I have been a face lather for the whole time I had been straight shaving, which is almost three years. A few weeks ago I bought my first shaving mug, and, boy, this thing pays for itself! I took me a week to get the hang of it, but now it works great. First of all, I make the lather in the mug, instead of on my face which can get annoying after a while. Secondly, by adding more water to the mug as I go along, I have enough lather for 3+ passes. When I used to face lather, I would only have enough for 1 1/2. I don't know how I got by without a shaving mug.