A while ago I wrote this in a Dutch forum about the only synthetic brush I own…
Review of the Simpson Trafalgar T3 which I have had in use for a more than a year now and which I have put the fire on the shins with various shaving soaps. After all these months, not once has the T3 let me down... Previously, I had drawn up eight criteria that - for me - a new shaving brush has to meet with. Let’s use them in this review.
1 . Absorb water smoothly
It took me some time getting used to this brush. I was used to badger hair and in te beginning it felt like the T3 wasn't picking up water, that the water was immediately draining off again. That's just an impression. If you get more used to the T3, you notice that the amount of water absorbed is certainly enough to load shaving soap. A badger brush may handle this more smoothly, but I don't think it's a disadvantage.
2 . Easy to load shaving soap
I used the T3 with MDC Fougères, with DR Harris Winsor, with the Pomigglio from TFS, with Proraso Green and Wood & Spice, in short with all the shaving soaps I own. Each time loading the soap was as good (and fast) as with my previous badger brushes...
3. Make good and abundant lather, both directly on the face and in a shaving bowl
No problem for the T3 either. Both lathering in a bowl and directly from the jar on the face went fine. I applied the Winsor directly to my face, because I use DR Harris' shaving stick. That also went smoothly... As I had got used to with my badger brushes, I always had enough foam for 3 passes with the T3.
4. Feeling soft to the touch
Oh yes, the T3 is seam soft! Softer than all my other brushes.
5. Certainly not losing hair, even at a later age
This is the tricky point of my other brushes: they all lose hair! Now, I don't mind if I occasionally have to fish one or two hairs from my jar of shaving soap, but five or six is really too much. And now the T3: it hasn't lost a single hair in more than one year! I hope it stays that way, even after the next months to come. The T3 is really exemplary in this respect.
6. Be easy to maintain
Definitely the case! What strikes me is that the brush is dry in a seesaw. After rinsing, beat out the water, briefly iron over a towel and dry. It isn’t even necessary to let the brush dry in a stand with its hair facing downward. Usually it already feels dry when I leave the bathroom.
7. Preferably look a bit attractive
The T3 comes in a beautiful red box. If you unpack it, it fanes open nicely. The plastic handle has the color of ivory. The hairs are nicely tinted white to gray. A classic beauty? Still a coin of criticism: the grip is bit too smooth, with only a ridge somewhere halfway through. With wet hands, the whole thing sometimes becomes very slippery, especially if you knock the water out of the brush... so pay attention.
8. Preferably be as cheap as possible
With its approximately 35 euros, this is certainly not an expensive brush. I paid at least 2 to 3 times more for my badgers and I don't think they (even in the beginning) are as easy in use as this T3. So the value for money is really okay.
Conclusion: this is by far the best brush I own. Every morning I look forward to putting it back to work. Highly recommended, this Simpson Trafalgar T3! Máxima cum laude!
Review of the Simpson Trafalgar T3 which I have had in use for a more than a year now and which I have put the fire on the shins with various shaving soaps. After all these months, not once has the T3 let me down... Previously, I had drawn up eight criteria that - for me - a new shaving brush has to meet with. Let’s use them in this review.
1 . Absorb water smoothly
It took me some time getting used to this brush. I was used to badger hair and in te beginning it felt like the T3 wasn't picking up water, that the water was immediately draining off again. That's just an impression. If you get more used to the T3, you notice that the amount of water absorbed is certainly enough to load shaving soap. A badger brush may handle this more smoothly, but I don't think it's a disadvantage.
2 . Easy to load shaving soap
I used the T3 with MDC Fougères, with DR Harris Winsor, with the Pomigglio from TFS, with Proraso Green and Wood & Spice, in short with all the shaving soaps I own. Each time loading the soap was as good (and fast) as with my previous badger brushes...
3. Make good and abundant lather, both directly on the face and in a shaving bowl
No problem for the T3 either. Both lathering in a bowl and directly from the jar on the face went fine. I applied the Winsor directly to my face, because I use DR Harris' shaving stick. That also went smoothly... As I had got used to with my badger brushes, I always had enough foam for 3 passes with the T3.
4. Feeling soft to the touch
Oh yes, the T3 is seam soft! Softer than all my other brushes.
5. Certainly not losing hair, even at a later age
This is the tricky point of my other brushes: they all lose hair! Now, I don't mind if I occasionally have to fish one or two hairs from my jar of shaving soap, but five or six is really too much. And now the T3: it hasn't lost a single hair in more than one year! I hope it stays that way, even after the next months to come. The T3 is really exemplary in this respect.
6. Be easy to maintain
Definitely the case! What strikes me is that the brush is dry in a seesaw. After rinsing, beat out the water, briefly iron over a towel and dry. It isn’t even necessary to let the brush dry in a stand with its hair facing downward. Usually it already feels dry when I leave the bathroom.
7. Preferably look a bit attractive
The T3 comes in a beautiful red box. If you unpack it, it fanes open nicely. The plastic handle has the color of ivory. The hairs are nicely tinted white to gray. A classic beauty? Still a coin of criticism: the grip is bit too smooth, with only a ridge somewhere halfway through. With wet hands, the whole thing sometimes becomes very slippery, especially if you knock the water out of the brush... so pay attention.
8. Preferably be as cheap as possible
With its approximately 35 euros, this is certainly not an expensive brush. I paid at least 2 to 3 times more for my badgers and I don't think they (even in the beginning) are as easy in use as this T3. So the value for money is really okay.
Conclusion: this is by far the best brush I own. Every morning I look forward to putting it back to work. Highly recommended, this Simpson Trafalgar T3! Máxima cum laude!
