Simpsons Best Badger Shaving Brush (Chubby CH3 Best)

Short and stubby, easy to navigate around the face, softer than my Kent BLK-4 and incredibly dense. This is not the easiest brush to master IMHO, but once you do, you will love it.It won't whip up mounds of frothy lather right away, it takes a bit of time to find the sweet spot. Part of this has to do with the density of the knot. At first, I went from library paste to foam but once I began to get a feeling for the peculiarities of the density and loft, I really started to enjoy using it.It does seem to have a pronounced "wet dog" smell after the first 3 or 4 shaves but it disappeared fairly quickly. Because of the density it will want to stay damp for 24 hours or more even if shaken dry and blotted off in a dry towel. Just be sure and spread the bristles out in a fan after rinsing and toweling dry rather than leaving them compressed in a tight wad.My brush lost 2 bristles the first day and a bristle a day for two days after that. If you lose more than that something is wrong. This is a supremely maneuverable brush. The density combined with the short loft allows you to "paint" the lather very accurately. This is an excellent face lathering instrument. Despite that, I used it with some Proraso Blue cream to bowl lather with excellent results... Still not my first choice for bowl lathering but for the record, I am not the #1 fan of bowl lathering so perhaps others would be a better judge of its merits in that area.In summation, it ties for first place among my brushes. But... It is my favorite badger brush beating out my silver-tip Kent BLK-4 and silver-tip Semogue 730 HD. IMHO, I feel that upgrading to Simpsons "silver-tip" version of this brush is not worth the extra expense. $140-$150 more for a bit more softness and density seems to be a little excessive to me. Hope this review helps.Update: After 2 months the thing started shedding like a Golden Retriever in the spring. I'm a month past the return date so I'll contact Amazon Customer Service and see what they will do.

There's a lot of good shave brushes out there to choose from. However, if I had known what a complete brush my Simpson Chubby2 would turn out to be, I could have saved money by not purchasing those other brushes that are now collecting dust. Aside from my Shavemac #177 and my Kent BK8, both brushes reported to be floppy by some (but not to me), the Chubby2 is the bridge between too floppy or too much scratch. The best badger hair used in the Chubby2 stays comfortable and plush throughout the entire shave. That means zero scratch with a firm yet pliable backbone (excellent for face lathering). Great for soft soap, hard soap and cream. Both my Shavemac #177 and Kent BK8 whip up lather faster than the Chubby because they create more air when loading. The density of the Chubby2 works in reverse, it loads slowly yet holds an enormous amount of water, it took me awhile to get used to that. Simpson makes the Chubby2 in super badger for an additional price as you may have seen, save your money, Chubby2 in best badger is so comfortable and complete a tool that super badger, silver tip, Manchurian or Mongolian blue monkey won't make any difference as a so-called step up in quality (their not, it's called diminishing return). If you've been considering this brush but your still concerned about shedding, I can tell you that mine does shed a bit but I hardly notice, and it doesn't interfere with my shave. I love my Shavemac as well as my Kent, but if I could have only one brush - the Simpson Chubby2 in best badger would be it. Cheers

It works well, but it sheds all the time!I’ve had it for a while but this started in week 2! So it looks pretty on my counter by is very rarely used. Jus they a good boar one form one of the Italian lines.

What is there left to say about the Chubby 1 that has not already been said. I am grateful to own one of these big beautiful shaving brushes as they are the pinnacle of shaving brush luxury. The performance of this brush is amazing and I am proud and pleased to have the Chubby 1 and Chubby 2 in my lineup. Ok you want the details...They are thick with a massive amount of hairs packed into the knot.....they are soft and workable...they hold a massive amount of water...they are incredibly good at whipping up a lather....and it's no wonder they are LEGENDARY. I mean you don't need it... you can get by without it or with others...but holy sheet cake they are luxurious and high performance. There are plenty of times I prefer boar for that extra stiff satisfying SCRITCH. I have some boar bristle brushes to accommodate these times and so should you but, the Chubbies are just so sensuous and luxurious! I mean if you are an avid wet shaver, and you enjoy those peaceful pampering moments in the shave den with a rich great smelling shave cream and a razor sharp blade of choice...the Chubby delivers the thrills....