Do you bowl?

[Flyboy1943]

Howdy All,

As a newbie I've been reading and learning and have seen multiple post about making lather, videos too. But I would like to ask this question as perhaps a way of getting a consolidated answer beyond "it's a personal choice" which it may end up being.

Do you experts make lather in a mug, bowl, or on your face. I've tried all three in my brief wet shaving experience. So far none have worked "perfect" for me.

My mug, an Old Spice one I found at a thrift store, is shallow which I like, but not big enough to hold enough later. My bowl, once held Stilton Cheese from Williams Sonoma, it's pretty nice (with a lid) but to deep for my EJ Med brush. The lather gets all over my fingers and knuckles when reaching in to swirl the soap. I don't really have a technical problem with lathering directly to my face other than I don't like it.

Additionally, part of the reason for asking is I don't want to continue buying things and then discarding them for something reported to be better.

For example there is a post about a Moss Scuttle made in Canada which looks intriguing but costs $50 and a lathering bowl for $35. I don't mind paying that if it really works.

I've also seen all sorts of mugs but most of them are more tall than wide and appear to be for holding the soap rather than a lather maker. But not to sure if that in entirely correct.

There are lots of bowls. Many of the forum's favorite supply sites have them and many are colorful and handmade ( I know color is a personal choice). Some have handles others are held in your hand like this bowl one from Classicshaving made of horn.

What to do is the conundrum. It would be helpful, interesting, and fun to hear from some of you that may have gone through the process of trail and error to come up with your favorite solution.

[mretzloff]

Just go to Walmart and get a bowl for $1. I have one and it works nicely. I had a scuttle, but was not too fond of it. I bowl lather only.

[DE Shaver]

I bowl but I also mug as well. I've been also thinking about scuttling. Hmmm... I sound like a miscreant rather than a wet shaver.

[Vlad]

Ultimately, trial and error is the only thing that works. Reading about others experiences helps you decide what to try next, but you still have to try it to see if it works for YOU. I think this is why some of us have more brushes and things than we ever thought we would.

The good thing is we have a community where we can pass along the stuff that hasn't worked for us, or get a chance to try something we might not otherwise have bought.

[jay29]

I always use a bowl now. I picked one up at wegmans for $3. It is a cereal bowl with rounded groves perfect for making super lather ---- soap and cream mixture.

[ezmike]

I use a cereal bowl see at most hotel chains. It is a nice shape, size and holds the heat. The sides are not too high that you get lather all over your brush handle or hands. Bought a second bowl at my local dollar store. A cool butterscotch color to match my beehive, now that's sick, but just a little too deep so I have lather on my knuckles. There was another there just a tad shorter that's next on my list. I figure for a $1 it's no big thing.

Mike

[DanOK]

It is trail and error. I use a bowl, a scuttle, and face lather depending on the products I am using that day. My best bowl, with smaller brushes, is an old china creamer I got from my grandmother. For my larger brushes its a old latte/soup type cup I picked up in a goodwill store.

Old Spice mugs were manufactured to hold pucks of soap. I would suggest experimenting with a few dollar items from Goodwill/Thrift Stores.

Good Hunting.

[Wingnut]

Well, this is going to be another of those YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary...) posts, but here goes:

I've been face lathering since I started shaving 30 or so years ago. When I found B&B, I gave bowl lathering a try, but it just seemed to add another step without any appreciable benefit, so I gave it up. One advantage of face lathering is that there's one less impliment to clean up after your shave!

Bottom line: try them all (bowl, face, hand) and decide which works best for you, and WELCOME!

[Wheater]

I bought a glass bowl at an antique shop for $3. It is the perfect size for me to lather in the bowl. Moreover, since I immerse it in hot water for a minute or two, it stays quite warm throughout my shave. Due to this, I am able to keep my cream warm for all three of my passes.

Best of luck in finding what works for you.

[ama015]

I`m using a Georgetown Scuttle and love the large size, the warm lather and the pure beauty of the scuttle. I use a very large Simpson Chubby 3 brush, and the Georgetown handles even that magnum size brush. After I got the GT I only use that one for my lathering.

[Telecaster52]

I carried a 186 average in the 9-12 league way back when


(i'm a face latherer )

[Flyboy1943]

Good one T52 :-)

[SUMMERSRL]

For example there is a post about a Moss Scuttle made in Canada which looks intriguing but costs $50 and a lathering bowl for $35. I don't mind paying that if it really works.

I have gone back and forth between using a bowl to lather and face lathering. Right now I am back to face lathering. I have a Robert's Feats of Clay scuttle and a Moss brush scuttle. Frankly, I don't think either are significantly better at generating lather than the less expensive substitutes you'll be prompted by others to consider (bowls from Target, Walmart, et al). The scuttles do keep the lather warmer than otherwise would be the case. Other than that... well... YMMV.

[Space]

It's a known fact that Sean Connery, Charles Bronson, and Chuck Norris all face lather.

[PiXmo]

I am quite new to wet shaving and had the same problem than you. I don't like lathering on my face and don't find a mug very easy to use. My preference went to a bowl and even if it was difficult at the beginning, I have now a better skill. So I suggest you don't give up to quickly.

For a bowl, you can surely find several in your house (cereal or soup bowl, etc) to give a try. You will find what is the better size for your purpose. Or just buy some cheap bowl at your local dollar store or Walmart. One more time you can build your lathering skill in that bowl, even if it is not the exact good shape, and go to buy a more expensive one when you know what you need exactely. As exemple, I did that and find a nice bowl. You can see pics here: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=156402

Good luck.

[Topgumby]

I pretty much find myself face lathering most soaps and bowl lathering creams.

I prefer soaps, but find myself in the happy position of getting great results with soaps and creams, face lathering or bowl lathering.

Hate to be so boringly satisfied, but there it is.

[Luc]

I face lather.

I used a bowl at first, after 3 broken bowls in 4 months, I moved them back to the kitchen!

[dalecooper51]

No bowls for me. Most of the time I use shave sticks and just build the lather on my face. To give it a warm touch up between passes, I dip the brush tips in the warm water and then apply the lather for pass.

[Rumbaldi]

I bought a pretty cool looking hand thrown bowl at goodwill for $2.99. It helped my lather immensely. I find it easier to control the water-soap ratio using a bowl rather than trying to lather on top of the soap puck.

[Blaireau&Lame]

I started bowl lathering to get an idea of what good lather should be (i.e. "cool whip"-like, no air bubbles!). Once I got better at lather generation, I tried face lathering with my pure badger brush but didn't like the prickly sensation against my face. When I upgraded to a silvertip, I tried face lathering again, and it was an entirely different experience. With a Rooney 3/1 Super, the silvertips gently massaged my face while working the lather into my beard. It's the best part of my shave.