Quality: This is a hand made brush, made in England (not much these days is). The hair quality is as good as one could ask for, stiff, soft, true silvertip, though not quite as "white" as my Rooney's Finest, but the hair feels the same to the touch. Thus far, three weeks after first getting it, I've yet to see a single hair fall off. Balance: Although the handle is maybe a bit large for some, the balance is great.. the bulb / handle feel equal about equal in weight. Density: This is an area where I think this brush is king. I've not to this day been able to handle a brush with as tight a knot, including the Rooney. It's hard to believe that they can cram that many hairs in 27mm, but this brush can hold a lot of water and lather, and with the content of the bulb after whipping up your soap, you can do 4+ passes without having to re-whip. I tried this as an experiment, and only by the 5th pass did the brush get a bit thin on lather to fully cover my face. Luxury Factor: It's a Simpson brush, one of the top brands, and it's made nicely, looks nice and just feels great in your hand. Ease of Lather: Initially, when you whip up the lather (I used Trumpers cream), you don't get much of a reaction, but after the 10th or 12th swirl, you start to see the foam explode. I find it works best to start with a well shaken brush, then after 12-15 whips, you add VERY hot water to the brush itself (maybe 1 tsp) and then continue to later. It's as good as I've seen in this area. Price: For price, I give it an 8, because YES, it's expense at $300+, but you really can't expect a product that is hand made in the UK to be cheap. If you want cheap, you're going to get machine made, or "Made in China".. that's just the way the economy and the market works. I think for the price, this brush is well worth it, but if your one of those guys that has to justify the value of everything, it's probably not for you. This is the brush shortly after use, having been shaken out and left standing upside down for about 2 hours. I don't hang this brush, and Simpson doesn't recommend that you have to, it's simply dense enough that it can be left upside down after use. This will show you a size comparison of the Chubby 3 to a Medium sized Rooney (Style 1, Size 2, Finest), and you can also see it next to the rather small handled Horn handle "Silver Tip" from EM's place. (More pictures to follow as I have time).
I've owned a Simpson C3 for over 10 years. My experience with it has been mixed. It has shed lots of hairs over the years when I used it every day. If used every day, the brush will not completely dry, even though I keep it up side down on a brush stand. That seems to be the cause of the hair loss, because it sheds few hairs when I began rotating it as part of a three-brush rotation. That being said, the brush is so densely packed that it is still usable. My other issue with the brush is that it is a "soap hog". A cake of triple-milled soap such as AoS or MWF will only last about two months if the brush is used every day. The reason for this is obvious; the brush is huge. The up sides of this brush are 1. It makes huge amounts of rich lather; enough for a three-pass shave plus touch-ups. 2. It feels very luxurious on my face when I lather it up.
I have had my Simpsons Chubby # 3 super badger for almost a year. I have used it almost everyday ( fell a bit delicate on the odd Sunday ). I use it on either a Emsplace shave round or proraso green cream & or soap or Trumpers cream - violet. It took me a few shaves to get used to it, it holds a heap of water due to the shear volume of hair. It will gobble up your soap if you try to later up on the soap. I give 15-20 swirls on the soap then go straight to the face, which is still warm & damp after a soakinbg in hot towels. You can easiy achieve 3 passes from one brush load. The price is high but i believe you get what you pay for, a hand made by craftsmen excellent shaving brush.
I have got Simpson’s Chubby # 1 super badger (two-banded) from Vintage Blades. This is number one brush in my rotation. In my opinion for people with small hands this is the best brush.
