Hey all, this is kinda trying to have the shaving communities view of the best shaving scuttles. I am out looking for one and there are many available. There's the ever so popular Moss scuttle, and many other great ones that I will not mention (but you may if you like) personally scuttles can be rather expensive. Rather than being crafty and making up my own i am planning on getting a Georgetown one. What do you guys think?
Scuttles Galore!!!
- Thread starter Joshua82688
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I ordered two Georgetown scuttles a week ago. Have not tried the others but love these.
There was a scuttle shoot-out posted here somewhere a while ago. If you look, you'll probably be able to find it. If I have time later, I'll take a look for it.
Personally, I love my moss
Personally, I love my moss
The Georgetown scuttles work very well if you bowl-lather. However, if you're a face-latherer (like me) you'll find that between passes one side of your brush stays warm while the other cools off. This is b/c the interior of the GT scuttle is relatively large.
The Moss scuttle is a better choice if you face-lather. The flip side is that it's really too small to make lather in (even with the large size). I have a small Moss scuttle and it does its job very well. The brush stays nice & toasty all over.
The Moss scuttle is a better choice if you face-lather. The flip side is that it's really too small to make lather in (even with the large size). I have a small Moss scuttle and it does its job very well. The brush stays nice & toasty all over.
You will do yourself a disservice if you make any purchase without visiting Dirty Bird Pottery to evaluate Julie Moore's work.You will get a better idea of who makes what and how good they are by carefully going through the reviews of DirtyBird shaving scuttles here on BB under Reviews.Dirty Bird scuttles are highly desirable for being American hand made on the potters wheel .(GT is machine molded).
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IMHO any scuttle you choose will do you fine. I called DB pottery about two weeks ago (keep my $ in VA) and she had just started a batch and it would take about 4 weeks. I am very impatient, I called GT and that had several ready to ship, so i just went with GT.
I think Julie is conservative in her estimates. I was also give an estimate spelled out in "weeks." Had my scuttle in only a week, maybe a day shy of a week. For what its worth..
I am expecting a Schwarzweiss scuttle this week. I chose it for the design, craftsmanship and capacity.
+1. I was told it would be something like 2 weeks for my scuttle to arrive and it was at my door in about 4 business days.
The Dirty Bird brush scuttle is awesome if you have a small to medium brush... like a 21mm D01 Shavemac. See below.
-Andy
I don't have a Georgetown, but I do have a Moss Scuttle and Dirtybird. I find that the Dirtybird for me is more practical b/c I don't face lather.
Good luck.
Good luck.
For the B&B Essential brush, which Scuttle would be a good fit?
+1
I'm also a BBE user, and find it works best with bowl lathering. (Tabac cream / Tabac soap / filtered water / 1 minute) ... but I'm sure a scuttle will take it to new heights.
I'm looking for a textured interior and a dark color, but its not critical.
I've got the latest version of the Georgetown scuttle. I don't face lather and I'm quite happy overall with *making* lather in this scuttle. However, I will say that too much heat seems to make lather start to die. I have settled on a fairly warm water in the brush, and a hotter but not boiling water in the chamber of the scuttle. It's still a delicate balance between keeping the lather warm enough to enjoy and going too far & having heat start to break down the lather. I guess I'd say warming is worth doing, but I'm somewhat let down that I can't keep it as warm as I'd like without ruining it. It does help to taking heat-damaged lather and re-stir and pump it, to bring back some of the body that's been lost - but I wish lather liked heat better than it does.
Another factor for me is that the bathroom I use is on the second floor of my house with a long plumbing run to the sink. It takes a long time for warm water to reach the sink, and then it never gets much more than fairly warm. So I use a Rival hot pot to get hotter water for my shave. I suppose I could look into the new hot-on-the-spot heaters which can be plumbed in right under the sink, but I'm going to move out-of-state in three years anyway. And I refuse to crank up the water heater to ungodly levels (w/ the related expense and bigger carbon footprint) just to get a better shave. So I do the "Rival Scuttle" and wait for a brighter day down the road.
Another factor for me is that the bathroom I use is on the second floor of my house with a long plumbing run to the sink. It takes a long time for warm water to reach the sink, and then it never gets much more than fairly warm. So I use a Rival hot pot to get hotter water for my shave. I suppose I could look into the new hot-on-the-spot heaters which can be plumbed in right under the sink, but I'm going to move out-of-state in three years anyway. And I refuse to crank up the water heater to ungodly levels (w/ the related expense and bigger carbon footprint) just to get a better shave. So I do the "Rival Scuttle" and wait for a brighter day down the road.
Did you order the large, small or basic scuttle?
I have tried 3 scuttles, all of which are good, but all work differently.
Moss scuttle is excellent for keeping your brush nice and toasty, but is relatively small and you cannot effectively make lather in it. Making your lather in a bowl or face lathering is a good option for this scuttle.
Dirty Bird scuttle is similar to the moss, and keeps the brush nice and toasty. Also too small to lather in. Does have nice ridges inside the bowl however, if you have a small brush.
The benefits of the previous two are that the inner bowl is completely submersed in water, and is nice and tight fitting for your brush. The Georgetown scuttle however, is only submersed on the sides (at least the one that I had) The bottom gets hot, but not as hot as the sides. Also, it does not warm the brush to a toasty level, just warms it. It is exceptionally good though for making lather right in a big warm bowl as it is very large. There is even room enough to lather a Chubby #3 (carefully...).
All in all, I think the best bang for your buck is the DB Scuttle. Its affordable, and performs well.
Moss scuttle is excellent for keeping your brush nice and toasty, but is relatively small and you cannot effectively make lather in it. Making your lather in a bowl or face lathering is a good option for this scuttle.
Dirty Bird scuttle is similar to the moss, and keeps the brush nice and toasty. Also too small to lather in. Does have nice ridges inside the bowl however, if you have a small brush.
The benefits of the previous two are that the inner bowl is completely submersed in water, and is nice and tight fitting for your brush. The Georgetown scuttle however, is only submersed on the sides (at least the one that I had) The bottom gets hot, but not as hot as the sides. Also, it does not warm the brush to a toasty level, just warms it. It is exceptionally good though for making lather right in a big warm bowl as it is very large. There is even room enough to lather a Chubby #3 (carefully...).
All in all, I think the best bang for your buck is the DB Scuttle. Its affordable, and performs well.
Also Julie from Dirtybirdpottery will do a custome order for you as well. I asked for a scuttle with verticle groves in it to help with the lather making process and she agreed to make me one, and also said it would take about 2 weeks. Her normal ones have horizontal grooves in them. I have read that hers are the best because they hold more water (usually 12-16 oz) and because of this they keep the lather bowl much warmer for a greater period of time.....
I like the dirty bird 1.5 scuttle, its a work of art!
Something that you can put on your counter with pride!
Something that you can put on your counter with pride!
I just received my large Moss scuttle this week. I think the quality is outstanding, nice and heavy, and I love the finish (waterfall). I use a C&E BBB, and find that the bowl has plenty of room to lather in. I have made the best lather ever in the scuttle. Keep in mind that I've only been wet shaving for about a month, and have previously lathered in an Old Spice mug and a Gladware bowl.
That being said, the bowl is almost too big to effectively keep the entire brush warm. Its keeps one side of the brush and the bottom/tips warm. If you are wanting to face lather with a smaller brush, I would recommend a small moss.
I based my purchase off of the scuttle shoot out post mentioned above. I eliminated the Georgetown, because the review mentioned that the water didnt stay warm as long as the other scuttles. I narrowed it down to the DB 1.5 and Moss. I went with the Moss strictly because of cosmetics.
The scuttle was a nice addition to my shave den. Warm lather is awesome, and I'm sure you will be happy with whatever selection you make.
That being said, the bowl is almost too big to effectively keep the entire brush warm. Its keeps one side of the brush and the bottom/tips warm. If you are wanting to face lather with a smaller brush, I would recommend a small moss.
I based my purchase off of the scuttle shoot out post mentioned above. I eliminated the Georgetown, because the review mentioned that the water didnt stay warm as long as the other scuttles. I narrowed it down to the DB 1.5 and Moss. I went with the Moss strictly because of cosmetics.
The scuttle was a nice addition to my shave den. Warm lather is awesome, and I'm sure you will be happy with whatever selection you make.
I have the G5, the large Moss and a 1.5X Dirty Bird. Hands down the Dirty Bird wins, followed closely by the Moss and the G5 is a distant third, IMO. The DB and the Moss keep the lather much warmer. The 1.5x DB is big enough to accomodate larger brushes and has nice grooves to help build the lather.
I have the 1.5 DB and consider it to be as permanent a part of my wet shaving routine as a razor. As long as the lather temp is above room temperature you will notice it every time you relather....and it's veeeery, veeery nice mon! I don't need it hot and I just use hot tap water (135-140F). The pour-and-melt soaps don't hold up in the heat, so if you prefer that soap type, I don't think you'll be happy with your scuttle purchase. The lather bowl is much bigger than my former lather bowl - a rice bowl - and I had Julie make a shallow spiral rather than the deep grooves (no charge, btw). I was worried about it being a little too rough with the brush and introducing too much air into the lather. I doubt either way makes that big a difference, but it looks cool. I just know that I have all the lather I need for 4 complete latherings and it's nice and warm.
