Review: Simpsons Duke 3 Best Badger

Yet again! a BIG! thank you to Teiste for sending me this shaving brushes to try, review.

Second, you can read Teiste's review on this shaving brush (and drool over far superior photos) HERE...


Brush spec's:

• Overall height 95mm
• Handle 46mm
• Loft 49mm
• Knot 24mm (Best badger)
  

Before writing this review I used the brush seven consecutive times -- two with "soft" shaving soap, two with "hard" shaving soap and three with shaving creams.

Please keep in mind I only face lather -- painting strokes are my preferred method of building up and applying lather.

While I really couldn't find any kind of fault with the Classic 1, I do have one (very) minor complaint with the Duke 3 -- the position of the double-raised ridge running around the handle makes my "natural" grip of the handle feel slightly uncomfortable. Honestly, it's a very! minor complaint as the double-raised ridge doesn't go to a *point* (unlike the Case). I have zero complaints with the rest of the handle, beautifully turned with good weight. Aesthetically the handle has classically good looks, with excellent height to width proportions -- I really like the width of the handle, for some reason it's wider than I was expecting, all-in-all just a very nicely proportioned handle.

I can now see and appreciate why so many say the Duke 3 is one of the very best all round shaving brushes on the market...

• Apart from my personal, very! minor gripe about the position of double-raised ridge, the handle's overall size is probably near enough perfect for face latherers and bowl/scuttle latherers.
• The knot may not be Classic or Chubby packed, so no solid wall of badger feeling here, nevertheless the Duke sports a well packed knot that's not lacking in the badger department.
• Simpsons Best Badger hair continues to blow me out of the water, individual hairs are fine, exhibit good flex and tips are soft to velvety soft. Truly excellent stuff.
• This Duke 3 is filled with exceptionally good Best Badger hair -- the closes I've seen to Super Badger -- three distinct colour bands, tips are creamy white and velvety soft (and I mean velvety soft) to the touch.
• Combine the loft height (49mm) with the knot size (24mm), hair density and quality of hair, you end up with a truly excellent all round badger knot.
• Knot has no problems whatsoever picking up shaving creams, "hard" or "soft" shaving soaps, then progressing on seamlessly to build up lather with utter ease.
• The knot doesn't exhibit Classic or Chubby backbone, no real surprise there, but it does have more than enough backbone to let you feel the knot dancing lightly across your skin.
• Flow through offered via individual-hair/combined-knot flex is where this knot screams "class", lather is released easily and placed exactly where you direct it -- no fighting with this knot, it does precisely what you command it to do.
• When painting strokes are employed, you're treated to a flexible badger knot with velvety soft tips, which effortlessly glides across the skin. Very! nice.
• Switching to circular motion, the knot opens up (very) nicely and you experience a gentle scrubbing/massage feeling (no scratch or scritch is detectable). Again, very! nice.
  

Q. Would I recommend, buy, this shaving brush?

A. Yes to both, without hesitation (even with my very minor, double-raised ridge, position gripe).

Q. Will I buy this shaving brush?

A. Yes, as this experience has only confirmed what a great all round shaving brush the Duke 3 is. Before trying it, it was on my shaving brush "Wish List" which I've whittled down to "must have" (in a first world problem kind of way). The Duke 3 firmly remains on that list, though I will have to decide if I still want to get a second one filled with Super 2-Band Badger. Decisions, decisions...

Edit: Fixed grammar and rearranged thoughts a little bit...