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Help with Simpson Hair Grades

Hello all,

I am looking for some advice from people that have experience with the different Vulfix/Simpson shaving brush hair grades.

As I understand, here are the following hair grades:
Pure Badger
Best Badger
Super Badger (3-Band)
Super Badger (2-Band)

I have done some research on these hair grades, but I was hoping others would describe their experiences with these hair grades and the brushes they use.

Pure Badger is fairly easy to understand. I have read that the Best Badger grade is quite good with soft tips. I have also read that the Super Badger (3-Band) grade is very soft too. I have experience with the Super Badger (2-Band) grade in a Chubby 1. I have to say that I don't think I like the 2-Band hair, or maybe it is the bulb shape of the brush. The brush feels very pointy and stiff, with hardly any splay at all. The tips also feel a bit "scritchy" to me as well.

Is the Best grade a good grade of hair for both soaps and creams?

Is the Super (3-Band) grade frail and prone to damage?

Do the Best and Super (3-Band) grades have brushes with the traditional fan shape knot?

I am considering getting one or more of the following brushes:
Duke (2 or 3)
Chubby (1 or 2)
Polo 8
56 or 57
Emperor (2 or 3)
Special (I know it is small :001_smile)
Tulip (2, 3, or 4)

Any help is greatly appreciated :thumbup:.
 
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johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
I think your assessments are fairly accurate. If you don't really care for the bulb shapes then perhaps the Tulip nor the Emperor models in two-band are for you.

I had a Tulip 3 which is in Super and found it to be too soft as I prefer more backbone since I only use soaps. I think you may prefer Best-grade hair for a better all-around brush.

As for which brush to select, all of the ones you have chosen are great brushes.

Personally, I would select from the Duke 3, the 57 or a Chubby 2 (Best).

I think you cannot go wrong with any of these brushes. The Simpson Best-grade hair is soft yet resilient (not as much as 2-band) but then again not as scritchy.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.
 
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I have the Colonel X2L in Best. I was looking for something that didn't splay and was massage-soft (not cloud-soft). And this is it! No splay; no scritch. It does have a short loft and does have a point, but that doesn't bother me. I bought it for both creams and soaps, but have been using it primarily with soaps where it does a better job of producing lather. I will be watching this thread with interest because I am considering a new brush - perhaps the Commodore 2 in best or the Grosvenor LE in two-band if it re-emerges.
 
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I have the Eagle G3 in Best, and after a week of use, it feels like a different brush. Simpsons really do take a little bit of break-in; I bet it'll continue to improve for another week or two before it really settles into it's own. It's packed well, so it's got a great amount of backbone, yet the tips are very soft. No scritch, but definitely scrubby. There was a slight hint of scritch brand-new, but it's vanished. This is a superb brush for face-lathering soaps.

I have a soft-spot for the Colonel X2L - I love that handle (I had the Ehsan variant which has 2-band hair). I'm temped to pick one up, now knowing what I do about Simpson's Best hair.

I don't think you can go wrong w/Simpson's Best hair for all-around performance. The Super 3-band is probably softer, but floppier. The 2-band is stiffer than the 3-band, and maybe even the Best if only slightly. I'm not sure why I'd need to pay to upgrade to that from Best. Maybe the 2-band of old was a different kind of thing, but my recent Simpsons 2-band brushes haven't impressed me over the Best hair in the Eagle.
 
I would also vote for Simpson Best hair. It gives great performance, and Josh is spot on. When broken in, it is scrubby, a much more apt description than scritchy. Scritchy sounds a bit uncomfortable to use, and this is most definitely not.
 
I have the Simpson Duke 3 in best. and as Josh points out there is a short break in period. I have found it to be very soft, but plenty of backbone. I have used it with both soaps and creams with great success.

Overall it's a great brush!
 
I just got the Duke 2 in Best and it has about 5 shaves under its belt so far. I face lather and so far this brush is a dream. Short lofted (45mm), very dense but not to the point where it is overly hoggish, and soft yet you still feel it. I'm really glad this brush was recommended to me.
 
I own a CH2 in best, A grosvenor in 2-band super, a somerset Tulip T2 in 3-band super, and a Vulfix TGN UK Silvertip (which on the basis of my other brushes I think it is the current simpsons super hair).

The Tulip in super I actually find a little floppy. It still works for face lathering, but could be so much better with a much lower loft. It is very soft hair. The best is not quite as soft, but has plenty of backbone. The 2-band super has the most backbone and I find the tips between the softness of the best and 3-band super. The TGN UK Silvertip I have is the softest brush I own. I set the knot low enough to give it plenty of backbone and I prefer it to many brushes.

Bottom line, you can't really go wrong with simpson's hair. The best hair is actually quite fantastic and I don't know if it is really worth the coin to "upgrade" to 2 or 3-band super.

All this talk of simpson's has me re-looking at the colonel X2L as I love that handle. Or the Keyhole...
 
I just got the Duke 2 in Best and it has about 5 shaves under its belt so far. I face lather and so far this brush is a dream. Short lofted (45mm), very dense but not to the point where it is overly hoggish, and soft yet you still feel it. I'm really glad this brush was recommended to me.

Interesting! See the loft listed for the Duke 2 in Best at 49mm at Super Shave. Get yours from Bullgoose?
 
Thank you all! I really appreciate the responses and look forward to future responses. It sounds like the Simpson's Best is good stuff. As of the moment, I have to say the 57 is speaking to me.

The Chubby 2 in best also sounds like a great brush. For those that use them, are they too much brush?

Oddly, I don't seem to read much on the Simpson Super (3-Band) grade of hair. I wonder why it doesn't seem like that grade is very popular.

Thanks again!
 
I can't speak for their other grades, but I have a Duke 2 in best and love it. I haven't tried and of Simpsons other grades, but as far as the Best, I feel it is better than all other in that classification that I've used. Fairly priced also.

Good luck
 
Duke 2 in Best is a fantastic brush as others have said.

Simpsons Best is truly one of the best values in shaving. Lots of backbone, very soft, but not too soft. There's a reason I recommend it over many other brushes - peformance and price are damn hard to beat in my opinion.

The Super is good as well, but I had a Tulip 2 in Super and I really couldn't tell you if it offered any performance increase over the Best. Pretty much the same in my opinion.

Two-band really is a whole 'nother ball game. Much more backbone and very soft tips, but because they are prone to having bulb-shaped knots, they really only shine in larger brushes such as the Chubby 2.
 
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