Unfortunate Simpson Suprise

So I just went to Pasteur's on the East Side to pick up some C.O. Bigelow and some feathers and was excited to see that they carry Simpson brushes. When I asked the lady behind the counter if I could see the two that were in the ballpark of my price range (the Special and Duke 1) I was shocked to see how small they are and how lightweight they are.

Is this pretty common for top of the line Simpsons, Rooneys, Plissons, etc.? Are the only ones under $100 going to be that small? I am a pretty big guy (6'4" 280) and I felt like I was going to break them as I held them in my hand.

I guess I just found it hard to imagine getting a nice thick lather and being able to grip the handle with such a small, lightweight product in my hand. They were both much smaller and lighter than the trial size pure badger I got with my AoS trial kit, and that handle is made of plastic.

I don't know, maybe I'm just ranting a little, but I was genuinely surprised to see that these brushes (which so many people are in love with) were so underwhelming. On the plus side the Simpson badger hair was a dream to feel.

The Colonel X2L is in your price range. Its handle is 9-10mm taller than the Duke. It's also about 15mm taller overall.

Although the brushes may have been underwhelming at first glance, don't doubt for a moment that those models are large enough for your shaving needs. I can make more than enough lather for a 2-pass shave with my Wee Scot (and it really is a tiny shaving brush).
If your biggest worry is the size of the handle, as Crixus says, the Colonel might be more to your liking. Otherwise you can always check out the wonderful brushes made by Rudy Vey and some of our other vendor-craftsmen.

djh said:

Although the brushes may have been underwhelming at first glance, don't doubt for a moment that those models are large enough for your shaving needs. I can make more than enough lather for a 2-pass shave with my Wee Scot (and it really is a tiny shaving brush).
If your biggest worry is the size of the handle, as Crixus says, the Colonel might be more to your liking. Otherwise you can always check out the wonderful brushes made by Rudy Vey and some of our other vendor-craftsmen.

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+1. It sounds like the issue is more of how it feels in hand, than how it performs. There are other Simpsons under $100 that should feel better in hand than the Special or Duke. The Colonel certainly should, and I would also check out the 57. Both of which have larger, solid-feeling handles. Each is under $100.

beginish said:

+1. It sounds like the issue is more of how it feels in hand, than how it performs. There are other Simpsons under $100 that should feel better in hand than the Special or Duke. The Colonel certainly should, and I would also check out the 57. Both of which have larger, solid-feeling handles. Each is under $100.

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+1. Also the Duke 3 is a pretty good size brush but not huge. Priced at about the $105 point.

I got my Colonel from Pasteur's...I think I got the last one

I believe it was $67...such a great price for that brush. It's an instant favorite.

Greyfox said:

+1. Also the Duke 3 is a pretty good size brush but not huge. Priced at about the $105 point.

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+1

I also had issues with the size of the handles of some brushes and the Duke 3 fixed it for me.

Colonel X2L owner here and no complaints. A++ brush.

I agree that the Colonel is wonderful. I wonder if one of the brushes you handled was the Wee Scot. It's tiny, but it's also great.

Colonel X2L for me also. I've got pretty big mitts.

Boriasm,

I recently got the Simpson X2L Colonel in Best, and have found it to be a super brush

Whilst it is not as big as my silvertips, it makes and holds enough lather for my four pass shave, with lather to spare !

Good luck in your search

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Thanks to djh (thank you, David) a friend of mine and I got the Duke 3. Both of think this is one great brush. Just the right size.

Congrats and enjoy that brush. You will love it.

I am a big guy too (6'5, 250), and have been using a C&E best for 5+ years. I finally splurged and got a new brush this week: the Duke 3. I was sort of surprised to find that it was roughly the same size as the C&E best. After my first use, I found that it was MILES ahead of the C&E in lathering capability. The Duke 3 is far more dense than the C&E best, so it holds a lot more water, and creates a lot more lather.

If you're really concerned about having a bigger brush, go for it, but the standard brushes are more than good enough for generating enough lather for several passes of shaving.

I tend to agree with you... I think the Duke is too small for the price and you are better off getting the non-token Simpson Brushes. Tulip, Chubby, Polo or Persian Jar are pretty good brushes. Everything else just seems too small for the money. However, I like the Berkeley (small brush) for travel but I tend to take my Tulip 2 in Super for most trips.

For $65-70, the Simpson Colonel is a great all around brush. The handle, itself, is a little over 2" tall, the whole brush about 4".

I dunno. My Special size 10 is pretty decent sized.

That's a Special 10 reknotted with a TGN 30mm (was originally 26-27mm, but the knot was bigger due to much higher loft) next to a rehandled wee scot knot (that's the top half of a vintage turnback, it's a little bit larger than the original handle if memory serves).

Who wants to guess which is which?

If you have big hands, look at getting a custom brush from a vendor here.
I did that recently and it fits in my hand perfectly.
You can get the handle you want, the knot and loft you want all for a good price.
It won't say Simpson on it but it'll perform just as well.