SMF

Hi

I apologize if this has been discussed recently; I don't recall seeing it, but I've been trying to keep my shaving purchases under control by not reading too much about new brushes.

Do the recent Simpsons brushes hold their bristles well? I have only one - a Polo 8 in best - but I had to send two back for replacement due to shedding. This was back around the time that Vulfix acquired Simpsons. The third one was a keeper, and I've been using it almost every day since. I've been thinking about asking for a Simpsons in super for Christmas (which Simpsons?... that's a different thread). Can anyone give me an idea about whether the recent brushes made by Simpsons shed, specifically the super badgers?

Thanks for your help.

Greenhouse.

I believe those issues are long gone, although you still hear some people mentioning them now and again, but it's usually the "friend of a friend" situation. I've acquired over a dozen Simpson's brushes just in these last three to four years, and I've had zero shedding issues. Of those, a T3 Super and an E3 Super, both of which work flawlessly.
I have however gotten a few glue bumps on the knots, mainly in the Best and Super Badger brushes, and almost none in the 2-Band/Manchurian knots (with the exception of the M6).

None of my Vulfix-made Simpsons have shed at all. It seems to have been a glue problem that occurred during the last year of Somerset production.

Chris

None of my 8 Simpson brushes from the current Vulfix period has shed. I bought a PJ 2 in 1997 and it shed terribly; however, the vendor replaced it no questions asked and the replacement did not shed.

Thanks guys. That's very good news. I'm sure I'll be adding another Simpsons to my Christmas list.

Greenhouse

Unfortunately, I am not so lucky. I own three Simpson two-band brushes: an Emperor 2 and 3, and a Colonel X2L. The Emperor 3 has clumps of hair glued together at the bottom falling out and the X2L sheds profusely leaving dozens of hairs in the sink with each shave and on my face when I apply the later. I will photograph the brushes (and sink) and hope Simpsons makes it right.

I have a Duke 3 and Colonel X2L from 2-3 years ago that both shed and shed. Damn shame because that Duke 3 is such a nice brush/size.

Dave / Richard,

I will say that my experience with Simpsons/Vulfix several years ago was very positive. They were quick to replace my shedding brush, and even sent me the replacement before I sent them back the shedder. When I contacted them, they seemed genuinely interested in analyzing the cause of the problem.

I hope they are still as committed to customer satisfaction.

- Greenhouse.

I should have returned them at the time, but I was too lazy. It's too late now. The Colonel is unusable it sheds so much, it sheds about 15 bristles per shave at this point. The Duke isn't as bad, maybe 5 bristles per shave.

My 2 yr old Duke 2 is fine - has shed all of 2 or 3 bristles in all the time I have had it.

Richard, if you ship the handle back to them they'll re knot it. I don't represent Simpsons, so telling them "Brian said", will just evoke a quizzical look and then laughter on their part. But if it was their fault it might even be at no charge.

But if it was their fault it might even be at no charge.

good idea Brian. thanks! I'm going to send a chubby 3 .....love the brush but i cant stand the shedding.

clive

I'd contact them first. There is a spot found through their website for correspondence. They're good about returning e-mails.

Isn't Mark a member here on SMF?

OK Guys -- As expected, Santa left a Simpsons Chubby 2 Super for me under the tree on Christmas. I took it on its maiden voyage this morning (with Truefitt and Hill Almond creme, a Merkur 34C, and a Feather blade). All well so far. Definitely a dense brush, but I had no trouble generating good lather and getting the lather worked into my beard. My first impression is positive - albeit too early to pass any real judgement. I face-lathered this morning, and I will probably bowl lather tomorrow.

The biggest thing I'll need to get used to is the handle size. It's not a surprise, as the Polo I'm used to is one of Simpson's longest-handled brushes and the Chubby one of the shortest. As long as I don't drop it as I'm flicking out the water....

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback. I'll update my assessment after I've used it for a while.

- Greenhouse.

Glad to hear that it seemed to go well. I doubt that you'll have any workmanship issues with that brush. Whether or not you wind up loving it ( after you get used to it and you break it in ) is, of course, a personal thing. Thanks for the follow-up.
Regards,
Gordon

Still here guys ...

Sadly my time is stretched quite a bit now as the company seems to be expanding on what feels like a daily basis since our acquisition back in 2008.

It's fair to say, the first couple of years were challenging in terms of building Simpson brushes in the traditional way but more so, standing behind products manufactured by the previous owners, that were in many cases sadly just not up to the job.

We are learning something new on a daily basis. A person that pretends to know everything generally is a person who knows nothing.

The '08, '09 shedding days are long gone - our defective return rate is around the 0.05% mark, which we are quite proud of bearing in mind the totally hand-made nature of the knots.

Keep the discussions alive gents, as always, a wonderful place to come, peruse and learn.

My best as always.

Mark

Good to hear from you Mark and that the business is expanding at what seems an exponential rate. I had a shedder from the 97/98/99 period and the vendor replaced it no questions asked and without a purchase receipt. Since then I've purchased 8 post-Vulfix Simpson brushes and not a hair out of place. The tradition continues; keep up the good work.

Thanks for keeping us posted Mark, best wishes for your continued success.

Mark,
Nice to hear from you. As I said above, I have had no shedding problems whatsoever with any of your brushes. All any of us need for shaving nirvana would be a source of the old style badger hair! Keep up the good work!

Chris