What's the difference? I understand Super is more expensive, and slightly bigger, but other than that?
I don't think they are different sizes. It's just a different grade of hair. IIRC, it is a little finer(less backbone) and has softer tips. I have a Chubby 2 in Best and I really like it. Expensive, but it is a great brush.
I was comparing Super and Best, and the difference in size is: CH3 Best Height: 105mm Bristle Loft: 56mm Knot: 29mm CH3 Super Height: 108mm Bristle Loft: 56mm Knot: 31mm So, slightly bigger, but not by much. I am willing to pay the price for either, I just want to know if I can save a couple of bucks and go with the Best, or is Super really that awesome?
A lot of people have the chubby 2 and swear by them and they are a lot cheaper. I sure Aaron will be on soon with some great advise, as will other people. (I sort of have a chubby 2 on my christmas list)
I did some comparing of the Chubby Best CH2 vs CH3. I'm not really interested in CH1, just the bigger brush. CH3: Height: 105mm Bristle Loft: 56mm Knot: 29mm CH2: Height: 95mm Bristle Loft: 50mm Knot: 27mm
There's some info here about the different grades from Vintage Blades, and from Em's Place. I'm sure there are other places to get info, I just knew of these two right off the top of my head. From much of what I've heard about grading badger hair, there aren't really any set standards.
E) Premium Badger "tapers" (aka fine or best badger) - This hair has the typical sketch on it (light-dark-light). It comes from the back of the badger and its structure is conical. That means that the tips are thinner than at the base of the hairs. This provides a softer feel while in use. Moreover it guarantees better foaming of the shaving soap. This hair is much more expensive because it is more rare than the types c) or d). These brushes are hand assembled or handmade. F) Premium Badger "silver tips" (aka super badger) - This explanation is used for the neck hair only which is the softest, rarest and most expensive kind of badger hair. In the winter this neck hair gets extremely light tips. These brushes are hand assembled or handmade. I got this from Em's Place.
Well tackling the first part of your question Super vs Best, don't go by defined terms of hair, each and every manufacture classifies their hair differently, Simpsons best is a good example, in reality its Silvertip and not "Best". Simpsons Super, is a finer gauge of hair, once broken in its quite soft with no scritch at all to it, the only issue is its not overly resilient, after each use I make sure I groom the hair so it doesn't get tangled and break. Simpsons Best, is soft to the touch with some scritch to it even once broken in, its very resilient and I would recommend it to someone who is a little more violent with their lathering technique. Now onto Super vs Best in a Chubby, first off knot size is usually determined by weight, and Simpsons tolerance for height and width of a knot are not as tight as many manufactures. This being said, since the Super is finer, its packed tighter and feels denser. (I also wouldn't be surprised if they used more hair in the knots). Lastly, CH2 vs CH3, if you wish to pay more money for a couple of mm's of width and height and a bigger handle go for it, but I don't think you really need a CH3 unless you want one and have to have it.
Simpsons Chubby Best Badger (CH2) $159.00 $159.00 Subtotal $159.00 Discounts [Code: BB11] $23.85 Total $135.15 This is at Truefitt and Hill with the code BB11--15% I didn't check shipping cost. I picked one up a couple of weeks ago; great brush, great place to buy from and great discount.
They also give you free cream samples... Jarrod pushed his prices back up, he dropped his stock down to $136 which was nice as CH2 knots seem to vary greatly.
"El Hefe' speaks. The Smooth abides. I would Then Follow the advice of "El Hefe' " and go to Superior Shave----he has pics on his site of ALL his Simpsons brushes in his inventory. As close as you can get to hands on in the store You can pick and choose any one of the brushes.
Da Bossman.... While I definitely like the idea of the pics of individual stock from The Superior Shave, I ordered my Chubby 2 from Truefitt & Hill and am very pleased with it. I like the shape of the knot. It was a good price and the shave cream sampler was a nice bonus.
Definitely a deal considering Jarrod marked his brushes back up. If I were to go with a CH3, my first bet would be T&H, for whatever reason the crowns seem to be more uniform.
Smoking tune fo sho. Luv the Clutch-----makes me drive like an idiot and way tooo fast. Got the blue light special speeding and screaming to El Jefe---93 in a 60---Whoops!
I got the sampler in the cool bag when I got my Simpsons CH2 from T&H. However I ordered the 1 liter Ultimate Shave Cream and the 1 liter Ultimate Shave Balm and didn't get squat. $150 order gets the sampler---$375 order got zilch. I'mn not complaining, I'm just saying it seems backwards and kooky. Regardless, I still buy a ton of stuff from them.
