Possibly a stupid question

[Philosophy Student]

Hey guys,

I appreciated all the help you have given me regarding the other questions I have asked. This one is pretty simple I assume and I kinda feel silly asking it. In any case after looking around the different shaving pages and internet stores I have come across different shaving bowls and I am curious what exactly they are for. I know that they can hold soap or others can be used for whipping up lather. But how can one tell the difference between these two types (if there is infact two types)?

For instance the shaving bowl by Edwin Jagger, what is its purpose? Does everyone use one?

here is a link to the one I am referring to.

http://www.gentlemans-shop.com/acatalog/EJRN116_b.gif

Thanks everyone I look forward to the answers.

[Luc]

Don't worry, there are no silly questions.

I had that bowl and find it small. There are no difference between a soap bowl or a lather bowl. You can use a mug as a lather bowl if you want to.

[filedog]

Most of the bowls I have seen, that are made to hold soap have lids.

[BlackBard]

You can use any bowl you like for any purpose you like. There are no had and fast rules.

[oscarbowman]

Don't worry, there are no silly questions.


Only silly answers :lol::lol::lol:

A shaving bowl is just that. A shaver has seen a bowl they like and thought to themselves that would make a great shaving bowl!

Your right. Do you put soap in it or use it to whip up some cream. Both but that would be two bowls. Some like to lather the soap/cream either in a bowl or on their face. Hence the Lather Bowl. Some shavers who are price conscious will buy a soap refill rather than a new puc of soap in a bowl and will put it in their own suitable bowl/container. Viola the Soap Bowl.

Hey whatever works for you or whatever makes sense to you. Welcome to B&B.

[Chester]

I use a large cereal (soup) bowl to lather in. I do have a green rubber shaving mug (15 bucks, was it?) with a little ring in the bottom for holding a puck of soap, and I have lathered in it, but I've since grown accustomed to loading my brush in the mug and making lather in the bowl. I've got a DB 1.5 scuttle (about as big as my cereal bowl) that I love, too, and use it most of the time that I decide to use a cream lather. I've heard of some guys here that pick up large coffee mugs and use those. Really, the bowl doesn't matter as long as it does what you need it to do. I like the smoother finish of my cereal bowl, but some folks like a rough glaze or finish. One recommendation that I thought was very thoughtful was to pick a dark colored bowl, as it's easier to see how thick your lather is, and easier to see bubbles.

I suppose the one thing that really could make-or-break a bowl choice is size. What are you most comfortable with for building lather? I find that a shallower, wider bowl lets me move the brush around a lot and that helps me. Maybe you need to experiment with bowls of different shapes and sizes to find the one that works for you.

I suppose a case could be made for choosing bowls that match a shaving set, but ultimately it's a utilitarian item, so I've not felt like I needed to be hung up on aesthetics.

Hope it helps,
-- Chet

[Fairlight]

There are no stupid questions, only stupid people. ;)

There are two main camps around these parts when it comes to lathering. Face latherers, and bowl latherers.

You don't strictly speaking *need* a lather bowl, but if you choose to bowl lather, any bowl of about the right size will do. Scuttles are nice, but unnecessary. "Shaving bowls" with a logo on them are downright frivolous. Just find yourself any old bowl of about the right size that you like the look of, and there you have a lather bowl. Cappucino mugs are popular.

[wazazzle]

I find the majority of production shaving bowls and scuttles too small for my liking. There are some pottery makers that create larger scuttles. Personally i just use a cheap, but large soup/latte cup. I'm able to whip up my uberlather.

http://www.georgetownpottery.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SHAV0001&Category_Code=Shaving&Store_Code=GTP&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=GoogleBase&utm_campaign=GoogleBase

[dpmtherrien]

Well answered above. As you can see it really doesn't make a difference what you use. Just find something that you like and call that your shave bowl. You can use a ready made scuttle, a large or small regular bowl, a cup or a mug, even your hand. Whatever works for you to mix your lather. :thumbup1: :w00t:

[Carolina Kiltman]

A shaving bowl or mug is any container that holds the soap to make lather for shaving. Being a thrifty (I have been called cheap!) Scot, I use a mug which came with a puck of soap from Old Spice, circa 1950 (I think). If I ever break it, I'll just find some other mug to do the job. It is about the size of a coffee mug, but only about 2" (50 cm) deep inside. It has a couple of 18th century sailing ships decorating the sides, the Recovery and Grand Turk So use whatever suits you. There are no hard and fast rules. The lidded ones seem to be best for the soft shaving soaps, as it keeps them from drying out. I use hard pucks, so there is less of a problem there.

[michiganlover]

I find the majority of production shaving bowls and scuttles too small for my liking. There are some pottery makers that create larger scuttles. Personally i just use a cheap, but large soup/latte cup.

+1

The vast majority of so call "shaving bowls" are way too small to generate lather in, and crazy expensive. I really have no need for a $40 bowl who's only purpose is to hold a puck of soap. What a total waste of money!!

Buy a $2 large cereal bowl (or re-appropriate one from the kitchen), and use the money you would have spent on a fancy bowl for more important things: shaving cream, shaving soap, and more razors. :tongue_sm

[DESkydiver]

I like going to the local Goodwill and Salvation Army type stores. You can find all kinds of mugs and bowls for pennies :001_smile

I lucked out a couple months ago and found a set of 4 Old Spice shaving mugs for only $2.50. You need to visit frequently so you can find the good stuff.

[Sir Ronald]

There are no stupid questions, only stupid people. ;).

that's right Mr Hat

[miamimoe]

Other than a dedicated shaving scuttle to keep your soap/lather warm, I don't see the need to buy a bowl. Lots of large coffee cups/mugs, cereal bowls will do the trick and can be had cheap at outlet stores and thrift stores. I picked up a 12 oz. coffee cup with a finger grip for .89 cents at a dollar store, and it works fine. If I drop it, I am out pennies, so save your money.