I was fortunate enough to be one of the lucky recipients in the attached giveaway http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...owl?highlight= which arrived recently.



The lather bowl is something special. It is a thing of beauty. Looks aren't everything though and I'm glad to say that this bowl performs. Previously I have been using a bowl cast by a family friend who used to do some pottery. The base is 7 cms in diameter and the tall sides slope outwards. I was happy enough with it but not any more.



The Nzen bowl is 12 cms in diameter and the sides are approximately 4 cms tall. This extra footprint means that my brush can splay out more when pushed down. The interior surface of the bowl is well finished with the slightest hint of raised patches in places. I find this helps in mixing the lather as do the low side walls. With this bowl I'm mixing better land more lather than I have done in the past, and the process seems a touch quicker.



I can happily recommend this if you're looking for a purpose made unique lather bowl.

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I fear no woman: except my wife, her sister and their mother!
An occasional user of straights; A Friend of Laphroaig, A Guardian of The Glenlivet and possessed of a keen appreciation for all Single Malt Whiskies.

It was a good day for parcels arriving in the mail.



Package number one contained a 200 year old, shave ready Sheffield straight razor, Package number two contained a lather bowl made by Nzen Pottery. To say I was keen for this evenings shave would be an understatement.



To start with the aesthetics, the bowl is about 12.5cm in diameter. It is fired clay, about five different colours of clay, by my count, which has been combined and swirled into a very attractive pattern. Have you ever seen those glass bottles they use to sell in seaside resorts, the ones with the different coloured sand poured in to make patterns? It looks kind of like that. Normally the colours on pottery are applied as a glaze, but with this the colours go right through the whole bowl, making it quite special and hypnotic to look at.



The size fitted quite nicely into my hand. The bowl has a stepped base, the lip of which fitted well onto my finger tips for a positive grip. The potters name, signature and date have also been scored into the bottom of the bowl while the clay was soft, which also gives a bit more texture for grip. The clay seemed to retain heat well, I soaked it for about three minutes with hot water, and it was still warm to the touch after three passes with a straight.



If I had one criticism, and it is not really a criticism of the bowl, but more how it fits into my routine, is I would have made it a little deeper. I like to soak my brush in the same bowl I make my lather in, and this one was a little shallow for that. But for someone who soaks their brush in the sink, or a different mug then this is not an issue at all. The depth of the bowl is perfectly adequate to make heaps of lather. And it did.



At the time of writing West Coast Shaving is selling these bowls for $40, which might seem a little steep for a lather bowl. After all, you can lather in a soup mug if you want to. But when you think about it, for $40 you are getting an item that has been individually created by hand, by someone who obviously has a lot of talent at what they do. And there definitely is a real sense of the hand of the artist in these things. If you went to a pottery gallery and bought one of these bowls you would be paying a lot more than $40, I can tell you.



If you are buying one of these bowls you would not be buying it just because you need something to make lather in. If that is all you want, go raid the kitchen for a cappuccino mug. But if you want something different, if you are like me and get a nice feeling from knowing that you are the only person who owns an item exactly like your one, then these are a great option for you. They are attractive, functional and each piece is a little unique. That's pretty cool.



Recommended.









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-David

Wake me up when Laphroaig releases an aftershave.
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Great Southern Land

I was also fortunate enough to be one of the lucky recipients of the PIF for one of these bowls, but I won't allow that to sway my review positively or negatively.



The bowl came packaged well, in lots of peanuts and was a beauty to unwrap.



I was also lucky enough to pick a colour I wanted, the RED. It is a thing of beauty to look at, hold and use. It fits in my hand perfectly, is light to hold while making lather and is probably the nicest looking shaving item I currently own. It looks amazing on my counter.



I found, coming from a DB 1.5 Scuttle, that it does not make lather as easily as it does not have any roughness or lather making ridges/swirls on the inside of the bowl and it did creep out of the top a bit, but only after it make a whack of lather. It easily makes and holds enough lather for 4 passess.







I also found I could not properly soak my brush in it while showering, as I can with my scuttle, so you may have to use a 2nd bowl/cup to soak your brush if you choose.







I rated it 7 on price, even though I got mine PIF'd as it's not the cheapest lather bowl out there, but you are paying for a handmade piece of pottery that is one of a kind and unique, unlike any other lather bowl I've seen, it truly is beautiful, but beauty comes with a price in this case....$40+shipping. I also rated durability 7 as it is pottery, so any major bump or drop is sure to send it to the garbage can, but if taken care of, should last years and years.



Everyone should own at least 1 scuttle or lather bowl for DE or Straight shaving, and if you want a one of a kind, unique (very unique) bowl, this one might be for you.

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