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Shaving Mug or Coffee Mug...Difference?

From what I have talked to old timers, a shaving mug is flared at the bottom a bit, and inside its curved into make a bowl like shape not straight down to the bottom which would be a coffee cup. Some are obvious shaving mugs other not so much. I picked up a Homer Laughlin SM for 5 bucks at an antique store and a scuttle for 2.50 with an American eagle and flag on it.
 

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I mainly face lather but I do have a generic chrome shaving bowl and a Coleman plastic camping cup with handle I use on occasion when I feel like a good bowl lather. I am thinking about getting a scuttle for a little indulgence.
 
There are salsa bowls in Mexican restaurants, usually plastic with 3 short legs on the bottom. Libbey Glass made the Crisa design in a glass version thats lightly pebbled on the inside. It's deep enough to be able to vigorously whip up lather, and has a wide bottom. Buy one on E-Bay for $7-12 ... I got mine at the 99¢ store ...
The other is a vintage Kerr 1/2 ounce Jelly jar. They sell for stupid prices when there's an accompanying lid. I got mine at the Goodwill Store for 69¢ without the spendy lid.
Libbey Crisa Bowl.jpgKerr jelly jar.jpg
I've also got a plastic double walled baby food bowl with a twist-on lid. It's bigger than the 1/2 ounce glass bowls - perfect for when I'm using my toilet-brush sized Badgers.

Then there's the 473 ml Rubbermaid bowl with red screw-on lid that came in a 3 pack from either Target or Walmart Housewares Dept. It's deeper then the others, and works great for long-handled brushes, such as my Yaqi Cola. If it were more rigid/less flimsy, it would be a top favorite, but the upside is that if I ever flex it enough to somehow crack it, I've got 2 more spares.
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I've got others, including a stainless double wall with lid, but these get used most often.
 
Welcome aboard!

First, many of us (like me, for example) prefer to ‘face-lather’ rather than to use a mug or bowl. So, a mug or bowl is definitely not required.

Second, before buying a purpose-built mug or bowl I suggest you go to the kitchen to ‘borrow’ a few bowls and/or mugs to see what dimensions work best for you. You may already have what you want!

Mostly, enjoy the journey! :clap: :clap:
 
I bought the scuttle because it was so cheap. 2.50 at a flea market antique store. I would buy it if I did not want it just to resell. But to replace my Hazle Atlas shaving mug I found the Homer Laughlin for 5 bucks. This is my new every day user. I will look for another atlas to replace my milk glass one. But this will work for now. I also like Cremo from Walmart for about 5 bucks a bottle. I use that if I don't use a brush and a cake of Williams.
 
coffee mug is to narrow my personal preference goes out to a proper bowl with some structure patern in it , I like the one from proraso which is plastic so no chance to break it easily.
 
To answer the original question, coffee mug versus shaving mug. Shaving mugs are usually bigger to give you room for the brush to move around and create lather.
For example here is a picture of a Parker mug which you can get on Amazon and a picture of my Classic Shaving mug from Classic Shaving.

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iKon-Gereral.JPG
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
My shaving mug is not used for soap or lather, but for rinsing the razor. This keeps the sink water free of stubble for rinsing my face. It was originally a wide drinking mug.

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I then use a small bowl or dish for loading the soap from, and then face lather. Very occasionally, I will start a lather off by bowl lathering, but only if a specific sample seems to need it.

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Use whatever works for you. You can use a salsa bowl, coffee mug, cereal bowl, scuttle, or anything that works.
 
Most mugs are too narrow. You don't want the brush clanking against the sides -- it annoys you and anyone else within earshot.

A bowl with a handle, like a French Onion soup dish is better. Or just any bowl of the right size, such as one of these tempered glass bowls.

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Welcome, this will be the first of many questions. There’s no such thing as bad questions. Ask away.

As long as it helps you make good lather, it doesn’t matter what type of container you use.
 
A coffee mug will typically be more narrow with very straight sides and a bottom that is flat. A proper shaving mug or bowl will have a wider opening and a rounded bottom. A nice size is between 4 1/2" to 5" at the mouth of the bowl and a depth of between 2" and 3". I've seen oversized coffee cups, probably meant for cappuccinos, that would work great as shave bowls. But since there are so many bowls and mugs that are made for the express purpose of shaving, why not get one?
 
First
Some people store soap in the mug and just use it to load the brush and facelather. As long as the puck and your fingers with a brush fits you are fine.
I tend to put some soap in the bowl and build my lather.
-you want wide and not to shallow
-slightly roughed surface
-easy to clean
-bathroom unbreakable....

so far my daily driver is the mortar to the right and it works great
The travel silicone petbowl is super too
The middle vanyulay bowl is allready binned it is too rough and difficult to clean.

Still some desire for a scuttle made of plastic though
 

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It’s true you can use anything, but I don’t necessarily agree that a dedicated shaving mug is a waste of money.
I’ve used a Japanese rice bowl, which worked fine, but it was a bit too wide, as it was more work to corral the suds into a lather and created waste. A regular coffee mug was often too narrow in the bottom to hold the puck and too narrow at the top to work the brush comfortably. They are often not as tall as a shaving mug, so you can get a messy slosh over the top, as is also the case with smaller bowls.
All of the above works. It does the job.
But a typical shaving mug is the right size at the bottom to hold most pucks tightly, wide enough at the top to work the brush properly, and tall enough to keep the suds in so they can be more easily recycled into a good lather. No waste, fuss, or muss. ;)
To me, it’s worth the $11. (Shop around)
Just my experience and opinion of course.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Welcome, this will be the first of many questions. There’s no such thing as bad questions. Ask away.

As long as it helps you make good lather, it doesn’t matter what type of container you use.
What David said. :thumbup:
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
I think the difference between a regular mug and a shaving mug is twofold. A Shaving mug is thicker...if you look at the lip of the mug, you can tell it's really not made for drinking...although you probably could drink out of it if you wanted to. Second...Shaving mugs sometimes have things going on inside the mug, some kind of built in texture that will help when you whip up the soap inside it. This isn't cast in stone, no pun intended.
 
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