J349
Forum GOD!
The knot on that Duke looks lovely.I started taking some photos of my remaining Simpson brushes. Will post a few every so often
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Simpson Brushes Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Boojum1
- Start date
chazt
shave
You’ve got a keen eye! Thank you. The original Best knot felt like a wire brush, but the D3 handle is fairly righteous! I used the brush every other shave for about a month, but it never improved. So I contacted the fabled gentleman brushmaker, Mr. Rudy Vey of New Jersey, USA. We exchanged one or two emails, and quite literally the brush made a full round trip in Under A Week. This was in 2015 or so. Despite the relatively short distance of perhaps 40 or so miles, USPS absolutely could not do that today. Truth be told, it was a marvel even then! The knot is by Shavemac and is a really delightful experience. If I had to keep only three brushes
this would be one of them.
chazt
shave
Well, this is unlike me in general, as I’m not much of a fan of synthetic knots. I think out of some 40 odd current brushes, I have perhaps a half dozen synthetics. And frankly I never really use them. The Chubby is the best travelled shave brush in my collection. It’s accompanied me pretty much everywhere we’ve/I’ve been since it was a pup. So maybe 2014-15? As you can see it’s got the original Simpsons’ designation, “synthetic badger.” Tbh I use it at home only two or three times a year. The Trafalgar 3 was a Father’s Day gift from one of my daughters. Imo the handle is vastly superior to the Chubby handle. The Chubby knot feels silkier than the Trafalgar knot, but the Trafalgar knot has a more “natural” feel for face lathering. They both tend to feel sproingy. Yes, sproingy. Nonetheless, one of these two comes along whenever I pack my dopp bag.
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chazt
shave
The current state of Isle of Man brush making hearkens back to the 1960s when Gibson and Epiphone guitars were built side by side by the same craftspeople using the same techniques and materials. While the guitars had obvious differences (to guitarists), they were and still to this day remain fraternal twins.
I’ve owned two other Vulfix brushes. Like these, quality was top notch. Really, the only significant differences I can point to (beyond the decal) are the naming of the hair grades and density of the knots. In my experience, Simpson branded brushes are typically denser than Vulfix. Simpson Best badger is equivalent to Vulfix Super badger. Both brands offer beautiful and unique handles. And regardless of the badge, when you find a knot you like, it’s lightning in a bottle!
I’ve owned two other Vulfix brushes. Like these, quality was top notch. Really, the only significant differences I can point to (beyond the decal) are the naming of the hair grades and density of the knots. In my experience, Simpson branded brushes are typically denser than Vulfix. Simpson Best badger is equivalent to Vulfix Super badger. Both brands offer beautiful and unique handles. And regardless of the badge, when you find a knot you like, it’s lightning in a bottle!