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Simpson Chubby 2 in Best

fhalden

fhalden

"Like BarberDave… I make my own fun”
So I'm planning on selling a couple of razors I own that frankly have been outclassed, or perhaps it is better to say, that do not perform for me as well as a couple of recent razor acquisitions. I intend to use the funds from those sales to buy a really nice brush. I've studied and researched, and my research has brought to the forefront the Simpson Chubby 2 in Best Badger. I like the size, and as always, I know that my mileage may vary. During my research, I've given notice of some elements of owner opinion that range from hearty endorsement to flat out caveat emptor horror stories. The positive reviews far outweigh the negatives, but the main points about the brush I've gleaned, in summary, are:

1. It is a legendary premium brush, and the favorite Simpson of those who own several

2. It eats lather until it is broken in

3. It is a good size for face lathering

4. It can be hit or miss, depending on the quality of the badger hair supply

5. It improves in areas of softness, hair loss, and "skritchiness" after about 20 uses

6. Some prefer the Duke 3, among those who have both

7. The higher grade of hair isn't worth the price difference

8. The synthetic is a better deal

This isn't an exhaustive list, but these were points I've seen made repeatedly. So, you may well ask, if I've done all this research, why not go ahead and decide?

Well, frankly, in the month that has passed since I joined the Cadre, I've been really impressed by the quality and expertise of this forum's membership. I've spent many, many hours in shaving forums over the years, and the level of trust I place in The Shaving Cadre - my respect for the gentlepersons who contribute, is unmatched. I'm lucky to have found you. So your thoughts and opinions concerning the advisability of investing in the Chubby 2 Best would carry great weight.

So, broadly, I want to ask: Is there anything I need to know about the brush before I go ahead and make the purchase? I will deeply appreciate any information you might be able to provide, both pro and con. Thank you all very much in advance for taking the time to respond!

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I have had the CH2 in both Best and Synthetic. I sold the Best and consider the Synthetic one of the finest brushes ever made. Mark really nailed the ratio between density and loft on this brush, so that it has good flow through and doesn’t feel like a wall of bristles. Like any large, dense brush, you need to load more to ensure that the lather doesn’t disappear in the knot, but the synth is more effective building lather than the badger (IMHO).

Budget Synths like Plissoft and Omega will do the same job, but if you’re going for the premium synthetic brush, the Chubby 2 is the one I would recommend for pure luxury and performance. I’m confident the Duke 3 would do just as well, but the knot is smaller.
 
I've owned about 20 different Simpson brushes over the past several years, including two CH2 brushes - one in 2-band silvertip, and the other in "Best". I don't have either one anymore. As a matter of fact, the only Simpson that I have left is a Commodore X3.

The two big negatives about ANY Simpson brush (IMHO):

(1) "Batch variation". It's a roll-of-the-dice on whether you get a knot (whether "best" or "super") that is soft tipped, or crazy scritchy. I've had "best" that were ultra soft-tipped, and "super" that were way too scrubby and scritchy. BTW, the price difference between "best" and "super" is ridiculous - totally not worth the premium price for the "super", IMHO.

(2) Hair loss. This is actually my number one complaint, especially with the CH2 "best". For the first two years, the CH2 "best" was one of my favorite brushes - it was from a very, very good "batch" that had incredibly soft tips and was luxurious in every aspect. HOWEVER, after those two years, it became a shedder. And I'm not kidding - tried every "remedy" that you can find on the forums - and none of them worked. The question that everyone asks is, "well, what do you consider a shedder to be?" And I get that, because one person may say that if it loses one or two hairs per shave, it's a "shedder", and someone else will say more. So with that being said, I was losing about a dozen to 2 dozen hairs per shave. It became so irritating that I unloaded it (with the caveat that it was a shedder, of course!). Now I know that the Simpson zealots will say that at that rate, the brush will still outlive you because it's so dense. Yeh, I get that, but I'm the type person that doesn't like picking out brush hairs from the soap! I won't tolerate a shedder in my brush collection - but that's just me.

I get where you're at, with your desire for the CH2 - I really do, because I've been there. It's a brush that has become "legendary" in the wet shaving community, and I certainly wanted to have one and experience it for myself. But you've got to decide for yourself if it's worth the gamble. And what I mean by that is from a financial point of view. If you have the means to buy one and find out later that it's not up to your liking and you'r OK with that, then I'd say go for it. But if this purchase has you pondering the cost/value, then that's a consideration.

BTW, I've since searched for a brush that could compare with a CH2 in terms of that density and face feel, and nothing really does completely (and I've tried 'em all), but two come really close - Thater 2-band fan, and Vie Long European White, FWIW. And BTW, BTW: other badger knots that I have that I consider superior to any Simpson brush: Thater, Shavemac (Finest, and 2-band silvertip), TGN super 2-band, and the Vie Long European White.
 
cmh737 said:
I've owned about 20 different Simpson brushes over the past several years, including two CH2 brushes - one in 2-band silvertip, and the other in "Best". I don't have either one anymore. As a matter of fact, the only Simpson that I have left is a Commodore X3.

The two big negatives about ANY Simpson brush (IMHO):

(1) "Batch variation". It's a roll-of-the-dice on whether you get a knot (whether "best" or "super") that is soft tipped, or crazy scritchy. I've had "best" that were ultra soft-tipped, and "super" that were way too scrubby and scritchy. BTW, the price difference between "best" and "super" is ridiculous - totally not worth the premium price for the "super", IMHO.

(2) Hair loss. This is actually my number one complaint, especially with the CH2 "best". For the first two years, the CH2 "best" was one of my favorite brushes - it was from a very, very good "batch" that had incredibly soft tips and was luxurious in every aspect. HOWEVER, after those two years, it became a shedder. And I'm not kidding - tried every "remedy" that you can find on the forums - and none of them worked. The question that everyone asks is, "well, what do you consider a shedder to be?" And I get that, because one person may say that if it loses one or two hairs per shave, it's a "shedder", and someone else will say more. So with that being said, I was losing about a dozen to 2 dozen hairs per shave. It became so irritating that I unloaded it (with the caveat that it was a shedder, of course!). Now I know that the Simpson zealots will say that at that rate, the brush will still outlive you because it's so dense. Yeh, I get that, but I'm the type person that doesn't like picking out brush hairs from the soap! I won't tolerate a shedder in my brush collection - but that's just me.

I get where you're at, with your desire for the CH2 - I really do, because I've been there. It's a brush that has become "legendary" in the wet shaving community, and I certainly wanted to have one and experience it for myself. But you've got to decide for yourself if it's worth the gamble. And what I mean by that is from a financial point of view. If you have the means to buy one and find out later that it's not up to your liking and you'r OK with that, then I'd say go for it. But if this purchase has you pondering the cost/value, then that's a consideration.

BTW, I've since searched for a brush that could compare with a CH2 in terms of that density and face feel, and nothing really does completely (and I've tried 'em all), but two come really close - Thater 2-band fan, and Vie Long European White, FWIW. And BTW, BTW: other badger knots that I have that I consider superior to any Simpson brush: Thater, Shavemac (Finest, and 2-band silvertip), TGN super 2-band, and the Vie Long European White.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for taking the time for such a thoughtful and well-considered response. Your points are well-taken and may very well be dispositive for me. I'm going to fund this purchase with the sale of a couple of razors that have pretty high value. I don't want to throw that value away. I have a Thater Synthetic that I like a lot, and will take a serious look at the recommendations you've made. What I'm ultimately looking for is a truly great brush that lathers great and pampers my face when I apply it. That matters more to me than having a "classic" for the sake of having a classic. Thank you again!

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
fhalden said:
Thank you very much for taking the time for such a thoughtful and well-considered response....What I'm ultimately looking for is a truly great brush that lathers great and pampers my face when I apply it. That matters more to me than having a "classic" for the sake of having a classic....
Click to expand...
My pleasure. And just for a point of reference, I've owned about 100 brushes (I quit counting at 72!) in badger, boar, horse, and synthetic. But I've culled the herd down to 26 (3 boar, 10 badger, and 13 synthetic) that I actually use. In terms of badger knots specifically, these are the ones that I have (in no particular order of preference):

Thater, Tortoise Resin Beehive Brush in 2-band silvertip, fan
Rudy Vey, 2-band Manchurian, fan
Rudy Vey, Shavemac 3-band silvertip, bulb
Rudy Vey, Shavemac 2-band silvertip (not the DO1), fan
Rudy Vey, Shavemac DO1-2 band silvertip, flat top
Rudy Vey, Shavemac Finest, fan
Rudy Vey, Shavemac Finest, bulb
Vie Long European White, bulb
TGN, Finest Super 2-band, bulb
Simpson, Commodore X3

BTW, there is one brush that I had and unloaded that I kind of regret, and that was my Paladin. The only reason I unloaded it was that it was somewhat of a redundant brush/knot to what I have/had. Paladin brushes are excellent!

But one thing that I'll add is that I'm not a fan of brush makers that have waiting lists and/or limited runs that sell out in seconds - not my thing, and I won't succumb to the hype train with those folk.

Good luck with your brush decision!
 
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cmh737 said:
My pleasure. And just for a point of reference, I've owned about 100 brushes (I quit counting at 72!) in badger, boar, horse, and synthetic. But I've culled the herd down to 26 (3 boar, 10 badger, and 13 synthetic) that I actually use. In terms of badger knots specifically, these are the ones that I have (in no particular order of preference):

Thater, Tortoise Resin Beehive Brush in 2-band silvertip, fan
Rudy Vey, 2-band Manchurian, fan
Rudy Vey, Shavemac 3-band silvertip, bulb
Rudy Vey, Shavemac 2-band silvertip (not the DO1), fan
Rudy Vey, Shavemac DO1-2 band silvertip, flat top
Rudy Vey, Shavemac Finest, fan
Rudy Vey, Shavemac Finest, bulb
Vie Long European White, bulb
TGN, Finest Super 2-band, bulb
Simpson, Commodore X3

BTW, there is one brush that I had and unloaded that I kind of regret, and that was my Paladin. The only reason I unloaded it was that it was somewhat of a redundant brush/knot to what I have/had. Paladin brushes are excellent!

But one thing that I'll add is that I'm not a fan of brush makers that have waiting lists and/or limited runs that sell out in seconds - not my thing, and I won't succumb to the hype train with those folk.

Good luck with your brush decision!
Click to expand...
Thanks for this! I'm seeing a lot of the name Rudy Vey as I try to educate myself about brushes. His work is greatly admired. Perhaps I should spend some time exploring that option. But I'm much more interested in the quality of the knot than I am of the handle, at least the material of which the handle is composed. I do like the shape of the Chubby, but it looks like I can get a very similar handle from Shavemac. I've not looked into Shavemac very closely so I don't know about their knot's reputation - although it certainly appears you like them, which matters. Thanks again!

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I've got to say that $170 for a possibly skritchy brush that may start shedding is feeling very questionable. It sort of reminds me of back when Triumph had the TR-7. It was a desirable car until you looked at the service record. Some people swore by them. Some swore at them. I'm not sure I want to gamble, since I'm unloading some pretty nice razors to pay for this brush. I really appreciate everyone's help! Now, I just need to find a brush that will be a luxury, with a bit more QC assurance. The search continues.

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