Chubby 2 & Duke 3 thoughts

So I finally used the Duke 3, both with soaps and cream. My first initial use is that I'm not nearly as impressed as the Chub2. I feel the chub was worth the ticket price, the Duke didn't seem to want to behave, to its credit I didn't give it much time to soak. I'll try it a few more time before I sell it. For now, I look forward to trying the Emperor 2.

Chubby 2:
Awsome, very dense, soft when you want it to be, VERY scrubby when it you want it to be. Depends on the pressure applied. The density prevents it from splaying out and becoming a mop. When dry, you can really get a feel for just how dense this baby is. The bloom is beautiful and nice to rub (I have a problem).

Duke 3: not as dense, splays out a little more than I like, lather was tough to build and it was a bit dry. This might be the low 1 minute soak time. I'll give it a fair shot tomorrow, but even when I did get it loaded when pressure was applied it splays out a bit to much.... I didn't hate it, but for $115 I wanted to love it more, I think I like the density of the chub2 spoiled me...


Anyone know if the emperor 2 is more or less dense?

Never tried the emp 2, but I do have a chubby 2 and duke 3.... in my hands the duke runs circles around the chub...The chubby is dense yes, but not to great on the flow thru....I also have a chubby 1, better on flow thru compared to big brother, but still prefer the Duke...

Oh yeah, day 2 was much better. A lot softer than the Chub2 all together a different brush even with the same hair grade. I love my new tag team. If I had to stay with one I would pick my chub2 but I'm glad I have them both and look forward to adding to my Simpson family. Why Simpson? They are the only makers I have come across with such densely packed knots set at a short loft (which I like)

What is "flow through? "

Flow through is a term to describe a brushes ability to release lather. It is directly related to the density of the knot. A tightly packed knot will have more hair, will be denser, have more backbone and will have a tendency to hold lather, rather than release it.

Here is Joel's Definition: Flow Through: Used as an abstraction to describe a shaving brush’s canopy/foundational release (i.e., the lather in the shaving brush “flowing through” the brush onto one’s face).

http://www.badgerandblade.com/shaving-brush-standardization/

gsdman2 said:

Never tried the emp 2, but I do have a chubby 2 and duke 3.... in my hands the duke runs circles around the chub...The chubby is dense yes, but not to great on the flow thru....I also have a chubby 1, better on flow thru compared to big brother, but still prefer the Duke...

Click to expand...

+1. Both are great IMO. I suggest that you need to break in and use the Duke for awhile to get a good idea of what the brush can do.

Well I'm happy with both. Very nice brushes. My chub2 when I need a good scrub or luxury shave, and my Duke 3 for the main work. The 30mm silver is getting no love

I can't bring myself to use the skull brush... It's to beautiful. I thought it would floppy from the loft size but the darn thing is stout! I can't bend it over, the chubby is the only other brush I can honestly say that about!

Mike H said:

Flow through is a term to describe a brushes ability to release lather. It is directly related to the density of the knot. A tightly packed knot will have more hair, will be denser, have more backbone and will have a tendency to hold lather, rather than release it.

Here is Joel's Definition: Flow Through: Used as an abstraction to describe a shaving brush’s canopy/foundational release (i.e., the lather in the shaving brush “flowing through” the brush onto one’s face).

http://www.badgerandblade.com/shaving-brush-standardization/

Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike.

I've used the Emperor 2 & 3 (2 in 2 band and 3 in super) and the Duke 3; the E2 and E3 is no where near as dense as the D3 is and would be considered floppy of your using a D3 or CH2. It's a nice brush if u do not want the density, if you apply just the bit more pressure it splays easily, but in my copy of the E3 I didn't get any scrub it was a tiny bit of scritch, while the 2 was a really tiny knot hut soft and gentle to the skin , mainly bc 2 bands are bulbs and not as dense as the standard knot of that particular hand series, but the feel of super can probably vary per batch. Comparing the D3 and CH2, the E2 would be almost a nice sized travel brush mainly bc of the handle size.
The handle though of the E2 is quite comfortable.

I'm digging the handle. I don't like the knot though...

I'm thinking of sending it back... I really like he handle, but if it has no back bone, I don't want it.... You really made me second guess this one.

I have both the Chubby 2 and Duke 3 in Best.

I face lather exclusively and they definitely have different feels.

The Duke 3 is currently my travel brush- I rarely use it at home, but it is an all around great brush. It can handle face lathering where it feels soft on the face, bowl lathering and palm lathering.

The Chubby 2 sneers at bowl lathering; the handle doesn't play well with bowls! However, once used directly to the face, you find out why this is one of the iconic brushes in the shave world. Density, softness, and scrub are all present at the same time. Depending on the hair quality, you may get either more softness or scrubbiness than you like-however, the density is always there. Some of the other great brushes have come about as an answer to the Chubby 2 IMHO. Every time I use it, I wonder why I'm not using it more, then I remember it's drying! I guess I should buy another in Super or Manchurian so I wouldn't have to wait......

Sadly, I do not own any version of the Emperors, so I'll leave opinions of that brush to others.

marty

I haven't used an Emperor either, but considering that it's in Super and is higher lofted relative to both the Duke and Chubby, it's definitely going to be a softer, more flexible knot. That can be a good thing! At the very least, it will be a change of pace from the other two.

Unless you are truly convinced that you only want scrubby brushes in your den, I would at least give it a spin.

Sounds like you'd be happier with a 2-band version.

My Chub2 takes about 6 hours to dry... Soak it, clean it, "lather" a towel really quick, and hang it up...

No1Up said:

My Chub2 takes about 6 hours to dry... Soak it, clean it, "lather" a towel really quick, and hang it up...

Click to expand...

That's incredible. Even my boar don't dry that fast. Must be the environment/weather.

I'll do a better time evaluation tomorrow. But it's not long at all. I'll take pictures and post them up