I'd like a lathering bowl. Your recommendations?

[Samon]

Yo, I have a suspicion that my more 'thorough' face lathering practices lately are leading to post shave irritation, especially on my jowls/cheeks. In fact I can feel a bit of stinging during the lathering with some soaps (mostly looking at you ToBS!) before any blade hasn't even touched my face.

So, I'd like to try a lathering bowl to see if this helps identify if it is my face lathering and because it looks fun! I have no real experience with bowls though and not much of an idea of which ones are actually decent enough to buy. So far I've done one lathering in an enamel bowl using ToBS cream, it's a smooth cereal type bowl so I wasn't sure if it would work but surprisingly it did and it produced loads of good lather that I could play around hydrating and thickening etc. I had no irritation from that shave but I could feel the usual little bit of sting from that particular soap, I think it's the phony sandalwood chemicals. (Palmolive cream also stings a bit sometimes btw but not the stick).

Anyway, I'm worried I'll drop and break a ceramic bowl, I'm too cheap to spring for an artisan one and I'm too much of a snob for a plastic one lol. (Tbf I don't mind plastic but I'd prefer not to use it)

So.. copper? Brass? Steel? What are the options there? Budget of maybe £25 and available in the UK would be perfect.

Which one is your favourite? Does texture or ribs/lines in the bowl actually help? Does raw copper or brass make the lather smell metallic??

Cheers

 

[CPlater1]

I haven't tried it myself, but Executive Shaving have a stoneware bowl with grip for £25. It has ridges for lathering.

I have a Muhle (I think) metal bowl, which I find far too small to do anything with. Yes I can lather in it, but the lather escaped far too easily.


Edit to add: Executive Shaving also have their Large Urn metal bowl for £17, and the photo looks a decent size.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 

[Black-Tie]

I have one lovely suribachi scuttle made by Steve Woodhead. Really liked it, so I ordered 2 matching soap boxes afterwards. Don’t hesitate to drop him an email if your favorite is not available, he’ll make one for you.

Individual hand made ceramics - Steve Woodhead Ceramics

Steve Woodhead Ceramics, individual hand made ceramics. Domestic kitchen pottery, tableware, shaving scuttles and one-off pieces.

stevewoodheadceramics.co.uk

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Aaron Hall]

Metal kitchen bowl from a thrift store (super cheap option) Or a metal camping coffee cup (still probably <$10). Use some epoxy to add texture, if you would like.

 

[ouchyfoot]

This “Fine Accoutrements“ bowl is wonderful and inexpensive.

 

[Atlantic59]

You sound like a person that would enjoy one of the Turkish copper bowls, they cost around 6 or 7 quid with shipping included.

 

[Zipslack]

If you were U.S., I'd recommend Captain's Choice. But, since you're not, try looking on ebay for Turkish Hammered Copper bowl.

Oops... looks like @Atlantic59 posted same time. Great minds...

 

[sugardaddy]

I made this vid that talks about some of the attributes you may want to think about during your lather bowl search.

And after watching that video, Roger Quintero contacted me about a computer printed bowl he was working on. I recommended a few small modifications and he printed the result for me. I've used it and enjoyed it hundreds of times since then. the files can be downloaded from here, If you have access to a printer or want to use an online printing service.

Shaving Lather Bowl with Brush Rest by rogerquin

A simple but effective lather bowl with spiral ridges and brush rest. Very easy to print without supports. There are three sizes, a medium (approx. 110mm internal diameter), with the brush rest not as deep. The large version is approximately 127mm internal diameter and has a deeper brush rest...

www.thingiverse.com

(I use the XL size, of the 3 that are included in those plans)

I also tried a bowl with the exact dimensions and appearance of the Captains Choice Lather Bowl (regular size). But it was much too small for me. It's so shallow that the lather just constantly overflows as I'm building it, Leaving me with only the amount that can be held with one brush load .

Exception to that is I have one very small Boar brush that does not splay very much. That's the only brush that I can build up three passes of lather in the captain's choice Bowl.

What it is good for is if you are a face latherer and you just want to get the lather started just a little bit before you go to the face to finish adding water.

It's quite popular, however. So obviously some people are able to make it work. But for my needs, it's a bust.

For most of my Boar brushes, which don't splay as much as my large soft badger knots, I've actually been having a great time with a low-cost option from the dollar tree. I guess it's a salad or Soup Bowl, but I think what makes it so successful is the curvature near the bottom that causes the bristles to flex, and thereby agitate the lather.

Royal Norfolk Santa Fe collection...

https://www.dollartree.com/royal-norfolk-santa-fe-peacock-blue-solid-stoneware-bowls-6-in/144092

Suribachi bowls... I would not use any brush that I valued on these kinds of bowls because they have an abrasive surface which I'm certain would damage brush tips over time.

Textured surface ... I consider it much less important than the shape and curvature of the bowl. However I do like to have a lump in the center, when possible, to prevent my brush from sliding all the way down into the Lather. So, for a smooth bottom bowl, I'm experimenting with gluing decorator glass "pebbles" at the bottom center for the purpose.

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

 

[sugardaddy]

The fine accoutrements Lather Bowl looked really good at first, but, due to the low sides, I found myself trying to keep the leather in instead of actually mixing it up properly. again, using a very small brush that doesn't splay very much could make this one usable.

lots of people enjoy the fine Lather Bowlt, but this is just my experience.

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

 

[Invicta]

So.. copper? Brass? Steel? What are the options there? Budget of maybe £25 and available in the UK would be perfect.

Stainless steel bowls are available from the supermarket or pet centres {sold as water or feed bowls}. If you want a bit of texture, a ball pein hammer applied to the sides against a bag of sand inside the bowl will do but try without texture first.
Something with sloping sides about 125mm wide {excluding rim} and 50mm deep would be ideal.
There are some nice brass bowls on Etsy if you trade there; I don't.

 

[Chef455]

Hammered copper from my local restaurant supply store. $10, size is perfect for me, no metallic odor.

 

[ajkel64]

Captain’s Choice Copper Lather Bowl. The Captain is a vendor here on the forum. He also sells ceramic ones. Great colour choices in the ceramic bowls and he is a great chap to deal with.

 

[Tedolph]

This “Fine Accoutrements“ bowl is wonderful and inexpensive.
View attachment 1101448

Another vote here for the Fine Accouterments lather bowl. You really have to ask yourself a few questions before you pick a bowl. Do you like to have hot lather for the first pass? If so, ceramic bowls seem to work best at retaining heat. Some people say that the metal bowls can be floated in the sink thus retaining lather warmth. However, if you are a straight razor shaver, you cannot swish the razor around in the sink and have to rely on running water to get the soap off between sides and passes. Also, the running water would then get inside the bowl onto the lather. So, for someone who likes hot lather for the first pass, the Fine Accoutrements bowl works great. You do have to occasionally work the lather back towards the center of the bowl when you are making it, but that is not a big deal. Lather literally explodes in the bowl and you can make any kind of lather you want. The only downside is that being ceramic, it is susceptible to chipping if you bang it into the side of the sink when you are rinsing it out, as I have. More than once!

 

[never-stop-learning]

Captain's Choice Copper
Timeless Blue
Ceramic Scuttle
Bamboo
Turkish Copper

Use all of the above. Captain's Choice Copper is my favorite.


Pretty much any stainless steel, hammered copper, bamboo, plastic or non-abrasive stoneware bowl will work to build a lather.

 

[Demaratus]

I have Fine, Timeless, and Captain’s Choice. The Timeless is what I use every day now. Perfect width and height, and the pattern promotes lather making. It’s also not going to break If I drop it.

I need to also buy an uncoated copper bowl, which seems to not be possible on Amazon, where they all have wax coatings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tedolph]

I have Fine, Timeless, and Captain’s Choice. The Timeless is what I use every day now. Perfect width and height, and the pattern promotes lather making. It’s also not going to break If I drop it.

I need to also buy an uncoated copper bowl, which seems to not be possible on Amazon, where they all have wax coatings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am drifting in that direction. If I drop my F.A. bowl in the sink one more time I will not gave any choice! Does the Timeless bowl retain heat well?

 

[lloydw]

Buy a cheap stainless bowl that Is as big as you can get but still fit in your hand comfortably. epoxy a few small coins or just epoxy blobs even work

simple, cheap, easy to do and then if you find it helps your skin and you want an upgrade, you can look around.

 

[Whilliam]

Turkish copper bowls are a hands-down bargain, as are these: https://www.amazon.com/URWOOW-Colla...hild=1&qid=1589802864&sr=8-15&srs=18105966011

I do think the silicone bowls have the edge on lather building.

 

[OhioBob]

Take a look at Stirling Soap’s collapse able silicone bowl. Nubs in bottom of bowl helps whip up tons of lather plus it’s great for travel.

 

[Screeby]

Take a look at Stirling Soap’s collapse able silicone bowl. Nubs in bottom of bowl helps whip up tons of lather plus it’s great for travel.

I was reading through this thread and was actually suprised no one had offered that bowl up until this last post.

Tossing 2 of these bowls in an order was one of the greatest things I have done in shaving. I gave one to a coworker who had said his lathering wasn't great. I tried the bowl myself as I was gonna use it for traveling only. I now use it every day. The lather just pops up.

Price point, function and virtually unbreakable.

Big fan of the Stirling bowl.

KM