What's the importance of the type of lather bowl to use?

[BallisticBurrito]

BTW I should add the bowl has a rough texture on the outside that provides a dang good grip..and since it's plastic there's no worries about the thing breaking all over the sink/floor/my feet.
Also they're almost perfectly round on the inside...aside from a 1 square inch flat spot on the very bottom.

[TheClassicGentleman]

Ooh that's purdy

Yeah, it's Beautiful. A wonderful mug for $45 and it very unique as well!

[Whilliam]

I think mugs, scuttles and shaving bowls are part of the tradition and ritual piece of shaving like our grandfathers did. While cereal and rice bowls do serve the purpose, there's a whole different vibe and energy using an vintage Old Spice mug.

+1

[razumny]

The yellow cup in the background is what I use. It works great with all my brushes, and the handle makes for a comfortable securing point for my thumb when working the lather.

[PugslyCat]

I am just using a cereal bowl from my cupboard...

Our stoneware cereal bowls were perfect until my wife banned me from bringing kitchen dishes into the bathroom. After that I bought a bowl from Target for $4 that worked pretty good.

I think that Paddy touches upon the single biggest consideration, SWMBO. I started using cups and bowls from the kitchen cupboard, which worked out since I'm a widower. It didn't take long to figure out that using the same dishes for shaving and sherbert would have a certain ick factor for any woman in my life, though. Thus began my shaving mug AD.

[PugslyCat]

I think mugs, scuttles and shaving bowls are part of the tradition and ritual piece of shaving like our grandfathers did. While cereal and rice bowls do serve the purpose, there's a whole different vibe and energy using an vintage Old Spice mug.

+1 - Well said! Although a coffee mug from the kitchen holds a puck of soap perfectly well, my great grandfather's shaving mug just does it better somehow.

[ladykate]

What's the importance of type of lather bowl? I am just using a cereal bowl from my cupboard, but there are lots of different types of dedicated shave bowls and mugs, including wooden ones. What is the importance?

Not that much. Some like edges on the bowl to stop the lather from spilling over. After that, it is a matter of personal choice and vanity.

I now own scuttles from Georgetown, Dirty Bird (x2), and Robert and I can truthfully say that I only use one at a time. ;-}

I also face lather now so my travel scuttle is the most used - just keeps the brush warm.

Your cereal bowl probably works fine.

Here is one that I cobbled up to see if I wanted a scuttle. It actually has a double bottom so it keeps things toasty - probably better than the scuttles. Don't worry about the lather in it - it is just shampoo and I slapped it in for the picture. This is all Wal-Mart stuff - less than $10 for everything. Put hot water in the center bowl and enjoy:





Here is my brush scuttle. I really like it - easy to use and store.

[The Kiwi]

Well, having the right brush size to the dimension of a bowl is important. For example, I found that a vintage Barbershop mug was to deep and big for my Parker. On the other hand my VDH blue cup was to narrow and restricted my natural wrist movement when "spinning " lather. Thus having found this French onion soup scuttle everything seems to have freed itself up to make lather in half the time. Besides as a bonus, it comes with a not so airtight lid that it let's the soap dry out after use but also covers it from the eyes of potential guests. Also the lid serves itself well when storing it out of rotation for extended periods of time then the dust wont get to it. Many pluses to this humble bowl. Nice color too!

I want one. Tell me more about it, such as where I can get mine.

My VDH bowl was too small, but got broken early on, so didn't have any chance to find itself another use. My Barbershop mug has the full soap that VDH sells as a combination bath and shaving soap, transparent half and opaque half, but I am thinking I want one of those brushes with the extra long handles for it.

[fccexpert]

Is none a type, because that's what I use.

[Darnell]

While anything can be used and I started out making lather in our small Christmas candy dish, I moved up to other various things over time, and now I have a scuttle. When traveling I usually face lather, unless I want to carry along a shaving mug.

But today was my first day shaving with a scuttle and I must say, I now know why men use them. I also know why I will be using a scuttle every shave for the foreseeable future, of my lifetime !

Obviously, a scuttle keeps the lather warm. But why does it matter so much?
Because warm lather:

• Feels great going on. I do a 3.5 pass shave daily, so feeling that warm lather is very nice having it for every pass.
• It helps hairs seem to stand at attention, to be more easily chopped down during shaving. Just like using a warm towel prior to shaving, the warm lather also helps improve the quality of the shave.
• It helps your skin feel very soft after shaving is done, because your face was kept warm during the entire shave.
• End result is a very comfortable shave, that leaves your face feeling very soft and pleasant afterward.

Start with anything you can find, but at some point...get a scuttle .

[Ilnones]

Wasn't the Old Spice mug used to lather on top of a puck of soap that sat inside the mug?

[rxonmymind]

I want one. Tell me more about it, such as where I can get mine.

My VDH bowl was too small, but got broken early on, so didn't have any chance to find itself another use. My Barbershop mug has the full soap that VDH sells as a combination bath and shaving soap, transparent half and opaque half, but I am thinking I want one of those brushes with the extra long handles for it.

Kiwi,
The Parker brush unfortunately is not a long handled brush but was to short for fhe depth of the Barbershop mug. My fingers would hit the rim of the mug as I was making lather.
Now if your referring to the green scuttle just type in French onion soup bow into Google, Amazon, ebay and they will pop up. Also, your local thirft stores usually have these a plenty. Mine was 50¢.

[jkingrph]

I just got one of these:

Roughed up the interior with some 100 grit sandpaper and cut some light grids into it with a knife.
Supposed to be a pretty amazing lather bowl for $1.50.

I got a couple of those, treated them the same way. One I keep at the other house over in Louisiana, the other is a dedicated travel bowl. Here at home most of the year I use a scuttle, but now that hot weather has hit it's just face lathering, I like the cool feel.

[T-Dog]

What kind of bowl you use is not so important, as long as your bowl is harmonically tuned to work with both your razor and your brush. This adjustment can be easily performed by any good local barber, or anyone with an oscilliscope. Don't be surprised if they are amused by your request, as only the most discerning gentleman would ever request this service. Just tell them that I sent you!

[BubbleBoy]

For me I'm not too picky. I do like bowls with vertical walls as opposed to ones that flare out to keep the suds from sloshing out. Some bowls like a french onion soup crock close in ever so slightly at the top and that is a nice feature.

[Westcoast67]

I use just a glazed bowl that I would imagine be used for salsa or the like. Just small enough to palm it. It doesn't keep the lather warm very much but its about the right size for some Marco method swirling.