Duke Best Badger Shaving Brush- Simpson Shaving Brushes (Duke 2 Best)

This brush is my first "nice" shaving brush, and it's an absolute joy to use everyday. I lather directly off the puck, as opposed to face or bowl lathering, and this brush seems to be designed exactly for that purpose. It's luxuriously soft, but retains a huge amount of backbone without any scratchiness. The Duke works extremely well with soft soaps and reasonably well with hard soaps. I found that it performed extremely well right out of the box, but there was some unpleasant badger smell for the first 2-3 shaves. The brush seems very well constructed, and it has lost very few hairs so far. After owning this brush for a month, I really like it. It's a good size, even for a person with larger hands.As a bonus, I learned that Simpson brushes can be dried standing on their base. That's right, you don't need to hang them on a brush stand. Just dry them as indicated in the included instruction manual and stand them up.

This is my third silver tip badger or best badger shave brush. But my first Simpson brush. My other brushes were in the same price range but they are a lot softer, even right from the first day. I've been using it for two weeks thinking it would soften up, but it's not. It actually picks. I'm going to give it one more week and if no change I'm returning it. i'm going to build a custom brush from Shavemac of Germany.Update: This brush never did soften up, still felt picky after 28 uses. I'm going to return it. I got my custom made brush from Shavemac today and it is beautiful as well as soft and dense (Silvertip D01 2-Band), and less than $200.00. Simpson brush doesn't even compare to this brush.

Simpsons makes great brushes and the Duke 2 is no exception. I read about the <$40 sale price on an online forum and got this for that price. I'm very pleased; it is simply an excellent small/medium sized badger brush. Dense, soft, holds a lot of water, and has a nice feeling handle; it just is a very nice short lofted brush.If you're reading this review you may have some experience in wet shaving; this would also make an excellent first brush or gift. For those experienced, my brush knot preference runs to about 21-22mm. This brush hits that target at 21mm. It is short lofted at ~44mm, which makes it nice and scrubby. I'm also not a big brush fellow, I don't use anything above 24mm regularly. The loft on the brush is listed at 44mm. When combined with the soft best quality hair this brush shines for face lathering. A higher loft might be better for someone who bowl lathers. I also have small hands, and I'm not sure someone with large hands would find the handle as comfortable as I do.

After over 2 years of DE shaving and using several inexpensive brushes I splurged on a new Simpsons Duke 2. When it arrived I was unimpressed. The handle looked too small and knot didn't look that dense. However, after several uses it has shown it's true colors. The knot has bloomed out well, is really dense and the tips have softened up quite a bit. Working up lather with it is a breeze with it getting a good load from soaps in about 15 seconds. The size has also worked well and not felt too small. The only con to it is the price. You can buy a nice boar or synthetic for less that will work well. It just probably won't give you the same combination of softness, backbone and lathering speed.Update: After using this brush for several months I had to lower the rating to 4 stars. The reason, shedding. I normally lose 3-4 hairs each shave. This doesn't happen with every use, but it has lost more hairs than my other brushes. The performance is still great, but anyone considering a Simpsons brush should be aware that losing some hairs is common.Update. I've had this brush for 2.5 years and it continues to perform well. The shedding stopped within the first year. It still loses a hair occasionally, but this happens with many natural hair brushes. The tips have softened to a point where I don't feel any scritch. The only reason I wouldn't give it 5 stars is because there are so many lower cost options for brushes and it may be a little small for some. In conclusion this is a terrific brush for those looking for a bit more luxury in their shave.

I’m really disappointed with this shaving brush. I’ve using a brush four 40 + years. The first brush was from George Trumper and lasted 30 years. I would probably still have it had it not been for for the dog who chewed it up.This brush is 5 months old and just started shedding like a mangy dog. With each shave the brush will lose about 6-10 bristles. I care for the brush properly. Very pathetic.I have less expensive travel brushes that I’ve had for years that do not shed at all.As an FYI, my children bought me a brush for Christmas two years ago at The Art of Shaving that started shedding. I took it back to the shop and it was replaced without any questions.This fine brush is only guaranteed by the seller for 1 month. Alexander Simpson would be ashamed.Do not buy this brush!

I just received the duke2 best badger brush today(it came a few days before estimated delivery date). My disappointment is in the size. The brush appears to be bigger in the photos than the brush I received. I think this brush should be priced $45-50. This brush is real small(don't be misled by photos like I was).I haven't used the brush yet, so I can not comment on how it performs and if it sheds hairs.

This is a fantastic face lathering brush. It had no shedding and it lost its faint badger smell in 2 or 3 shaves. It's very soft right out of the box but still has plenty of backbone. Works up a fantastic lather with either soaps or creams but really shines with soaps. I own about 10 brushes and this one instantly moved into my top 3. If you're looking for a top notch brush, this is it!

The Simpson is a wonderful feeling brush if only it didn't shed. This brush has shed since day one. I was told this is normal at first and it would settle down after a short break in period but it has continued to shed for months and months. Simpson has been absolutely no help at all. I own several other nice badger brushes that don't shed at all. If it weren't for the shedding, this would be my favorite brush.