This has been hashed over probably a million times and I have done a fair amount of research on the matter but thought I would ask some of you Simpsons brush owners with experience what your final thoughts would be for a all purpose brush. I have a couple inexpensive (cost effective) brushes that have served me well in my new adventures into wet shaving but was looking to experience a higher end brush. I was ready to pull the trigger on a Duke 3 in Best with all the rave reviews on this board and was only thrown off by the Chubby 2. However, with the availability of the limited edition Rover 2 in Best at WCS this appears to be a viable alternative as an all purpose (face lather / bowl lather) type of brush. Gentlemen, your thoughts please.
Rover 2 LE, Duke 3, or Chubby 2 that is the question...
- Thread starter Slappy
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I have no experience with the Rover but some find the Chubbys to be too dense. (Not me)
The Duke 3 gets a lot of love here and it is a superb all around brush. They seem to be getting loftier as of late so look for one with a shorter loft and be content.
The Duke 3 gets a lot of love here and it is a superb all around brush. They seem to be getting loftier as of late so look for one with a shorter loft and be content.
I have the Duke 3 in Best and the Chubby 2 in 3 band Super. The Chubby 2 is big and dense and I love it but can see that some would think it too big. The Duke 3 is an excellent all around brush.
I currently have the Duke 3 and Rover 2, and had a chubby 2 at one point. I know everyone loves the chubbies, but it was just too dense for me. It was tough to get the lather out,and I simply didn't enjoy it. I love my duke 3 and its probably my favorite - great flow through and just enough of a scrub without being scritchy - and most importantly not too dense. Same with the rover. But the rover is an absolutely fantastic brush that is every bit as good as the duke 3. In reality, I think I like the handle shape of the rover better than the duke, and If I were looking to buy one today I'd probably lean to the rover.
The proper answer for me is yes, yes and yes. But having to pick only one among those three brushes, the Duke 3 would certainly be my choice.
I own all three of these brushes (my CH2 is in Best). If I had to pick one of the three as an all-around brush, I'd probably pick the CH2. That said, I tend to love the luxury of larger brushes.
I do love my Rover, but less than either of the other two. I don't know why in particular. I do believe much of it is psychological: the Chubby and Duke line have a certain "cache." I am also a density freak, and enjoy thick knots of badger.
I recently acquired my Duke 3 through the B/S/T at a ridiculously low price ($65!) and have enjoyed it immensely. It is much denser than I would have imagined - very similar in fact to my CH1 in 3-band super. It does benefit from a longer handle than the CH1, but of course this isn't an advantage over the CH2 as the handle is larger/longer on the CH2.
In summary I would choose either the Duke 3 or the CH2 in Best. If you tend to like larger brushes, go for the CH2. If you like smaller knots, go with the Duke 3. If you want a genuine all-purpose brush, I do think the Duke 3 is probably your best bet.
I do love my Rover, but less than either of the other two. I don't know why in particular. I do believe much of it is psychological: the Chubby and Duke line have a certain "cache." I am also a density freak, and enjoy thick knots of badger.
I recently acquired my Duke 3 through the B/S/T at a ridiculously low price ($65!) and have enjoyed it immensely. It is much denser than I would have imagined - very similar in fact to my CH1 in 3-band super. It does benefit from a longer handle than the CH1, but of course this isn't an advantage over the CH2 as the handle is larger/longer on the CH2.
In summary I would choose either the Duke 3 or the CH2 in Best. If you tend to like larger brushes, go for the CH2. If you like smaller knots, go with the Duke 3. If you want a genuine all-purpose brush, I do think the Duke 3 is probably your best bet.
Why not go bigger, Like a 32mm Savile Row silvertip?
Here are some pictures I quickly took with my phone. Not the best quality, but you can see the differences. Note that both the Duke 3 and Rover are still wet (I shaved with the Duke 3 this morning, but decided to do a test lather with the Rover to compare; I suppose this is ironic in light of your question today). The CH2 hasn't been used in well over two weeks, so the bloom is not necessarily representative of what it normally is (i.e. usually larger).
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I think this is a very valid point. I don't think a Chubby (or any brush with a similar density) makes a very good "only brush." In my experience only the 2-band versions of the Chubbies dry relatively quickly. My CH3 in 3-band super take upwards of 24-48 hours to dry completely at the center. Dense brushes need to be rotated.
The Chubby2 is considerably larger and somewhat more dense, but it would be a coin toss between the other two for me. All great brushes- can't go wrong here.
+1
I have the Chubby 1,2, and 3 - all Super. Never use any of them more than once a week. You might as well hang the Chubby 3 on a clothesline to dry. I did recently acquire a Simpsons Emperor 3 Super 2-band that is getting lots of lovin' in the morning.
- Thread starter
- #13
WOW! Great input guys.
The pictures are much appreciated mrmotely. Fantastic coincidence that you were performing the comparison on the brushes today.
A logical first step in light of the heavy rotation this brush will probably be seeing is the Duke 3 in Best. Once I get a feel for where that puts me on the shaving brush spectrum I'll know where to go from there if I make any future acquisitions. Thanks to everyone once again for their input.
*Edit* Bullgoose order placed, hopefully I'll get back to you guys on a review with some pictures in the near future.
The pictures are much appreciated mrmotely. Fantastic coincidence that you were performing the comparison on the brushes today.
A logical first step in light of the heavy rotation this brush will probably be seeing is the Duke 3 in Best. Once I get a feel for where that puts me on the shaving brush spectrum I'll know where to go from there if I make any future acquisitions. Thanks to everyone once again for their input.
*Edit* Bullgoose order placed, hopefully I'll get back to you guys on a review with some pictures in the near future.
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This is pretty much the same reasoning that I used in deciding to go with the purchase of a Duke 3 in Best, which I did this weekend.... Also looking forward to your observations once you've had a chance to use the brush. I will post mine as well. Cheers!
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