Brush Review: Simpson Shootout – Duke 2 vs. Colonel X2L
Two middle of the range brushes from Simpson, both filled with best badger hair. These brushes were purchased directly from Simpson in March. The Colonel was a birthday gift for my father. The Duke was for me, a reward for thinking of such a good present.
The Duke 2 has a 21mm knot with a 45mm loft. The knot is densely packed and was initially moderately prickly on the face. The prickliness has diminuished over time, as the knot continues to bloom and relax in density, with improved flow-through and release of lather. Initially, though the density benefited the initial creation of lather, it was a lather-hog and didn't release lather during later passes. More aggressive use of the brush has 'relaxed' or broken-in the knot, leading to an overall soft but firmly resistant scrub on the face.
The Colonel X2L has a 22mm knot with a 47mm loft. The knot is moderately packed with distinctly lighter and softer hair than the Duke. The whiter tips appear to be slightly finer and possess less backbone and resistance against the face. The Colonel feels distinctly more luxurious, but the lesser density and soft tips results in a somewhat floppy knot. Despite the lack of firmness and backbone, the brush does lather exceptionally well. The density excels for face lathering, retaining a good amount of water and releasing lather freely.
Despite arriving at the same time, there are some distinct differences in the hair of each knot that make me fairly convinced that the hair comes from different batches. The Duke is darker in colour and has thicker and slightly prickly tips. The Colonel is softer and lighter around the tips, which are also predominantly finer and less resistant to pressure. This natural variation in batches benefited the eventual owners of each brush in this case. My dad likes a soft, floppy brush and I prefer the soft scrub and backbone of mine. Some people have complained about scratchy Simpson brushes on other forums. I'd suggest those people just need to scrub away a bit more with their brush until it softens up. Many suggest that there is no break-in period for badger, but after using the Duke, I'd disagree. It took about three weeks of heavy use to really soften up. That said, the Colonel hasn't really changed at all since it came out of the box, so I guess it's up to luck as to what you get.
I was going to do a comparison of soaps and creams, but the short answer is that both of these brushes have done well with anything I've thrown at them. Even with it's softer knot, the Colonel has made easy work of Mike's Natural Soap and Honeybee Soap, both of which are hard pucks. It takes a little longer to load compared to the Duke, but the result is equally as good. The density of the Duke has been a benefit as I learn to face-lather with soaps and shave sticks, but once again, the Colonel is more than equal to the task. These days, the quality of lather is more impacted by me than the kit I'm using. Hard soaps, croaps, sticks and creams, both of these brushes have produced lather of a high quality.
As far as value goes, the quality of these two brushes far exceeds my other offerings. People who suggest that Simpson Best Badger hair is equal to the silvertip badger of other brands may be right. In these two instances, the knots are soft, luxurious and dense. When I think about what I paid for my Duke, I don't think I got as much value as my dad does from his Colonel. I would strongly recommend the Colonel as a good example of Simpson for any potential buyer. That said, I got exactly what I was looking for in the Duke 2 and it would be hard to justify another Simpson Best. When I have a little spare coin, I'll see about getting a Colonel in pure badger. That could be a scritchy winner.
Duke 2:
The good: Strong backbone, soft scrub, high density
The bad: Prickly at first, lather-hog
The Colonel:
The good: Soft, luxurious, great lather release
The bad: Floppy, no backbone = no scrub
Two middle of the range brushes from Simpson, both filled with best badger hair. These brushes were purchased directly from Simpson in March. The Colonel was a birthday gift for my father. The Duke was for me, a reward for thinking of such a good present.
The Duke 2 has a 21mm knot with a 45mm loft. The knot is densely packed and was initially moderately prickly on the face. The prickliness has diminuished over time, as the knot continues to bloom and relax in density, with improved flow-through and release of lather. Initially, though the density benefited the initial creation of lather, it was a lather-hog and didn't release lather during later passes. More aggressive use of the brush has 'relaxed' or broken-in the knot, leading to an overall soft but firmly resistant scrub on the face.
The Colonel X2L has a 22mm knot with a 47mm loft. The knot is moderately packed with distinctly lighter and softer hair than the Duke. The whiter tips appear to be slightly finer and possess less backbone and resistance against the face. The Colonel feels distinctly more luxurious, but the lesser density and soft tips results in a somewhat floppy knot. Despite the lack of firmness and backbone, the brush does lather exceptionally well. The density excels for face lathering, retaining a good amount of water and releasing lather freely.
Despite arriving at the same time, there are some distinct differences in the hair of each knot that make me fairly convinced that the hair comes from different batches. The Duke is darker in colour and has thicker and slightly prickly tips. The Colonel is softer and lighter around the tips, which are also predominantly finer and less resistant to pressure. This natural variation in batches benefited the eventual owners of each brush in this case. My dad likes a soft, floppy brush and I prefer the soft scrub and backbone of mine. Some people have complained about scratchy Simpson brushes on other forums. I'd suggest those people just need to scrub away a bit more with their brush until it softens up. Many suggest that there is no break-in period for badger, but after using the Duke, I'd disagree. It took about three weeks of heavy use to really soften up. That said, the Colonel hasn't really changed at all since it came out of the box, so I guess it's up to luck as to what you get.
I was going to do a comparison of soaps and creams, but the short answer is that both of these brushes have done well with anything I've thrown at them. Even with it's softer knot, the Colonel has made easy work of Mike's Natural Soap and Honeybee Soap, both of which are hard pucks. It takes a little longer to load compared to the Duke, but the result is equally as good. The density of the Duke has been a benefit as I learn to face-lather with soaps and shave sticks, but once again, the Colonel is more than equal to the task. These days, the quality of lather is more impacted by me than the kit I'm using. Hard soaps, croaps, sticks and creams, both of these brushes have produced lather of a high quality.
As far as value goes, the quality of these two brushes far exceeds my other offerings. People who suggest that Simpson Best Badger hair is equal to the silvertip badger of other brands may be right. In these two instances, the knots are soft, luxurious and dense. When I think about what I paid for my Duke, I don't think I got as much value as my dad does from his Colonel. I would strongly recommend the Colonel as a good example of Simpson for any potential buyer. That said, I got exactly what I was looking for in the Duke 2 and it would be hard to justify another Simpson Best. When I have a little spare coin, I'll see about getting a Colonel in pure badger. That could be a scritchy winner.
Duke 2:
The good: Strong backbone, soft scrub, high density
The bad: Prickly at first, lather-hog
The Colonel:
The good: Soft, luxurious, great lather release
The bad: Floppy, no backbone = no scrub
