A Simpson and then what?

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59
Okay, so I have a Colonel XL2 in best. Fine little brush but I'm was wondering what would be a step up in performance? I think Id like soft and densily packed two bandish kind of brush?? I'm not looking for high end /vintage /synthetic brush that are several hundreds of euro because I still like to convince myself that wetshaving is so economical!!
 
The Duke series from Simpson is more densely packed than any of the other brushes and will give you that feel, as will the chubby.

If you were in the U.S., I'd just tell you to order Maggard's two-band brush. Since you are not, the most economical way is buy a knot from eBay. Ace Shaving on eBay sells fairly good quality knots.

Buy a brush handle that has an opening 2mm bigger than the knot size. Buy some two stage epoxy, mix it, coat the bottom of the hole, and part of the sides. Stick the knot in, give it a half twist and let dry for 24 hours.

The quality of Chinese made knots is not on the same level as hand tied knots from Simpsons, Thater, or Shavemac, but the performance and face feel will be the same. The difference will be in the shaping and the hair sorting before the knot is tied. Those companies will sort through the hair, picking out wispy, bent, and non-matching hair, whereas the Chinese don't do that great of a job, unless someone is willing to pay them to do so. That pre-sorting is time consuming, and is where the bulk of the cost of a brush comes from.

Making your own shave brush from a premade knot will save you £50-£100, and you should be able to make it for about £30. Or just buy one outright from ace shaving for a bit less.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/aceshaving

Here is a big brush:
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151248216704?_mwBanner=1

And a smaller 24mm "normal" size brush:
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151041469678?_mwBanner=1
 
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The quality of Chinese made knots is not on the same level as hand tied knots from Simpsons, Thater, or Shavemac, but the performance and face feel will be the same. The difference will be in the shaping and the hair sorting before the knot is tied. Those companies will sort through the hair, picking out wispy, bent, and non-matching hair, whereas the Chinese don't do that great of a job, unless someone is willing to pay them to do so. That pre-sorting is time consuming, and is where the bulk of the cost of a brush comes from.

I did not know that, thanks for posting. :)

I think that the Duke is hard to beat, I love my Duke 3.
 
I did not know that, thanks for posting. :)

I think that the Duke is hard to beat, I love my Duke 3.
Both the Simpsons Duke line and the Chubby line of brushes are 'overstuffed,' (though that might not be the correct term) and have denser knots than their other brushes. It's not something that they advertise, so might not be common knowledge on the forums.
 
The Duke series from Simpson is more densely packed than any of the other brushes and will give you that feel, as will the chubby.

If you were in the U.S., I'd just tell you to order Maggard's two-band brush. Since you are not, the most economical way is buy a knot from eBay. Ace Shaving on eBay sells fairly good quality knots.

Buy a brush handle that has an opening 2mm bigger than the knot size. Buy some two stage epoxy, mix it, coat the bottom of the hole, and part of the sides. Stick the knot in, give it a half twist and let dry for 24 hours.

The quality of Chinese made knots is not on the same level as hand tied knots from Simpsons, Thater, or Shavemac, but the performance and face feel will be the same. The difference will be in the shaping and the hair sorting before the knot is tied. Those companies will sort through the hair, picking out wispy, bent, and non-matching hair, whereas the Chinese don't do that great of a job, unless someone is willing to pay them to do so. That pre-sorting is time consuming, and is where the bulk of the cost of a brush comes from.

Making your own shave brush from a premade knot will save you £50-£100, and you should be able to make it for about £30. Or just buy one outright from ace shaving for a bit less.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/aceshaving

Here is a big brush:
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151248216704?_mwBanner=1

And a smaller 24mm "normal" size brush:
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151041469678?_mwBanner=1
+1 on this advice
 
Okay, so I have a Colonel XL2 in best. Fine little brush but I'm was wondering what would be a step up in performance? I think Id like soft and densily packed two bandish kind of brush?? I'm not looking for high end /vintage /synthetic brush that are several hundreds of euro because I still like to convince myself that wetshaving is so economical!!

I have the Colonel XL2 and I like it. I'd recommend the Stirling 26/54 in finest badger from The Shavestation for under £40. I love mine so much that I ordered another one. The 24/51 is also quite good.
I have 2 Shavemac brushes and at 3 times the price of the Stirling, the Stirling finest badger brushes are a bargain. I'm toying with the idea that I'm going to fit a Stirling 26/54 on my Shavemac.
 
I have the Colonel XL2 and I like it. I'd recommend the Stirling 26/54 in finest badger from The Shavestation for under £40. I love mine so much that I ordered another one. The 24/51 is also quite good.
I have 2 Shavemac brushes and at 3 times the price of the Stirling, the Stirling finest badger brushes are a bargain. I'm toying with the idea that I'm going to fit a Stirling 26/54 on my Shavemac.

+1 on the Stirling brushes. They are just excellent.
 
One of these. You will not find better for the price unless it's used
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LS-100-Si...hash=item33c0d69285:m:m_UFWhzVcpXBL4CNNKFR4Ow

Yeah outstanding value..I have the 30mm finest 2 band version and the knot is excellent for the price..
If not the LS..for about £50 delivered I would recommend the Semogue Owners Club badger. I have dug mine out for my last couple of shaves and I forgot how wonderful they are! They should cost double the price and the wooden handles are lovely.
 
Glad to see the posts above from Shaverrific666 and Finton Stack.I mostly use the Semogue boars, and decided to get their SOC badger to try.
Arrived at my door yesterday !
Be interesting to hear your thoughts on it.
I thought the one I had was too floppy, and passed it on.

But I seem to be in a minority.

Maybe I had duff one.
 
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