27mm in Chubby).
 
The backbone is great on the Chubby, the trafalgar practically doesn’t have any.
Also, it holds more water and feels much more like budger. The thick knot is also something that grows on me (knot diameter is 27mm in Chubby).
Good to know. I thought the T3 had a decent amount of backbone compared to the other synthetics I have tried, but I have only a few shaves with it. Maybe it will soften up with use.
 
Good to know. I thought the T3 had a decent amount of backbone compared to the other synthetics I have tried, but I have only a few shaves with it. Maybe it will soften up with use.

Yeah, trafalgar’s backbone is very good but Chubby is at a different level. These two are still my top two brushed nevertheless :)
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Dear Owen, I've just pulled the trigger on the Chubby 2 Synthetic! I contacted the retailer and it's scheduled to ship in 2 days. The Duke 3 Synthetic at this point may very well be a nice Christmas gift for myself. :yesnod:
I am very excited for you, Marco, and can't wait to read your thoughts on the brush. Earlier this week I bought another Chubby 2 synthetic direct from Simpsons (my third Chubby 2 synthetic) - this one has a butterscotch handle. It should arrive here in 8-10 days, if past experience is any indicator.
 
Dear Owen, I've just pulled the trigger on the Chubby 2 Synthetic! I contacted the retailer and it's scheduled to ship in 2 days. The Duke 3 Synthetic at this point may very well be a nice Christmas gift for myself. :yesnod:

Marco, I would be interested to hear your thoughts comparing the Trafalgar and the chubby synthetic when your brush arrives, if you would be so kind.

Enjoy your new brush!!!
 
The internet loves the T3. If it was the last brush on earth I'd probably lather using only my hands.
I couldn't agree more. These days I prefer a brush with some oomph to it in terms of scritch/scrub but you have to be able to splay the damn thing in order to enjoy all that exfoliatory goodness. Alas, the T3 just didn't want to play ball so it went straight in the bin... It's a shame because it's a looker for sure.
 
I couldn't agree more. These days I prefer a brush with some oomph to it in terms of scritch/scrub but you have to be able to splay the damn thing in order to enjoy all that exfoliatory goodness. Alas, the T3 just didn't want to play ball so it went straight in the bin... It's a shame because it's a looker for sure.
I had similar experiences with the T2 and Chubby synthetic, both of which I have sold. I am now waiting for the arrival of a Duke 3 synthetic that I purchased from the St. Sue Auction. Maybe the third time will be the charm. It looks from the pictures as if the Duke synth may have some additional loft that might allow it to splay with less effort than the Trafalgar and Chubby synthetic brushes.
 
I couldn't agree more. These days I prefer a brush with some oomph to it in terms of scritch/scrub but you have to be able to splay the damn thing in order to enjoy all that exfoliatory goodness. Alas, the T3 just didn't want to play ball so it went straight in the bin... It's a shame because it's a looker for sure.

I am not a fan of really scritchy brushes, I have come to like the soft ones. That's why it's a good thing manufacturers make a variety.

It's a shame you tossed it, I have a few scritchy brushes I would have traded
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
I am very excited for you, Marco, and can't wait to read your thoughts on the brush. Earlier this week I bought another Chubby 2 synthetic direct from Simpsons (my third Chubby 2 synthetic) - this one has a butterscotch handle. It should arrive here in 8-10 days, if past experience is any indicator.

Amico mio, would you kindly post some pics of your new brush when it arrives? A butterscotch Chubby 2 must be magnificent!
 
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