Brush upgrade time

[Dr Watson]

Recently had a clear out and some of my old junk turned out to be more valuable than I anticipated so to celebrate I'm going to upgrade my brush. Currently use a Mühle 33K257 which is a v2 silvertip synth model with 23mm knot... Performance was an upgrade over my previous Chinese sub £10 "pure badger" but I really want to return to badger. I find the Mühle soulless and mundane, the knot isn't very dense and the handle feels quite unergonomic in my hand.

Now, I've assessed all my options and rightly or wrongly have settled on the idea of a Simpsons in best badger (feeling patriotic perhaps?) I solely face lather so that narrows it down somewhat, the three models I'm interested in are:

• Duke 2 in best.
• Duke 3 in best.
• Chubby 2 in best.

After lots of research (forum scouring!) I'm leaning towards the D3, from what I've read the D2 may be a touch small and the Chubby 2 may be too much of a soap hog with a learning curve to get the best out of it... It sounds like a marmite brush, about as many detractors as admirers. This leaves the D3 as the "goldilocks" model that's just right... Maybe.

Can any of you Simpsons owners weigh in with your own experience/opinion? I'm not completely against the idea of other brands... I was initially very interested in Thater, Shavemac appear to be very popular but I find them ugly (sorry!) and Kent sound too floppy for my taste.

 

[Dipesh]

It's a shame you find the shavemacs ugly, Bernd however would do a custom for you for not much more money that could be like a duke or a chubby.

I have a d3 and a chubby 2 in quite a few different grades. Overall it depends if you want a really big brush, or something that feels relatively normal. The Duke 2 is small as you say, I don't own any now as I found them too small.

If I had to choose (and it wasn't another brand) then I would go chubby, it's so unique in density and size that it would be quite a different experience for you. That being said, it does require a slightly different technique to load and you need to feed it a lot of soap to get a good lather. These are fairly minor points though, the chubby experience is great!

 

[Burgundy]

In your position, I would get a Shavemac in their regular Silvertip rather than a Simpson in Best. STFv2 to a CH2Best is lathering with a completely different beast. Have a play with Shavemac's handle selection in their 'Expert' options... or think outside of the box and design something bespoke.

 

[Gordy]

Can I ask what you find ugly about Shavemac brushes, considering most are custom made in a design of your choosing? Is it the knots you find ugly? There are so many choices for handle and knot, much more than you are ever going to get from Simpson. They are considerably better value for money.

 

[Gordy]

Vie-Long and Paladin offer more conservative tastes and are still much better value for money.

 

[Dr Watson]

Can I ask what you find ugly about Shavemac brushes, considering most are custom made in a design of your choosing? Is it the knots you find ugly? There are so many choices for handle and knot, much more than you are ever going to get from Simpson. They are considerably better value for money.

I'm yet to see one that I would like to own - Its the handles I dislike the most. I dont like any of the available shapes or colours, I like the design to be simple, minimalist but also a little retro... The Simpsons tick all the boxes for me on this. I admit it, I'm a fussy bugger

 

[p.b]

If you want a 'Goldilocks' Simpsons then I'd go with the D3.

I tried to create a Shavemac version of the D3 with a 24x48 3-band Silvertip knot in a 167 handle. It's a lovely brush but very much lacking in backbone. If I were to try again I'd get a 25x48 in the same hair and handle and ask for it extra stuffed. That would be closer to a D3 but then I suspect it'll be more money! I've not tried the Shavemac finest hair but it get good reports.

 

[p.b]

A 25x48 Finest custom Shavemac with shipping will cost ~€125.
A D3 from Executive Shaving with a 10% discount (TSR12) and £3.50 shipping will be £80.

 

[celestino]

If you are set on a Simpsons brush in Best, then I would go with the Duke 3. However, if you face-lather, I would seriously consider going with a Thater 2-Band or a Shavemac Silvertip 2-Band as these types of hair are a face-lather's dream.
Best of luck with your decision.

 

[Dr Watson]

Thanks for the input chaps, pretty sure I'm going for a D3 from ExecutiveShavingCo.

I would be deceiving myself if I said it would likely be my only brush purchase in the near future so I'm going to sate my Simpsons craving first and take it from there. Still want to try a Thater sometime so that could be something else to try further down the line and hey, if a s/h Shavemac comes up at a reasonable price I'd give it a go... Its the idea of spending £100+ on something I dont even like the look of is what turns me off but if there's no devaluation risk its a different story.

Depending on how I get on with it there may be a Muhle synth in the classifieds soon...

 

[Redd]

Duke 3 in BB is a great brush. I am a face latherer and for me it ticks all the boxes - not too big or dense, good handle, soft with good backbone and provides a good flow. As always YMMV, but if you don't get on with it you should have no trouble at all spinning it on.

 

[Gairdner]

Aye, D3 in best @Rohleder - my new Commodore X3 in best is smashing and I'm very much looking forward to using it tomorrow.

 

[Dj-Steved]

The Duke 3 is a smashing brush perfect size wise with a decent knot. I have it in best and it has a decent backbone.
I would also recommend the M6 if you can get hold of one another great brush too.

 

[Nishy]

D3 over the D2 IMO. I would say Shavemac finest is better than Simpsons best IMO. However depending on your preference for backbone you may wish to alter the loft and density.

Definitely be worth your while trying either the Thater or Shavemac in the future as a comparison. I believe the Thater will however look the same as your Shavemac (handle wise) as they use the same shape (173 from the top of my head).

 

[Dr Watson]

@Nishy, yes the 173 handle would be the one I'd go for if buying a Shavemac... I've since been offered a good deal on a D-01 Silvertip 2 band 26/48 but have already spent the money on a D3.. Oh well, give it a few months I'll probably have all three knowing what this game's like.