Hot Pot Review

[Justso]

Thought I'd add my 2cents about the Hot Pot and the results of my shave from it. First off, I have to thank Joel, who managed to get me to lose my mind and open my Vision all the way open for my next shave. All I can say is that it was well worth it. I took it a bit slower, but I finally had to put the images of my face all torn up out of my head. The resultant shave was the smoothest I've ever gotten with little to no irritation whatsoever.

Ok, the Hotpot. I'd love to post pics but I don't have a digital camera....

Bought it at Target for $9.99 and bought a wide stoneware-type bowl as well for $2.99. All I can say is that it makes the biggest difference in the world. Not only does hot lather feel awesome on your face, it brings out the aroma of the cream a lot better. After I got the hotpot to a rolling boil (about 3-4 minutes), I immediately unplugged it and let it stop boiling and got it to the "steaming" point. At which point, I poured the water in the mug with my shavemac brush and let it heat up. I also poured some hot water into the stoneware bowl to heat it up too. Then after letting my brush soak for about 2 minutes while I got my face good & wet, I got my cream on my brush and began working the lather in the bowl and it took about 5 swirls to see that I was getting a much different result than usual. By 15 to 20 swirls I had a lather that resembled a cool whip/meringue in the bowl. At which time, I set the bowl on top of the hot pot to allow the steam to keep the bowl warm. Then the moment of truth, brush to face.

WOW! WOW! Why was I not doing this before now? The whole lather experience just was in another world. And the aroma of the cream being hotter just about knocked me over, it was insane. While shaving, I was letting the bowl rest on top of the hotpot to keep the lather warm and I did notice that the cream seemed to dry out a bit, but, never to fear. You have a whole pot of steamy hot water beneath it, so I just poured a teensy little bit of hotpot water into my shave bowl and did about 5-10 swirls and back to normal we were. No big deal. On my 2nd & 3rd passes, lathering up each time just made my face tingle.

All in all, well worth the $10 for what it adds to the shave. Also, it doesn't take anymore time. Actually, it takes less time because while I'm waiting for my water to boil, I'm brushing my teeth and doing various other tasks. I was in & out of the bathroom in 25 mins, less than my usual 30. I just keep the hotpot under the sink too, rather than on the countertop.

Guys, highly recommend it. Hope this review from a newbie is at least a bit helpful if you're considering it but are on the fence.

 

[DoubleE]

Justso:

As you're discovering, it's the nuances that makes the difference between a good shave and a great shave. Everyone can get a meodicre lather and drag a blade across their face but it's figuring out what works best for YOU that makes the difference. You've already been around long enough to know what works for one may not work for another! That's one of the reasons variety is preached so much around here. You really do have to experiment to find nirvana! Congrats and thanks for sharing your learning.

Jerry

 

[Scotto]

Thanks Justin. I have avoided the hot pot since my wife has not appreciated the suggestion. I think I am going to try it anyway. I ned to bring my hot pot from work home to clean it anyway, so....

 

[Nick]

Justin,

That's great to hear. That makes last night's chat worth it! (Well, that and the camaraderie )

For those searching for the original tutorial, here it is:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9

as it might be a little hard to find since the title doesn't make mention of said hot pot.

-Nick

 

[joel]

3 things -
Firstly - BE CAREFUL when you store your shaving bowl ontop of the hot pot (when full of hot water) as the hot water will REALLY heat up that ceramic bowl and can cause damage to the tips of your badger brush if the ceramic gets too hot, and the brush is stored in the bowl while you shave. To be honest - if you are using a reasonably priced shaving brush - then I wouldn't be too concerned, as if you spent $100 or less on the brush, you will still get many years of good use out of it, it simply curls the tips of the badger hair and makes it look kinda frumpy. On a $40-60 Vulfix or the like - who cares, as it is a tool to be used to the best of its ability - where as a $300+ Simpson/Plisson/Rooney is not nearly as disposable, or reasonable to beat the **** out of.

Second - Congrats on your positive results! Sometimes i'll recommend some wacky things, but I have been helping new guys for three years (this month) so I have gotten pretty good at diagnosing problems! Thanks for sharing your positive results - that is what makes this place so fun... you can truly, and measurably help others!
Side note:Newbies - be forewarned, opening up a vision all the way to some of you MAY be detrimental (depending on what your problems are) - so I'd recommend posting your problems to be diagnosed before taking any drastic steps

Third - I changed the title of the hot pot tutorial and added ( hot pot tutorial ) to the title so as to aid fellas searching for it!

 

[Justso]

Joel,

I totally concur with your warning on opening up the Vision. I did this a year or two ago (not suprisingly causing me to give it away) and it left my face looking like a butcher shop. With every pass I was drawing blood, but you are correct in saying that if you take it slow, be a bit nimble with the hands, and not over do things, you can keep your face in excellent shape. Opening it up actually helped me control my blade angle more so than before, I wasn't sure if I was hitting the safety bar on my face or the blade. Now, there's no mistaking Merkur Steel on skin

Thanks again.

My score of Shaving Creams came today from QED, so tomorrow, it is a hotpot proraso shave.

-justin

 

[Scotto]

Tried out the hot pot this morning, and it was a nice experience. Really opens up the scent of the cream, and the heat feels great. I put my bowl on top of the hot pot after the first pass, double-boiler fashion, and everything dried out as expected. Adding more water worked to bring the lather back, but it was kind of a pain. I am going to work on my technique for a few days and see how it goes. Hooray for piping-hot lather!

 

[joel]

Tried out the hot pot this morning, and it was a nice experience. Really opens up the scent of the cream, and the heat feels great. I put my bowl on top of the hot pot after the first pass, double-boiler fashion, and everything dried out as expected. Adding more water worked to bring the lather back, but it was kind of a pain. I am going to work on my technique for a few days and see how it goes. Hooray for piping-hot lather!

As previously mentioned - I'd recommend NOT doing the double boiled thang as it WILL damage the tips of your badger brush. To each their own though!

 

[Scotto]

I didn't keep the brush in there, just the bowl. After whipping it up a bit, it is still plenty warm.

 

[Rik]

I take a different approach also resulting in hot lather.

• Preheat shaving vessel and water bath bowl with hot tap water.
• Boil water in an electric tea kettle.
• Turn off kettle and wait for water to stop boiling.
• Pour hot water into my shaving vessel and preheat brush.
• Pour hot water into water bath bowl that my shaving vessel sits in.
• Place shaving vessel into water bath bowl which is still full of hot water.
• Lather away.
• Add additional hot water to shaving vessel as needed.

This method has provided me with great hot lather without overheating the brush, which stays in the shaving vessel during passes.

 

[Scotto]

Well, in the name of science and lather, I have been playing around with the hot pot for a week or so. I have to say that for me, it doesn't provide enough advantage to keep it around. To each his own, though.

However, I have noticed something odd. On certain creams I find that the super-hot water seems to denature the lather such that it quickly dissipates and turns into a useless watery drool. So far I have noticed this with Nancy Boy and Crabtreee and Evelyn creams. I am no slouch with lathering, so I don't think it is my technique. On multiple occasions, this has (annoyingly) happened, and I have rinsed everything out, started out again with my usual hot tap water and the same amount of cream, and have had no problems. Has anyone else noticed this? It seems not to happen with Taylors, but others it is definitely a problem.

Again, for me, the hot pot is more trouble than it is worth.

 

[Rik]

Well, in the name of science and lather, I have been playing around with the hot pot for a week or so. I have to say that for me, it doesn't provide enough advantage to keep it around. To each his own, though.

However, I have noticed something odd. On certain creams I find that the super-hot water seems to denature the lather such that it quickly dissipates and turns into a useless watery drool. So far I have noticed this with Nancy Boy and Crabtreee and Evelyn creams. I am no slouch with lathering, so I don't think it is my technique. On multiple occasions, this has (annoyingly) happened, and I have rinsed everything out, started out again with my usual hot tap water and the same amount of cream, and have had no problems. Has anyone else noticed this? It seems not to happen with Taylors, but others it is definitely a problem.

Again, for me, the hot pot is more trouble than it is worth.

Scotto,
You probably have defective products. I'd be more than willing to take them off of your hands and give them a thorough test.

I have not had the above problem with C & E creams. But I use a variation of the hot pot method as stated in an earlier post.

 

[Justso]

Scotto,

I've haven't had my products turn into the watery drool you speak of, but I have had them dry out to the point of the cream looking like a very dry, pourous foam. When this happens, I'll put a bit more hot water in from the hotpot in my mug and let it go at that. I find that this happens though only when I leave my mug immersed in the hot pot. I have noticed though, as you have, that Taylor's Creams seem to be less suceptible to this happening. My Proraso will dry out on a dime, and by the time I've re-moisturized it with hotpot water, it seems to turn into a soupy paste.

I too am debating whether the hotpot is worth it, as I'm trying to find a way to best apply it. I find if I use Joel's method from the B&B DVD, it doesn't remain much warmer than hot tap water. If I leave my bowl on top of the hotpot to "steam", the lather stays piping hot, but dries out fast. I wish I could strike a balance between piping hot and dried out.

I'll keep playing and see what I come up with.

-Justin