Simpsons Douglas Brush

DEF · Post by **DEF** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 4:25 pm

Nice shots, Lynn! Thanks for the thoughts on the brush.

Andrew -- I agree; the knot is more of a "bulb" shape. We had asked for a flat knot and sent them a beautiful photo of a vintage Simpsons flat-top (I think from the Dr. P collection), which apparently they would or could not execute. Still, given that Simpson's "bulb" shape has lately evolved into an even more radical "egg" shape, I guess "bulb" is now as close to "fan" as we can get. Whatever the case, this one works well for me. YMMV and all that, but for me it's not a deal breaker.

rustyblade · Post by **rustyblade** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 4:29 pm

That loft looks a lot like my Tulip 2 Two Band...

DEF · Post by **DEF** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 5:08 pm

Richard -- When researching this project, I came across Mike Sandoval's article on "Return of the Simpsons 2-Band Supers." Mike, too, noted his preference for a more fan-shaped knot but wound up ambivalent: "With these brushes however, the bulb shape does not necessarily hurt their performance, however I think that with the right shaping they could benefit greatly."

I remember having the thought that, despite our request, Simpson might return a similar knot on the Douglas. I'm in Mike's camp; from a performance standpoint, I'm not having a problem with the bulb, though a true 2-band flat-top remains unrealized.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 5:19 pm

Very nice Doug, the idea, brush, pictures, description, all first rate.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 5:52 pm

It may be that to keep a third band from showing on the 2-band hair they have to keep the outer hairs deep set in the handle.

Sodapopjones · Post by **Sodapopjones** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:16 pm

notthesharpest wrote:It may be that to keep a third band from showing on the 2-band hair they have to keep the outer hairs deep set in the handle.

Could be, or it just could be when they saw "fan" they thought, oh not the pointy knots but the ones like these....

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 9:12 pm

Doug, It does surprise me a bit that even given clear direction and a photo to go on they still did not manage a bit flatter crown. Granted that even the old firm in Glouchestershire often produced brushes with a somewhat rounded crown, but some were pretty flat also and it's hard to believe that the Vulfix artisans were simply unable to duplicate that. Perhaps it did have something to do with maintaining the thorough 'two band' appearance. BTW, I notice that you now have what I would consider pretty much the three definative hard shave soaps under your signiture.
Regards,
Gordon

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 9:46 pm

Sodapopjones wrote:
notthesharpest wrote:It may be that to keep a third band from showing on the 2-band hair they have to keep the outer hairs deep set in the handle.
Could be, or it just could be when they saw "fan" they thought, oh not the pointy knots but the ones like these....

Well, that IS a fan shape. Not much like what was in Doug's other picture though.

Sodapopjones · Post by **Sodapopjones** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 9:59 pm

Eh, its modest compared to some of my other "Fan" knots, to me anyway, where as the Douglas, well honestly doesn't come off resembling a fan at all.

paddy · Post by **paddy** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:08 am

It may be that to keep a third band from showing on the 2-band hair they have to keep the outer hairs deep set in the handle.

to get the fan i suppose an alternative is that you can make the hairs all set the same depth in the handle, just ensure the outer ones are longer in length.

i bought a rooney heritage emillion a few years ago and it definitely is a true fan. i therefore can't understand how simpson can say it's something they can no longer/or will not do.

woodsrider · Post by **woodsrider** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:43 am

I'm not concerned by the fan vs. bulb issue personally. Some of my favorite brushes have bulb-shaped lofts (e.g., the Plisson 16). I've owned fan shaped brushes that I did not care for at all (Rooney Heritage Stubby -- packed so dense it had almost no "flow through"). What matters most to me are resiliency of the loft, softness of the tips and optimal flow-through.

Irrespective of its shape (which I really like, incidentally), I believe that the 57 Douglas will turn out to be one of my favorite brushes (I've only used it once, but was very pleased right out of the box.).

vtmax · Post by **vtmax** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 12:03 pm

I am a fan of the fan shape. Those Somerset Simpsons are my go to but to Lynn's point the Plisson #16 works wonderfully & one just needs to adjust the lathering process a tad bit to get the optimal lather. FWIW I have been reaching for the #16 more & more these days.....& no cracks in the handle yet!

Max

vtmax · Post by **vtmax** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 12:06 pm

Uh, yes....and that Doug's (Douglas) is looking mighty appealing indeed.

Max

DEF · Post by **DEF** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 12:47 pm

Gordon -- Yes, I was hoping they would go ahead and deliver 100% to spec. Phil was handling the dialogue with Simpson, so he knows better than I how the conversations evolved. But I do remember at one point getting the impression that Simpsons might have tried to hedge their bets just a bit on "flat" versus "flatTER." Ultimately, Mike Sandoval's endorsement of the bulb-shaped 2-band super, even though it was somewhat qualified, gave me confidence that even the worst-case scenario would produce a good brush.

All that said, I have to be honest that when it comes down to building lather -- which is most of the point of a brush, after all -- even the original 57 in Best grade does a superb job. I end up conceding as much in the conclusion of my original review of the 57. In fact, the wording that always comes to my mind is that the 57 Best is "a sturdy, scrubby knot that blasts up the lather." I have to splay holy heck out of that brush to make it work, but the 57 soldiers on with nary a complaint. So I think most of my issue with the 57 knot is ultimately aesthetic versus a practical functional matter. To my view, the 57/Douglas 2-band knot is a definitive enough improvement to have made the project unquestionably worth the while -- and I'm very happy to see Lynn's positive response, which I share.

Thanks for noting my three soaps in my sig line. After many adventures and misadventures, those three did emerge as the best of the best. My original tallow English Fern is about 50% gone now, and with none in reserve, I'm savoring the last of a classic. I'll try the new one when the time comes, but I know not to expect the same performance. (By the way, I don't use those three exclusively, but they are definitely the core of my rotation.)

Regards,

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 2:31 pm

Doug, Oh the project was far and away "worth doing". Even without handling it in person it is plainly a really superior type brush. And personally, I'm not a fanatic about the crown shape either although I prefer brushes leaning more toward the 'fan' end of the spectrum. The Plisson #14 EW IS a bit too extreme a taper and it slightly annoys me, but my #12 HMW is just fine. I'd just be curious to know exactly why Vulfix/Simpson felt the need to "hedge their bets". Not that it really matters, I'd just be interested to know. I suppose I could send Phil a PM and try to pump him for more info. ( chuckle ). Again, kudos to all involved.
Regards,
Gordon

river1 · Post by **river1** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:23 pm

I have used my 57 Douglas for the past three mornings and it produced enough lather for three passes and a lot of lather left over. It is one of the finest brushes that I have ever used. Phil and Doug did a great job with this one and it is truly a sensational brush. Douglas

Timmy! · Post by **Timmy!** » Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:22 pm

Gorgeous brush! I love a beautifully bloomed brush!

goose · Post by **goose** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 9:02 am

Wow,

I've been away for several months and it is probably a good thing. That is a great looking brush.

Clint

rsp1202 · Post by **rsp1202** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 9:42 am

Clint! Welcome back.

DEF · Post by **DEF** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:20 pm

I've been meaning to post an update. I'm liking it very much. For me, the flex, loft, and softness of the knot are nearly ideal. I'm mostly a soaps guy with a technique that leans to face lathering, but I like crossover capability for creams, too. I think this brush hits that mark and has great looks and ergonomics to boot.

If the brush gods gave us another go at it, I'd try it with 15% more bristles in the pack just to see what that would do to the mix, but I'm not sure that would make it any better.

The bulb/fan thing to me has not turned out to be an issue in terms of performance.

I wish I had this brush when I was starting out five years ago.