Shavemac or Simpson large brush recommendation

[rand77]

I'm looking to spoil myself with another brand new brush. Since I already got myself a tiny Wee Scot for face lathering, I'm going to with something much larger for bowl lathering both soaps and creams.

I was thinking a Simpson Chubby (CH1 or CH2 in Best), or a custom Shavemac in Silvertip (26mm-32mm). Also, I was hoping someone could give me an idea whether or not a large knot is difficult to hold in your hands, and whether you need a ton of cream/soap due to its large size. From my perspective, it seems like the Shavemac is the slightly better brand for the money, but the Simpson might be denser/higher quality.

Anybody with recommendations between the two? Thanks for the all the advice!

[a Rose's thorn]

I have a Chubby 1 in best. I am a face latherer. The handle is small in my opinion. Okay for face lathering, but I can't imagine bowl lathering with it. Don't get me wrong, it is a luxurious brush and feels great on the face. And I don't regret having it in the rotation, I just have to pay attention to my grip on it. Good luck with your decision.

[shave~extacy]

The short loft and density of the chubby make it more suited for face lathering. For bowl lathering with the Simpson brand I would recommend a colonel or a polo type brush. Shavemac has some great offerings as well.

[Absolute Mustard]

Shavemac hands down

A better crafted product

[Marco]

The short loft and density of the chubby make it more suited for face lathering. For bowl lathering with the Simpson brand I would recommend a colonel or a polo type brush. Shavemac has some great offerings as well.

+1 Exactly this IMHO, too.

[Face&Head]

If you use the Shavemac Experts Select option you can order the knot to your liking. Their D01 3-band is fantastic; it gives up nothing to the Chubby in terms of density and you can pick the loft you want (along with shape and diameter). That said, the Chubby is an iconic brush for very good reason although I find their Best too scritchy and the super divine. They both make superb products although in my experience Shavemac is more consistent.

[raccoonandbrush]

If I were to choose between the two, I would choose Shavemac.

[edgerunner]

+1 on the custom Shavemac. If you go big, a Shavemac Silvertip bulb (if you like soft) or D01 3-band (if you like slight scrub) is what you need.

[Tkocloser]

I have only used my custom Shavemac and cannot speak to the other. Love, love, love my custom D03 Shavemac 26 mm because of it's softness while having good backbone. I chose the handle, knot, etc. I use this brush every day that I'm not traveling and it is divine. Plus, Bernd's service is superb. I had an issue with a shaving brush stand (NOT the brush, just the stand) and Bernd gave me a refund and also sent me a replacement stand at no cost. I didn't request this and certainly didn't expect it. My takeaway is that the man is a craftsman that obviously stands behind his product. I feel loyalty to him based on his superb craftsmanship and also his remarkable customer service. He is slow in email but given his niche craft, who cares? I'm obviously a major Shavemac fan.

The other brand you are talking about sounds very good too though, so my guess is that you'll win either way please do share where you land on this.

[rand77]

If you use the Shavemac Experts Select option you can order the knot to your liking. Their D01 3-band is fantastic; it gives up nothing to the Chubby in terms of density and you can pick the loft you want (along with shape and diameter). That said, the Chubby is an iconic brush for very good reason although I find their Best too scritchy and the super divine. They both make superb products although in my experience Shavemac is more consistent.

Wow I didn't even know they had the Expert Select option. Right now I'm leaning towards the Shavemac in D01 Silvertip with a 26mm knot. Can anybody comment on what a 30-32mm knot feels like, is it a bit too big?

Thanks to everyone for all the input.

[Face&Head]

Wow I didn't even know they had the Expert Select option. Right now I'm leaning towards the Shavemac in D01 Silvertip with a 26mm knot. Can anybody comment on what a 30-32mm knot feels like, is it a bit too big?

Thanks to everyone for all the input.

It's huge & will cover half your face. I only use it when I'm also shaving my head. Either the 26 or 28 are better. With the 3-band I'd stick to the bulb shape.

[CHSeifert]

Get either of these, they were my favorite brushes for bowl lathering - they are now sold, because I now ONLY face lather

Polo 10 or 12 - both in Super 3 Band
Kent BK8 (BK12 simply blooms too much IMHO)
Shavemac 439 in Silvertip 3 Band

Chubby's and Duke's are mainly for face lathering IMHO
Especially the Chubby 1 with its short dwarf like handle is NOT suited for bowl lathering IMHO YMMV

[Loric]

Wow I didn't even know they had the Expert Select option. Right now I'm leaning towards the Shavemac in D01 Silvertip with a 26mm knot. Can anybody comment on what a 30-32mm knot feels like, is it a bit too big?

Thanks to everyone for all the input.

Loft is almost as important for observed face size as knot diameter. A low loft will feel much smaller than a high loft. I have a Rooney Heritage XXL (28mm x 48mm) and a Chubby 2 Two band (28mm x 56mm) that feel words apart in size. The Chubby is a big but not huge brush, and the XXL honestly feels much more like a "typical" 24mm brush on the face.

That said, Bernd at Shavemac ties a fantastically dense D01 with more backbone than just about any other three band out there. My 24mm x 56mm stock loft D01 feels much bigger than my short loft 24mm brushes. However, the density and backbone of the hair itself keep the brush very very firm and scrubby, with as much or more backbone as my short loft 24mm brushes. Normally I enjoy brushes with very low lofts, but in the case of Shavemacs I think the stock loft is usually spot, even if they are a touch higher than I would normally choose.

Your 26mm x 60mm will feel very big on the face, and your 30~32mm will feel MASSIVE. I have never used a D01 thats 30mm+, but I have to assume with the high loft it will feel bigger than a Chubby 3 (a very very big dense brush). Both of these brushes are density champs, and I love the density of the D01's. For what its worth, my brother and I both had Chubby 3's in Super, and his never broke in. Speaking as a density craving purist, his was just a lather hogging brick of badger hair. Even with months of break in it never loosened up. Mine on the other hand was only a shade over the density of a D01 and it broke in nicely, this kind of thing happens with hand made brushes.

Both are amazing brushes, but I think the D01 is a more consistent brush, and you can customize the handle. White handles are the most popular, but for me, a brush needs to have a little bit of personality. I like the freedom Shavemac gives you to find that right one for you.

Chubby's and Duke's are mainly for face lathering IMHO
Especially the Chubby 1 with its short dwarf like handle is NOT suited for bowl lathering IMHO YMMV

+1 on the handle shape, a longer Polo style handle will be better for bowl lathering.

[Face&Head]

Your 26mm x 60mm will feel very big on the face,

It's important to remember that great thing about "Experts Select" is that 26 mm knot can be sized with a loft anywhere between 50mm to 60mm. I like it set at 52 to 54 tops.

[rand77]

Gents, thanks for all the advice! I'm fairly set on a Shavemac with a 26mm knot, 52mm loft, D01 grade hair, bulb shaped, in a 102 series horn handle.

Before I go ahead with this, I was wondering if a 28mm knot with a 54mm loft (shortest possible loft) will be more suitable. The though of a large brush is enticing, but I don't want it to get to a point where it becomes difficult to work with. I've looked through a ton of pics, but folks who bought the 28mm knot tended to get a proportionally large loft as well.

Thanks again guys.

Edit: I will definitely be posting my review and pics of this awesome brush when it arrives.

[vocalistbob]

A 26mm knot is a great size - it's big, but not massive. I have several great brushes in the 26mm range including a Vulfix 377, Kent BK8 and a Simpson 59. I also have several in the 28mm - 30mm range, including a Shavemac 220, a Vulfix 41 and a Rooney 3XL. I love how the big ones feel on my face, but they can take forever to load (I get impatient). The 26mm knot is a great everyday knot size. Order a 28mm down the road and use it for nice, leisurely weekend shaves.

[jepeck]

+1 I just posted on another thread my impression of the D01 three band. In my view this brush kills the Chubby in best, and should be as good or better than the Chubby Super. Given that you can add 2mm to the Shavemac nominal spec when comparing to the Simpson it represents very good value. The ability to customize the knot shape and handle is an added bonus. I continue to favor Simpson 2-band and Manchurian but will wholeheartedly endorse the D01 as the three band choice if you like scrubby yet soft brushes.

If you use the Shavemac Experts Select option you can order the knot to your liking. Their D01 3-band is fantastic; it gives up nothing to the Chubby in terms of density and you can pick the loft you want (along with shape and diameter). That said, the Chubby is an iconic brush for very good reason although I find their Best too scritchy and the super divine. They both make superb products although in my experience Shavemac is more consistent.