Simpson Brush Owners: Why?

Discussion in 'The Brush' started by HolyRollah, Dec 28, 2013.

  1. Neolithium

    Neolithium I am Canadian, eh

    50% of my Simpsons love is for the looks/performance. The other 50% is the customer service you get out of that company. They do a great deal to keep their customers happy and its appreciated by a great many.
     
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  2. JRod22

    JRod22 Well-Known Member

    Yeah. Just like anything else, different people are attracted to different companies. Lots of good stuff out there, but I am a Simpson's fan and think they bring great quality to the table. Can't imagine being disappointed with a Simpson's brush.

    My rant edit: With that being said, I also enjoy my $11 boar knot brush, and my TGN F2 $25 knot. Part of wet shaving is the introduction of variety and options to your shave. It's nice to have both cheap and expensive brushes. Typically you don't see newbies picking up expensive brushes, it's something you grow into and treat yourself to once you've been enjoying the hobby for a while.

    Here's my attempt at an analogy: Typically new beer drinkers (underage or college age) buy cheap beer because they are more focused on the outcome of getting drunk than enjoying the drink. A more experienced drinker may have honed their taste, now preferring a specific taste to their beer, or maybe preferring liquor to beer.

    Similarly, new wet shavers just want to be able to wet shave without putting in a lot of money into a starter kit. Once they have been at it for a while and have developed their own preferences, they often become attracted to different products than they originally were interested in.
     
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  3. Mouser

    Mouser Well-Known Member

    Simpsons is definitely worth it. Personally, depending on what's your price range, I prefer my Rooneys, Rooney Heritages, and M&F brushes but you'd have to pry my Chubby 2 in Best from my hot, reluctant fingers. If it was a 1 it would be "....from my cold dead fingers".
     
  4. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Okay, Consider me NOW a Simpson brush owner.

    Package arrived yesterday with two items. A standard-size brush box and a tin of Simpson's cream.
    [​IMG]

    Opened the box and in a wad of tissue, I discovered this little guy (Holy Schmoley! Wee scot, indeed!)
    [​IMG]

    For reference, the Wee lad next to an Omega 48. The Simpson is nearly as tall as the handle...
    [​IMG]

    My previous 'smallest' brush was an 18mm Whipped Dog Silvertip, (back right in this photo)
    [​IMG]

    Small but mighty(?); I look forward to giving this little guy a try out. I just have to be careful not to lose it! ;)
    [​IMG]
     
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  5. Neolithium

    Neolithium I am Canadian, eh

    You'll like it. That little brush lathers like a CHAMP! I couldn't bear to part with mine, its so cute and functional at the same time.
     
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  6. JRod22

    JRod22 Well-Known Member

    welcome to the club
     
    GDCarrington likes this.
  7. CJames

    CJames Well-Known Member

    Congrats! I can't imagine being able to lose a brush in my hand! ;)
     
  8. JBSharp

    JBSharp Well-Known Member

    Wow! I guess I had no idea how small those things are. The juxtaposition of the brush and your hand really drives it home.
     
  9. timotep

    timotep New Member

    That's a tiny brush! I would like to hear how you compare it to the Whipped Dog, I don't know how you prefer to shave but I like to face lather. After you give it a shot if Id be really interested in how these two stack up 1) in general and 2) specifically for face lathering. Don't lose it! ;)
     
  10. Barrylu

    Barrylu Well-Known Member

    After buying my first Simpson .I was hooked. I eventually sold off all my other brushes exep 3 Shavemacs. I now own 9 Simpsons. One of these is a Wee Scott. I bought it for travel and fell in love with it. It is now in my permanent rotation. I will include a picture of a travel case I made for the little sucker.
    The Wee Scott is one of their oldest designs. It is a very difficult brush to make. Traditionally, it is the brush that was used to test an apprentice brush maker before he could become a journeyman brush maker. You have now started on the steep slope of Simpson ownership.
    Wee Scott Container 001.JPG
     
  11. Mr. Wonderful

    Mr. Wonderful Active Member

    I purchased a Simpson Chubby 2 from a US online reseller. It arrived with a chip in the handle which I did not notice until I used it the first time. Neither the reseller nor the manufacturer would stand behind the defect. Bernd, at Shavemac, on the other hand, bends over backwards to take care of his customers and I have since purchased many brushes from them. To be sure, there are many quality providers of shave brushes from around the world. Can't go wrong with a Plisson, Rooney, Morris, Muhle, and many other quality vendors.
     
  12. Neolithium

    Neolithium I am Canadian, eh

    My Berkeley started shedding almost a year after I had purchased it, it had been overseas with me as well as on countless exercises. I sent a quick email to them and no questions asked they offered to either reknot or replace depending on what they found. Ended up replacing it, all I paid was the shipping there, the return was paid by them. I can't complain in the least about it.
     
  13. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Tim, The little 'Wee Scot' seems to hold it's own against the larger brushes. It's a bit tricky for my big hands to grasp the wee brush handle at times, especially with lather covering the entire brush.
    I've used it both for face-lathering—where it excels—and developing lather in a bowl or scuttle. I find for face-lathering, the diminutive size is great for painting those 'tight spots,' such as the upper lip.
    In my large scuttle, using the Wee Scot took a bit more effort and time, but eventually the brush produced a good amount of lather. The WD 18mm silver tip feels a good bit larger in the hand than the Wee Scot, and the knot is also fuller.
    I have no strong preference of one over the other as both do the job quite well. Price-wise, they are also comparable.

    I had the pleasure of using a borrowed Simpson Chubby 1 for a week or so and was able to test drive it pretty thoroughly.
    A phenomenal brush when it came to holding and spreading lather. Ultra-soft; loaded with scuttle-warmed MdC it provided me the most decadent of lathering experiences.
    A great brush. Chubby 1 shown here next to my Wee Scot...
    [​IMG]
     
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  14. Mr. Wonderful

    Mr. Wonderful Active Member

    Hi Kevin:

    I might be one of the few who is not a simpson fan. I received a defective product and never got support from either the reseller or the manufacturer. And, when I posted on B&B indicating that I wanted a source for a better looking handle for my Chubby 2 I got permanently banned from the forum...............which made me even more upset that a shave forum valued a vendor more than it valued a member.

    Objectively, there is not a lot of mystery (science) behind making a brush. Most vendors offer similar grades of badger (only one I found that offers a truly magnificent badger is the special D-01 2-band from Shavemac). And, since most brush manufacturers are small businesses, most seem to accommodate requests for loft, circumference size, and density. Most of what makes for superiority is perception. While I have about 20 different brushes, those that are similar in badger grade and size all perform about the same. I even have some from The Golden Nib and they are excellent as well. Perhaps I am a modernist but the best looking brushes are from Plisson or Muhle (albeit expensive mainly due to handle materials).

    Enjoy your journey..........
     
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  15. HolyRollah

    HolyRollah BaconLord

    Mr. W, I appreciate your viewpoints and sorry to read of your less-than-ideal customer experience on your Simpson. You are right about the shavemacs—after checking out the shavemac selections, I see they have some truly handsome brushes! :happy088:
    [​IMG]
     
  16. Mouser

    Mouser Well-Known Member

    I myself am a Rooney, Rooney-Heritage, and Morris & Forndran man my self. I like everything about them, the looks, the fact that they have way more fan shaped offerings (my favorite) the density of the brushes, ( believe it or not you can have such a thing as a too dense brush) and ,of course, the hairs offered.

    I am definitely NOT a modernist.
     
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  17. CyanideMetal

    CyanideMetal Wild and crazy guy

    Same here. All I use are Rooneys and M&F brushes. I too like the fan shape and density of the brush. I just got back from Lee a custom 2XL Heritage blonde badger 28/50. Good to know there's another here with the same taste!
     
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  18. Mr. Wonderful

    Mr. Wonderful Active Member

    Can you tell everyone how to order an M&F brush?????
     
  19. cmorris357

    cmorris357 catching flies.........

  20. Mr. Wonderful

    Mr. Wonderful Active Member

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