Simpson's Chubby Questions

I am thinking about getting a chubby and i have a couple of questions for you chubby owners...

1. Can you tell a difference between the density of a best, super or two-band? They look the same density and I've heard they are the same, but what's your opinion?

2. Is the super or two-band worth the extra money? I have heard that Simpsons really shine in their "best" line of brushes.

3. For those of you who have both the chubby size 1 and a chubby size 2, which do you like better and why? My current largest brush is a Rooney Emillion with a 24mm knot. I am wondering if the size 2 will be overkill.

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Wes

I own a Chubby#1 two band.

It is really dense and it does not bloom that much. Henxce it is a perfect brush for face lathering. But if you want to bowl lather it won't fit.
Current two band is very soft at the tips and gives very good backbone worth the extra price IMHO.

Chubby#2 is bigger and has as far as I have heard about a completely different behavior.

I have a chubby 1 two-band and a chubby 3 super three-band,and if you like to build lather on your face,I recommend the Chubby 1

Paul

I have owned a Chubby 1 in both best and 3 band super and IMHO if you have normal-tough skin then there is no reason to get super. However the extra softness of the super allows me to really go to town when face lathering even although I have sensitive skin, so really it's down to you whether its worth it but no matter which grade you choose you will not be dissapointed all are excellent IMHO and its just about choosing which one suits your particular situation rather than one being arbitrarily better than the other. Remember if you are swithering between best and super, super is NOT more expensive because it is in any way better than best it is simply supposedly rarer and consequently more expensive. Regardless I prefer super it suits my needs better, but best may be a far wiser choice for you...JMHO

Regards Grant

my entire post robbed of big words and ran through a polygraph for a quick rinse: Get both!!!

I have a Chubby1 in Best. It is just a BEAST at face lathering. I love it. The knot size, softness, and density is absolutely perfect for my taste.

The only minor gripe I have about it is that the handle's a bit small, IMO. Sometimes when I go hog-wild it gets a little slippery and tough to hold onto.

I can't speak of the comparison between best, super and two band super in the Chubby line, but I can say that I love my CH1 and CH2 two banded supers. Great brushes. I also have a 56 and a Duke 3 in best grade and they are also very nice brushes. Can't go wrong.

The Chubby 1 is a smallish brush, while the Chubby 2 feels big. I have a Chubby 2 two band and a Chubby 3 three band super, and the three band is hands down denser and softer. Dont get me wrong the two band is plenty dense, especially for a two band, but its just not the same as the size three in Super.

Are the worth the extra money compared to the best? Thats entirely up to you, the best is a great hair grade, but the super is very luxurious. For me, the Super was wroth the money, but the difference is really not giant.

A better question to ask might be what shape you want. As all three grades are good, shape is another factor that should be taken into account. There has been some debate on the lack of a standard shape for Simpson brushes latterly, but in bawd strokes the Super comes in a fan, the two band in a bulb, and the best is someplace in between. I like the Simpson two band but the bulb on mine is a bit to tall and pointy for my taste. Some days it does not bother me, others I cant help but notice it. YMMV.

thank you all so much for your help. I have never owned a Simpson brush, and they seem to be a real legend. And although I know they had issues in the past (at least for some people), I hear that things have gotten better in recent days. i hope to get one soon!

Loric said:

The Chubby 1 is a smallish brush, while the Chubby 2 feels feels big. I have a Chubby 2 two band and a Chubby 3 three band super, and the three band is hands down denser and softer. Dont get me wrong the two band is plenty dense, especially for a two band, but its just not the same as the size three in Super.

Are the worth the extra money compared to the best? Thats entirely up to you, the best is a great hair grade, but the super is very luxurious. For me, the Super was wroth the money, but the difference is really not giant.

A better question to ask might be what shape you want. As all three grades are good, shape is another factor that should be taken into account. There has been some debate on the lack of a standard shape for Simpson brushes latterly, but in bawd strokes the Super comes in a fan, the two band in a bulb, and the best is someplace in between. I like the Simpson two band but the bulb on mine is a bit to tall and pointy for my taste. Some days it does not bother me, others I cant help but notice it. YMMV.

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I too am in the market for a Chubby so I can't comment on either brush. I will agree strongly with the above about the shape of the knot. I currently have a new SR 3824 that I love looking at more than I like using. The bulb shape is simply not for me. Looks like I will be researching the Chubby 1 standard or 3 band to see what the shapes look like. Can someone confirm if the standard Chubby's in super have more of a fan shape to them? Thanks in advance.

SJBFIRE said:

I too am in the market for a Chubby so I can't comment on either brush. I will agree strongly with the above about the shape of the knot. I currently have a new SR 3824 that I love looking at more than I like using. The bulb shape is simply not for me. Looks like I will be researching the Chubby 1 standard or 3 band to see what the shapes look like. Can someone confirm if the standard Chubby's in super have more of a fan shape to them? Thanks in advance.

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My brother and I both have Chubby 3 three band supers, and both are fanish. His is only a couple months old.

Shaving Dad - what size brushes do you use right now? That might help with the size question.

I've got a Chubby 2 two-band. Not my everyday brush, but I use it a couple of times a week and love it. I had originally ordered the Chubby 1 but found that one too small for my taste. I like big brushes so I'm a bit biased, but I think it's very manageable and feels incredible on the face. I'm a bowl-latherer and it's a champ at that, but I have face lathered with it with success. It's an all-around luxury performer that you can't go wrong with.

FWIW - I have a CH1 3 band super. Best brush I've ever owned, but I've only owned a few. It is the last brush I ever bought, and I sold the rest. I face lather with MWF. CH1 Super is the bee's knees.

BTW - That's my little beauty in my avitar. You can assess it's shape yourself. It's been in daily use for about 2 years now.

I personally find the CH1 to be too small of a brush to be called "Chubby", and with the small knot I would definitely not recommend Two-band.

The old Pre-vulfix Chubby was bigger, it was the perfect size. (I've got one in two-band and I love it! )

I've also got a Two-band CH2 that I LOVE using. Unique and amazing.

So I would recommend a CH1 in Best or a CH2 in Two-band.

1) I cannot answer 1 because I only have a 2 band.

2) Obviously, I cannot answer this one either as formulated. However, I have never used a brush as resilient at my CH1 other than boar. It is definitely an excellent brush.

3) I only have a CH1 but debated endlessly which one to buy between the CH1 and CH2. I asked several people and they had different takes on it. Jim at VB finally made a sound point about the CH1. What he said was that for face lathering, the CH2 was likely too big. Since I am a facelatherer, I decided to go with the CH1 and I have been very satisfied. If you make lather in a bowl, you may want to have a larger handle.

Al raz.

And happy Thanksgiving to you as well

Shaving Dad said:

I am thinking about getting a chubby and i have a couple of questions for you chubby owners...

1. Can you tell a difference between the density of a best, super or two-band? They look the same density and I've heard they are the same, but what's your opinion?

2. Is the super or two-band worth the extra money? I have heard that Simpsons really shine in their "best" line of brushes.

3. For those of you who have both the chubby size 1 and a chubby size 2, which do you like better and why? My current largest brush is a Rooney Emillion with a 24mm knot. I am wondering if the size 2 will be overkill.

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Wes

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I have a CH 1, best and can't speak highly enough of it. Don't have a 2 or 3, but having handled them I'd say they are a different order of brush, size-wise. The CH1 and CH2 are not really competitors, as I see it; very different brushes.

Alraz said:

3) I only have a CH1 but debated endlessly which one to buy between the CH1 and CH2. I asked several people and they had different takes on it. Jim at VB finally made a sound point about the CH1. What he said was that for face lathering, the CH2 was likely too big. Since I am a facelatherer, I decided to go with the CH1 and I have been very satisfied. If you make lather in a bowl, you may want to have a larger handle.

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I must be doing it wrong. I love using my Chubby 2 for face lathering. Getting soap on your ears, chest, arms and legs is half the fun But we all knew my preferences are a bit off the beaten path.

I do not think it is a matter of right or wrong here, as you say preference is an important factor but also the size of the face. If my face were like Barry Bonds' face, the CH2 may be a good choice for me. I also have a goatee... There is barely any space to build a good lather with a CH1 on my face and I like some space to maneuver. I have a muhle silvertip that is ~26mm (I do not know for sure because the knot is very floppy) and it covers my entire cheek... Needless to say, I do not like floppy brushes. All in all, as I said, the CH1 was the perfect size for me.

Al raz.

Loric said:

I must be doing it wrong. I love using my Chubby 2 for face lathering. Getting soap on your ears, chest, arms and legs is half the fun But we all knew my preferences are a bit off the beaten path.

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IMO, one need not more than the CH1 for face lathering. It does just fine. That being said, the CH2 feels quite luxurious and there is nothing wrong with that!

My current brushes are a Rooney Emillion with a 24mm knot and a Shavemac D01 in 23mm. I love them both and lean more to brushes with backbone. Also like their size. After reading all of your comments, I think size wise, the Chubby, size one is prob. a better fit for me. Although, there is the Rooney "Stubby" too! Not sure how these two compare. I would love to see a side-by-side comparison of a chubby and a stubby. Maybe somebody will post that one of these days....

Shaving Dad said:

My current brushes are a Rooney Emillion with a 24mm knot and a Shavemac D01 in 23mm. I love them both and lean more to brushes with backbone. Also like their size. After reading all of your comments, I think size wise, the Chubby, size one is prob. a better fit for me. Although, there is the Rooney "Stubby" too! Not sure how these two compare. I would love to see a side-by-side comparison of a chubby and a stubby. Maybe somebody will post that one of these days....

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How do you like that Emillion? I had a three band Stubby for a time and it was amazingly soft, and very dense. It was a really luxurious shave. As for Stubby vs. Chubby that is a vague question as there are three grades of Chubby and the new and two flavors of older Stubbys.


Sorry for the random brush, but its the only pic I have with 3 of these brushes. However the first one is a restore with a 23mm Vulfix Sivertip knot from TGN rumored to be a Chubby 1 knot in Super so its not totally irrelevant

The Stubbys like all other Rooney Heritage brushes I have used are tuned for pure luxury, while the Simpsons have a bit more of a work horse feel to them. Thats not to say the Chubbys are not luxurious the Simpson Super grade hair is very luxurious, but it is just not as soft as the Heritage. The three bands are both exceptionally dense brushes in a fan shape. However the 26mm Stubby 3 has a flatter top and blooms very large, so despite being a 6mm smaller knot it bloomed to close to the same size as the 32mm Chubby 3.

The two bands hair grades have a bit more difference than the three bands did. The Simpson hair is more cottony soft with better backbone, Where the Stubby hair is exquisitely soft and more silky to the touch. The Simpson hair comes out of the box a bit stiff and wirey, but my Chubby 2 did break in greatly with use, and is much softer than it was out of the box. Though even with the break in its not as soft as the Stubby hair. The Chubby two band knot is distinctly bulb shaped where as the Stubby is still a fan. Bloom on both brushes is average, so you wont get the massive face feel of the Stubby 3 three band.

Now the new and old two band Stubbys are different beasts too. The old Stubby while luxurious was barely a medium density brush. I actually really enjoy it, but for the price I was expecting something MORE. The loft combined with soft tips and amazing face feel makes for a nice compromise between a soap and cream brush. Backbone was ok, and they are not floppy, but the lack of density does hold it back in the backbone department. While the new Stubbys have kept the uncompromising luxury of the originals, but are MUCH more dense with shorter lofts. This makes for an ultra soft face lathering brush. They manage to walk the razors edge being scrubby and luxurious. Hair for hair, the new hair might not quite have the backbone of the original, but the sort loft and wide knot keep this in check perfectly and give it plenty of backbone. Also notice the difference in color. The new tips are much whiter and the shafts are blacker. Its only aesthetic but it is another improvement.



Handle size vs. knot size is also a distinction between these two lines.
The stubby has a more traditionaly proportioned handle and a big knot, where the Chubbys have a big squat knot and big squat handle. Both are comfortable, but different enough that its worth taking into account.

I cant compare the Simpson best Chubbys as I dont have one, but for a slight drop in softness and a little bit more of a bulb shaped knot you get a significant drop in price.

My original new vs. old stubby post (#15).