Simpson's Chubby 2 Synthetic - affordable luxury!

Hi everyone - 

   

Its hard to think of Simpson's and think "affordable."  Of course they have "entry level" brushes, such as the Special or the Colonel, but with those one sacrifices certain characteristics for cost.  Its also hard to think of Simpson's and think "synthetic."  They are the Cadillac of badger brushes.  There are other brands that might be flashier, newer, and frankly better, but Simpson's has earned its reputation over the close to a century they've been in business.   

Recently I became intrigued in trying the Chubby 2 in synthetic.  It was an odd fixation because I both didn't care for the synthetic Classic 1 I tried a few years' ago and never really cared for the various Chubby 2's I've tried over the years (Best, Super, 2-Band).  But here I was.  Thanks to ddk13, I was able to get my hands on one this past weekend.  And I have to say, I am utterly surprised in how incredible this brush is.  

Most synthetics I've tried I just frankly haven't liked very much.  Besides the Classic 1, I've tried various Muhle brushes, the L'Occitaine Plisson, and others.  In fact my favorite was a cheap HJM black fibre brush that I honestly have no idea how I obtained; I think it might have been a throw-in in some other purchase I made.  I prefer mashing the brush and swirling (spare me the lecture!).  Everything I read about the Chubby 2 synthetic was that you could only make lather with painting strokes and so that's how I approached.  But then I realized that I could "push" into it a little bit and swirl and that opened up a whole new ballgame!  

Here it is "pre-loaded.  I used Barrister & Mann's Latha Oceana soap today, and actually overloaded it:

   

After the first pass:

   

After the second pass:

   

I probably could have gone for 7 passes; that's how much lather it created.  It is incredibly soft to use, but doesn't splay out like other synthetics.  It reminds me of using a nicely dense badger but without any scritchiness nor was it too dense to mash and swirl.  For me it represents all of the benefits of a high-end brush without any downsides.  I've owned massive brushes before such as the Chubby 3 and the Rooney 3XL.  I've also owned high-end brushes before, such as a couple of Rooney Finests and old Simpson's 2-Band brushes.  The Chubby 2 synthetic is soft on the face but with presence, which is what all of my old big and high-end brushes have had.  

However, the Chubby 2 is much cheaper than those, even if you could find them these days.  Now it isn't cheap the way other synthetics are these days, such as offerings from RazoRock, Fine Accouterments, and others.  But in terms of what you are getting, such as the iconic Chubby 2 handle and the face-feel of a big, luxurious badger brush, it is quite a bargain, in my opinion.  Simpson's sells it for 70 GBP ($87 as of today).  It should be compared with brushes that are 2-3 times the cost.

Thanks,
Josh

I just ordered a Chubby 2 Synthetic Bristle in Tortoise.  I look forward to seeing how it compares to my Chubby 2 in Best (one of my favorite brushes).

Thanks for the review Josh.  I have over 300 shaves with a CH 2 synthetic, and consider it my favorite synthetic brush.  I've tried most of the other synthetics on the market and, for me, the CH 2 is superior.  I face lather exclusively and use painting strokes, so I don't have any issues with the brush not working well with circular strokes. The short loft and density of the knot gives it good backbone, and a great soft but firm feel on the face.  The handle is the same as the badger CH 2's, which is nice.

(04-11-2017, 12:37 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Thanks for the review Josh.  I have over 300 shaves with a CH 2 synthetic, and consider it my favorite synthetic brush.  I've tried most of the other synthetics on the market and, for me, the CH 2 is superior.  I face lather exclusively and use painting strokes, so I don't have any issues with the brush not working well with circular strokes. The short loft and density of the knot gives it good backbone, and a great soft but firm feel on the face.  The handle is the same as the badger CH 2's, which is nice.

Pretty trio! Tempting, but given I did not like any Synthetic I tried to date, I will refrain from getting one of these...

(04-11-2017, 12:37 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Thanks for the review Josh.  I have over 300 shaves with a CH 2 synthetic, and consider it my favorite synthetic brush.  I've tried most of the other synthetics on the market and, for me, the CH 2 is superior.  I face lather exclusively and use painting strokes, so I don't have any issues with the brush not working well with circular strokes. The short loft and density of the knot gives it good backbone, and a great soft but firm feel on the face.  The handle is the same as the badger CH 2's, which is nice.

Ricardo - it was actually your ongoing comments about it on B&B that piqued my curiosity. It seemed that when the first public batch of Chubby 2 synthetics were released they were met with indifference and never gained traction. Then I read your comments about the taller loft later versions and thought I should give it a go. I'm glad to see that you are still enthusiastic about them.

Mine was "special ordered" with 54mm loft and had no problems with splaying, springiness, or hogging lather. That's about as tall as they make them and it shows off the brush to best advantage.

I love the Chubby 2 synthetic! Aside from creating copious amounts of lather, every time I use it I pause for a just moment to marvel at the softness of the tips.... yeah it's that good.

Bought one a while ago...sold it...would not splay...may try a Duke.

Is it just me or did the hair fiber (at least, visually) also change?
Previous versions look more blonde, the new ones look more grey like Mühle.

(04-14-2017, 06:44 AM)Nero Wrote: Is it just me or did the hair fiber (at least, visually) also change?
Previous versions look more blonde, the new ones look more grey like Mühle.

Yeah, I was thinking almost the same thing. However on my screen they look more "Best"-like. More "brownish" perhaps? Either way, definitely more natural looking. Looks especially nice in the tortoise handle.

Is possible to ask Mark to do it with custom loft?


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(04-14-2017, 05:37 PM)chazt Wrote:

(04-14-2017, 06:44 AM)Nero Wrote: Is it just me or did the hair fiber (at least, visually) also change?
Previous versions look more blonde, the new ones look more grey like Mühle.

Yeah, I was thinking almost the same thing. However on my screen they look more "Best"-like. More "brownish" perhaps? Either way, definitely more natural looking. Looks especially nice in the tortoise handle.

Yeah sorry I guess grey was the wrong color.
Definitely a "best brown" look (as opposed to "silvertip white").

Ok. gonna use mine tomorrow.

(04-11-2017, 12:37 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Thanks for the review Josh.  I have over 300 shaves with a CH 2 synthetic, and consider it my favorite synthetic brush.  I've tried most of the other synthetics on the market and, for me, the CH 2 is superior.  I face lather exclusively and use painting strokes, so I don't have any issues with the brush not working well with circular strokes. The short loft and density of the knot gives it good backbone, and a great soft but firm feel on the face.  The handle is the same as the badger CH 2's, which is nice.

Hello.
Im fairly new to traditional shaving, and have set my mind on buying the Chubby 2 synthetic. As I can see from the pictures, You have the synthetic Badger as well as the Bristle. As I understand it, the Bristle version is the latest version(?). Is there any difference, in Your oppinion, between the two different versions? My reason for asking is mainly the difference in price, as I have found the Badger priced £20 under the Bristle. Thank You very much in advance.

Hi - welcome! That wasn’t my photo; it looks like it was TheLegalRazor’s so he or another member would be more qualified to answer. I didn’t even know they had different versions with their own names. If the “badger” is cheaper go for it!

The Chubby 2 synthetic is my BEST brush these days.I like to use others , but the chubby 2 is SUPERB.Well done for Simpsons.

(10-06-2018, 10:39 PM)Murphys_Dad Wrote:

(04-11-2017, 12:37 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Thanks for the review Josh.  I have over 300 shaves with a CH 2 synthetic, and consider it my favorite synthetic brush.  I've tried most of the other synthetics on the market and, for me, the CH 2 is superior.  I face lather exclusively and use painting strokes, so I don't have any issues with the brush not working well with circular strokes. The short loft and density of the knot gives it good backbone, and a great soft but firm feel on the face.  The handle is the same as the badger CH 2's, which is nice.

Hello.
Im fairly new to traditional shaving, and have set my mind on buying the Chubby 2 synthetic. As I can see from the pictures, You have the synthetic Badger as well as the Bristle. As I understand it, the Bristle version is the latest version(?). Is there any difference, in Your oppinion, between the two different versions? My reason for asking is mainly the difference in price, as I have found the Badger priced £20 under the Bristle. Thank You very much in advance.

When the Chubby 2 synthetic was first released, it was marked Synthetic Badger.  At some point that was changed to Synthetic Bristle.  I don't know if that was just a change of name or a change in fiber type.  I don't detect a difference in performance between the two, and I was not aware of a price difference.  I do detect a small difference in the appearance of the Synthetic Bristle, but that could just be a different run.   If you can find the one labeled Sytnthetic Badger for less, I would go with that.

My Chubby 2’s remain, in my view, the best brushes in what is now an all synthetic collection.



I’ve noticed a slight difference in the fibres (other than the knot shape), between my synthetic badger labelled brush and the later synthetic bristle brush with the latter being a bit scritchier.

I would definitely consider getting a third brush if Mark ever releases them in Butterscotch again.


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(10-06-2018, 10:39 PM)Murphys_Dad Wrote: Hello.
Im fairly new to traditional shaving, and have set my mind on buying the Chubby 2 synthetic. As I can see from the pictures, You have the synthetic Badger as well as the Bristle. As I understand it, the Bristle version is the latest version(?). Is there any difference, in Your oppinion, between the two different versions? My reason for asking is mainly the difference in price, as I have found the Badger priced £20 under the Bristle. Thank You very much in advance.

The main difference I have noticed between the two brushes is that the original ones marked synthetic badger have denser knots, with some having a very loft loft, compared to the newer synthetic bristle marked ones. It isn't extremely noticeable with all of them regarding the density of the knot, but I do find a discernible difference.

Fibres (filament) remain unchanged from the original Simpson Chubby synthetic offerings but we’ve tweaked the loft a tad (after listening to customer feedback) which in turn will affect the feel in terms of how it’s density is perceived.

Same grammage, same amount of material, same ultra soft fibres delivering that unique Simpson Chubby experience.

Thanks you all for the kind words, we are all still relatively new to the synthetic revolution & don’t confess to getting it 100% right just yet BUT we will get there & who knows, maybe one day, Simpson will offer its entire line up in man made fibres.

It’s still very much Badger for me though (for now).

Mark