Simpson Berkeley in Best

So you want to dip your toe into the Simpson brush pool, and aren't prepared to commit a lot of money yet? What's a shaver to do? Look no farther than the smaller brushes that Simpson offers that have the same quality as the higher end brushes, and also the trademark density of the Simpson brand. In my opinion, the best value in badger brushes offered by the major brands is the Simpson 46, the "Berkeley." The handle of the 46 is very reminiscent of the Duke line, in fact I'm tempted to call it the Duke 0, and is available in both Best and Pure grades of badger hair. The 46 clocks in with a dense 20 mm knot set at a 45 mm loft. As Simpson knots are handmade, there can be some brush to brush variation. The density is comparable to the Dukes, and comes in less than the Classic and Chubby lines. The small handle size makes this brush a face latherer's dream, and it frequently accompanies me on trips with a shave stick.

How does it perform? For demonstration purposes, I once again broke out the Coates Tea Tree cream and 2011 era Trumper's Violet soap.



The size of the handle is not really conducive for bowl lathering, and I exclusively use the 46 to face lather. Nevertheless, this small dollop of Coates:



Delivered this...



That's not too shabby. As one might expect, the 46 really shines with hard soaps, and after a one minute load from the Trumper's:



I was able to produce a ton of high quality lather:



So, for $50 or so, you can get a high quality Simpson brush that can do what brushes 2-5x its cost can do. The Simpson Best grade of badger reliably delivers knots that are dense, resilient and very scrubby on the face. Of 20 or so Simpson Bests, I've had only one that was scratchy. In short, I highly recommend the Berkeley as a high quality, modestly priced badger brush that works well for all manner of shavers, beginner and expert alike.