Kamisori Club Shaving Mug

I'm interested in this scuttle/shave mug. It's size seems perfect for my small bathroom countertop. How exactly is this one used? why two chambers? do you fill the little chamber with hot water and mix your lather in the larger one? I'm dying to know- I'm probably going to order one along with some new aftershave in the next few days!

***edit***

Well, it turns out I've mistaken this scuttle for another one. The two are remarkably similar. Not sure if this one would be better or worse. Obviously this one is for soaps only.

It should be kept in mind that these are generally used with a type of Japanese liquid shave soap (looks almost like white dish soap) and most Japanese barbers are not interested in producing a good lather. I have seen this scuttle in no less than 10 barbershops here and all use it the very same way - squirt in some shave soap, swirl the brush maybe 3 times and apply. It is not big enough to produce a 'real' lather with 'real' soap and a 'real' brush in my opinion.

I purchased this small scuttle on Ebay a few months back and have been using it daily since. The brush compartment is small and is not really designed for generating lather but being a face latherer it works well for me. The upside to this is the size. Since there is no lather bowl is is much smaller than some of the other scuttles I've seen. Another big plus for me.

The water reservoir is not large but holds enough hot water to keep the brush warm for 2-3 passes and fits my 24mm brush just fine. The quality is very good and I imagine with minimal care should last indefinitely.

Overall I couldn't be more happy with it. It cost me about $17 and the current price is about $18 only sold in Japan so I'm happy. If you have the opportunity to pick one up I highly recommend it. They are available here but the I understand they only ship to Japan.

Thanks for sharing! Looks very useful indeed!

Kamisori Club Shaving Scuttle

View attachment 12484

Overview:
This is a small Japanese made shaving scuttle. It is produced by Kamisori Club, one of the only shaving speciality shops in Tokyo. This product is not currently being sold outside of Japan, but there was interest in on the forums so I decided to get one and write a review.

Price:
This shaving scuttle is quite inexpensive. It only set me back 1,680 yen (~$14.50 USD as of 10/18/07).

Size:
Outer dimensions: (13 cm x 9 cm)
Brush compartment: (7 cm x 7 cm 4 cm deep)

View attachment 12485

Performance:
As you can see it is rather small. In the picture it is shown with my Shavemac XL, which is on the larger side. Even though it is small, I can manage to make a lather with my brush. Since I am generally a face-latherer it does just fine keeping my brush nice and warm. This cup would best be suited for smaller brushes and travel. It's light weight is also a plus.

Quality/Durability:
The scuttle is made out of good quality white ceramic. Although the walls are not super thick, it seems to be durable as any other shaving mug.

Design:
Very simple and functional. The front side has the Kamisori Club logo on it. The bottom of the brush compartment is slightly textured to aid in lathering.

Usefulness:
This scuttle is perfect if you're using a small brush. It also doubles as a brush stand and razor holder when you're not using it. This mug is also well suited for travel purposes (as long as you don't mind the risk of it breaking.)

Packaging:
A non-descript white box. It does the job and keeps the mug protected during shipping.