I like it, but it doesn't make sense to me.
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I agree, not sure you need the handle
Check out this video for how to use the mug (about 50s in): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5rBLQghnVI
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Thanks for that video, told me a lot just watching the guy use it. The handle seems pointless, when he was actually using the bowl to lather he was avoiding the handle, it had no beneficial use for him. Also, the thing is too deep with a too narrow inner taper. the brush handle was clanging around quite a bit and it looked like it wasn't going to be the easiest shape to get all of the cream out of. Check that one off the list.
it would look good sitting on the sink though, I'll give them that.
it would look good sitting on the sink though, I'll give them that.
I have the Colonel Conk version of this mug and I think it's better suited to just use it to house the soap puck. Load your brush then face lather or go to the bowl.
I find using a plain mug easier; the hook on the mug is better for me, I don't have to worry that it will slip and fall from my hands since my thumb is hooked into it.
I also prefer to use smaller, shallower mugs. I find that the shorter walls don't clang as much and I can still make a decent lather.
I also prefer to use smaller, shallower mugs. I find that the shorter walls don't clang as much and I can still make a decent lather.
I use a large pedestal style thats 5 3/4" wide and 2 1/4" deep and 3 1/4" high. You grip it by the pedestal base. It does not slip and due to the width there is no hitting the brush against the sides. The bowl tapers to make it narrower at the bottom.
I've got the VDH branded version of it, you DON'T hold the knob. The knob is held in the V between either Index/Middle or Middle/Ring fingers, with the other fingers curling around under bottom of the bowl. It helps out if you pre-warm the bowl under water and bowl is slippery or if your hands are slippery. Bowl is pretty deep vs the width if you don't keep a puck in there. I didn't stick with keeping a puck in it long enough to get used to lathering that way, can't say how well it works.
I like mine, but it's not a whole lot better than the <$2 glass stippled interior footed salsa bowl from Meijer.
I like mine, but it's not a whole lot better than the <$2 glass stippled interior footed salsa bowl from Meijer.
I believe this has something to do with nostalgia. The mug is made in the spirit and style of the old pharmacist and apothecary bowls.
One of the first things I got rid of in my shave den was that mug. Too narrow and didn't allow a natural circular motion of the wrist while lathering. One needs something in the 5" range. A French onion soup bowl with a lid comes in handy.
+1
I found it a bit too deep for a lot of brushes I own as well. It's a nice soap dish though.
I'm wondering if the mugs aren't a modern invention. Curiously enough, I searched for images of antique apothecary tools and implements and there were plenty of scales, cabinets, chests, jars, jugs, mortar and pestles, etc. but the only apothecary mugs to show up were modern ones made for shaving. A search for images of apothecaries at work was equally unproductive of showing one in use.
Agreed. I would not buy it because of the useless handle. Although the "speed bumps" on the bottom of the mug seem well designed for cream lathering.
It would make a better coffee cup. 
The handle looks to me like it would fit snugly between two fingers for extra grip while you hold it like a coffee cup to lather up with.
I hold the handle in the crook between my thumb and forefinger. I put the puck of soap in the mug and either puck or face lather.
I have an apothecary mug identical to the one you show, and love it. I use it primarily with my B&B Essential Boar brush, my go to brush, but prefer it for use with all my brushes, including horsehair and pro size brushes. It's got a great shape, depth, and width. My typical technique is to load a brush up, then whip up lather in the mug, although recently I've been working through some samples (Cella, Mike's Natural, Stirling), and find I like to press the soap into the bottom of the mug, and leave it there for the lifetime of the sample (usually no more than ten days). I also have two scuttle style uses for which which this mug works well. With a capacious sink with room and some flat area, I fill the sink with enough hot water so that when the mug sits in it, it comes up to an inch below the lip of the mug. This gives me enough room to lather vigorously, without splashing water into the mug. Sometimes, instead, I'll sit the mug in the sink under the faucet, fill it and the sink with hot water, as well as a 4" diameter tempered glass kitchen prep dish on top, also filled with hot water, and my boar brush. They all get good and hot while I shower. Then I empty the prep dish, keep the apothecary mug filled with hot water to act as a caddy, on top of which sits the prep dish as my shaving mug -- a DIY scuttle. Works wonderfully.
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