I agree with the advice to buy from someone who will be able to help out if there are any problems for that much money. I have 5 brushes, none of them shed until I got a synthetic last year that lost 50 hairs every shave. I quickly returned it and the replacement hasn't shed. Most brushes are fine but you never know.
A brand new never used badger will shed 10 - 20 hairs through the break in process. These are usually shorter hairs that didn't get glued in. Post break in, maybe five hairs every six months to a year is normal. There is something like 180,000 hairs in an average brush, so don't worry about it unless the shedding is excessive.
I have bought several Simpson brushes from him. Great vendor. Also, you can buy directly from Simpson. Pretty much the same cost with currency exchange.
I'm at the point of purchase. I have few questions. Is the biggest difference between the Chubby 1 and the Chubby 2 the knot size? I don't think I need a brush as big as the Chubby 3. I have read that folks say that the Chubby 1 is not good for bowl lathering (and I'm a bowl latherer). I'm going to assume (perhaps foolishly) that this is due to the 23mm knot. My current brush is a Razorock Bruce with a 24mm knot. I keep vacillating between the Chubby 1 in Super Badger and the Chubby 2 in Best Badger (about the same price range). I need some help.
I bowl Lather as well and have a number of Chubby 1, 2 and 3’s. In my experience my Chubby 1 in super works better than my Chubby 2 in best, whilst my Somerset Chubby 3 and Manchurian Chubby 3 bowl lather better than both the Chubby 2 and Chubby 1. I’ve found that my Chubby 2 synthetics also work well in a bowl. If anything, it’s all about the choice and length of hair in the knot as much as the density of the knot (with Manchurian and vintage knots having a definite advantage in this area). The Chubby 2 best knot is nice but takes a lot of work to get a good lather. If you’re looking for something in best badger then I’d suggest looking at a Polo instead (as the longer handle makes a significant difference in the bowl). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I’m not able to answer that question I’m afraid as I’ve never used a Chubby 2 in super. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
After much research and debate and questions, I finally settled on a Chubby 2 in Super Badger. I should have it in hand this afternoon. I can't wait!
Received my Chubby 2 this evening and came home to shave. I showered and did my normal prep. I did not have as easy a time getting this brush to lather as I do with my synthetics. I did notice that when lathering all of the lather seems to be in the brush, as it is heavier when lathering. I didn't produce a good lather at all, and as a result am now suffering irritation. The brush is also kinda scritchy. At this point, I'm kinda starting to wonder if this was a good purchase. I'll give it some more time since all of my experience has been with synthetics. Right now I feel that I'm not sure how to feel about this.
One thing I've noticed with natural hair brushes is that you have to load longer then with synthetics.
Today's lather was a lot better. I needed to shampoo the brush. I also didn't leave near enough water in the brush last night. Left more water and loaded more soap and got a good lather. I also found that if I squeeze the brush at the knot, a LOT of soap comes out. I wasn't feeling too good about this purchase last night, but today feel that it is going to work out for me.