The Emperor 3 in Two Band - wow!

So first I was a bit skeptical about what had just arrived in my mail: a E3 Two Band. Beautiful handle, great size for both face and bowl lathering, knot size within tolerance (22mm vs 23mm spec) buy then that LOFT of 54mm!!!!! I was not sure if that would make it a moppy experience...

So I was a bit nervous when I gave her a ride this morning with Acca Kappa 1869 (I thought I save the hard soaps for later)....

An then it was just amazing: the two band hair give her great backbone, medium density and loft size make for great flow through and then those SOOOFT TIPS ... a cloud like massage on your face when lathering up in circular motion.... Amazing!

I have read often that Simpson Two Band hair is scritchy... As I am a softness fanatic that would have been a no-go! It took me a long time to try one (Duke 3) and since then I am addicted to that hair grade... quite the same softness as Thäter Two Band with so classic handle styles and a great variety of loft sizes and density... and different to other grades of Simpson I have had no bad surprise yet in terms of craftmenship of the knots or quality control. All four Two Bands I own by now (see below) are excellent quality, have only shed a few hairs in the first shaves.

So I am a big fan of them!!!

Which shall I try next?

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Nice brush. I have one, too. I do like it. It's in my rotation along with &%#@ other brushes. Can one ever have too many brushes?

Steve

Beautiful addition to the family! The Emperor 3 is one of my favorite handles.

Wow, you sure have a great family, there! Enjoy.

I have an EmperorI which has a much smaller (and shorter) knot than your mammoth specimen. It is a beautiful handle and a great little brush.

Thanks for sharing your pics- the new addition looks fantastic!

Wonderful family of brushes!

Glad you like it German! You know my stance on this grade of hair, it rocks.

I have a little Astor that's a similar size and handle shape. It has a 23-51.5 knot with a 58 mm handle. The knot is smaller than I like and has some scritch, so it's not likely to hit the rotation very often. It sits on my "Why did I buy this?" shelf.

great line up ! beautiful Emperor !

Super Sexy Brush!
My minimalist ways will not let me secure one for my den...... Darn!

So, Connie, I wonder, if these latest Two Band brushes are so soft, does your judgement still stand that they are "scritchy" compared to the "Manchurian" hair grade??

Intrigued said:

Beautiful addition to the family! The Emperor 3 is one of my favorite handles.

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German said:

So, Connie, I wonder, if these latest Two Band brushes are so soft, does your judgement still stand that they are "scritchy" compared to the "Manchurian" hair grade??

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It sounds like the current Two Banded is softer at the tips than my Emperor 3 or my Classic 1 Two Banded. The funny (kind of sad) thing is that my Emperor 3 is a replacement from Simpsons for a Emperor 3 Two Banded that I thought felt was near perfect except that it was a shedder. All is not lost because my husband likes the brush. It is also part of what drove my decision to get the 4 Manchurians brushes that all came from the same batch of hair. I "know" I like that hair.

I love the looks of the Two Bandeds. If there was someway to know that they had the softer tips that my original Emperor 3 had, I would be more temped to buy more of them. It's probably a good thing that it helps put the brakes on my SBAD.

That is the problem, that you never know... I am shying away from the Manchurian as I am concerned to pay a premium for a grade of hair that won't perform better for me. I have been quite a - vocal - skeptic on Simpson brushes but I will admit that the current batch of 2 band plays in the same league as my Thäter 2 bands which I consider the benchmark. Now I am still looking for the sweetest spot of loft and knot size. The Duke 3 in 2 band is pretty close though and I love that E 3.... Does the journey ever end?

Intrigued said:

It sounds like the current Two Banded is softer at the tips than my Emperor 3 or my Classic 1 Two Banded. The funny (kind of sad) thing is that my Emperor 3 is a replacement from Simpsons for a Emperor 3 Two Banded that I thought felt was near perfect except that it was a shedder. All is not lost because my husband likes the brush. It is also part of what drove my decision to get the 4 Manchurians brushes that all came from the same batch of hair. I "know" I like that hair.

I love the looks of the Two Bandeds. If there was someway to know that they had the softer tips that my original Emperor 3 had, I would be more temped to buy more of them. It's probably a good thing that it helps put the brakes on my SBAD.

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I love my Emperor3 Super Badger. I keep think I want another Simpson with the same size knot in best I just never make the plunge. So far I am pretty happy after selling almost all my brushes except a Chubby2 in best from RoyalShave as a X-mas present and the Emperor3 in 2 band which I think came from Lee's.

That E3 is really great, but you never know what knot size you get... I got lucky and it seems you did too...

life2short1971 said:

I love my Emperor3 Super Badger. I keep think I want another Simpson with the same size knot in best I just never make the plunge. So far I am pretty happy after selling almost all my brushes except a Chubby2 in best from RoyalShave as a X-mas present and the Emperor3 in 2 band which I think came from Lee's.

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German said:

That E3 is really great, but you never know what knot size you get... I got lucky and it seems you did too...

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Well my knot is 23-24/51mm I use calipers but its really only a guess since the knot is seated.The loft is accurate though. I love the handle and knot they are a perfect union.

German said:

That is the problem, that you never know... I am shying away from the Manchurian as I am concerned to pay a premium for a grade of hair that won't perform better for me. I have been quite a - vocal - skeptic on Simpson brushes but I will admit that the current batch of 2 band plays in the same league as my Thäter 2 bands which I consider the benchmark. Now I am still looking for the sweetest spot of loft and knot size. The Duke 3 in 2 band is pretty close though and I love that E 3.... Does the journey ever end?

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With well over 20 brushes that my husband and I use my journey is slowing down a lot.... still.. I haven't tried any of the horse hair brushes.. or the synthetics..... and Simpsons has a certain queenly brush coming out soon..... and I have a couple of beautiful vintage brushes that I've been meaning to restore.....


Short answer. Not yet.

Face&Head said:

It sits on my "Why did I buy this?" shelf.

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Your "Why did I buy this?" shelf looks strikingly like most peoples wish lists.

German said:

That E3 is really great, but you never know what knot size you get... I got lucky and it seems you did too...

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+1
I got one, was in love with the handle, but the knot was tiny and low, which made it too dense for my liking.
It was meant to be though, because I traded it on a Rover and other stuff and in doing so discovered that the Rover is the brush I've been looking for.
Anyway, the Emperor is awesome if you get a good knot, like the one in the OP.

No!!!

cannata said:

can one ever have too many brushes?

Steve

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