In May, Simpson posted on Facebook a new brush it was introducing called the Captain. The Captain was going to be available in Simpson Best Badger and the traditional Simpson cream handle color. Those brushes are now available for purchase on the Simpson website. In June, pictures of the Captain handle in Italian Marble, Candy Stripe and Ebony, all with Manchurian Badger, appeared on Facebook. The Ebony caught my attention, and I placed my order for one.
Before getting into the handle and knot, here are three pictures of the brand new brush, right out of the box.
The Handle
My first impression of the brush, based on the pictures, was that the handle has a strong resemblance to the Emperor 3. However, once I held and measured the brush, it became apparent that the Captain has more height, girth and heft than the Emperor 3. The handle is 69mm long. When you add the 52mm loft, the overall height of the brush is 121mm. This is a tall brush. However, the brush is not just a taller, fatter and heavier version of the Emperor 3. If you look at the Captain and Emperor 3, you will see differences in their respective lines.
Here is the new Captain in my hand:
In order to give you a perspective on the size, here is the Captain in between a Paladin Chief and a Simpson M7:
I have medium to large hands and this handle is quite comfortable for me. Looked at from some angles, the handle may appear to be top heavy. However, the weight of the handle is evenly distributed and well balanced. The handle is free of any quality or cosmetic defects, and reflects the quality craftmanship we all assume we'll get from Simpson. Subjectively, I find the design of this handle to be elegant, particularly in the Ebony and traditional Simpson cream colors.
The Knot
The diameter of my Captain's knot is 25+mm, and the loft is right at 52mm. The knot is symmetrical without any apparent quality or cosmetic defects. The diameter of my three M7's are 24+mm, and their loft around 49mm. Compared to the M7, the Captain has a knot with about 1mm more diameter and 3mm more loft. The diameter/loft ratio is thus slightly higher in the Captain than my M7's.
Use of the Captain
I used the Captain for three shaves. It has not shed a single hair. I face lather soaps exclusively. Although the height of the Captain certainly makes it particularly suitable for bowl lathering, it performs equally well for face lathering also.
The knot shows the usual softness, backbone and scrub Simpson Manchurian is known for. I was concerned that the fan knot with this loft would result in a brush that lacked the backbone and scrub I like, but this is not the case. Interestingly, I found this to be the softest Manchurian knot I've tried. I attribute this to the slightly higher loft, which results in some additional splay. The additional splay has the added benefit of creating more flow of air and water, making the brush better at creating abundant lather than my other Manchurians with shorter lofts. Someone who wants some of the backbone and scrub of Manchurian hair, but without quite as much backbone and scrub as other Simpson Manchurians, may find this brush to be ideal.
The new Captain from Simpson is a superb brush and definitely worth considering.
I'll close with a picture of the brush after it bloomed.
Before getting into the handle and knot, here are three pictures of the brand new brush, right out of the box.
The Handle
My first impression of the brush, based on the pictures, was that the handle has a strong resemblance to the Emperor 3. However, once I held and measured the brush, it became apparent that the Captain has more height, girth and heft than the Emperor 3. The handle is 69mm long. When you add the 52mm loft, the overall height of the brush is 121mm. This is a tall brush. However, the brush is not just a taller, fatter and heavier version of the Emperor 3. If you look at the Captain and Emperor 3, you will see differences in their respective lines.
Here is the new Captain in my hand:
In order to give you a perspective on the size, here is the Captain in between a Paladin Chief and a Simpson M7:
I have medium to large hands and this handle is quite comfortable for me. Looked at from some angles, the handle may appear to be top heavy. However, the weight of the handle is evenly distributed and well balanced. The handle is free of any quality or cosmetic defects, and reflects the quality craftmanship we all assume we'll get from Simpson. Subjectively, I find the design of this handle to be elegant, particularly in the Ebony and traditional Simpson cream colors.
The Knot
The diameter of my Captain's knot is 25+mm, and the loft is right at 52mm. The knot is symmetrical without any apparent quality or cosmetic defects. The diameter of my three M7's are 24+mm, and their loft around 49mm. Compared to the M7, the Captain has a knot with about 1mm more diameter and 3mm more loft. The diameter/loft ratio is thus slightly higher in the Captain than my M7's.
Use of the Captain
I used the Captain for three shaves. It has not shed a single hair. I face lather soaps exclusively. Although the height of the Captain certainly makes it particularly suitable for bowl lathering, it performs equally well for face lathering also.
The knot shows the usual softness, backbone and scrub Simpson Manchurian is known for. I was concerned that the fan knot with this loft would result in a brush that lacked the backbone and scrub I like, but this is not the case. Interestingly, I found this to be the softest Manchurian knot I've tried. I attribute this to the slightly higher loft, which results in some additional splay. The additional splay has the added benefit of creating more flow of air and water, making the brush better at creating abundant lather than my other Manchurians with shorter lofts. Someone who wants some of the backbone and scrub of Manchurian hair, but without quite as much backbone and scrub as other Simpson Manchurians, may find this brush to be ideal.
The new Captain from Simpson is a superb brush and definitely worth considering.
I'll close with a picture of the brush after it bloomed.
