Looking for advice on a mug/bowl

[nickelsig229]

Hi guys,

I'm still using a kitchen bowl from the cupboard and I'm wanting to get a mug or bowl. I have my eye on two that appeal to me but I'm not sure which to go with since I've never seen or felt one in person.

I'm interested in the Edwin Jagger apothecary mug and the Edwin Jagger chrome rimmed porcelain lather bowl.

The mug is 4 inches in diameter but it flares out at the top so it must be closer to 3 inches at the bottom. It has a 3 inch depth.

The bowl is 4.75 diameter but has a wide lip so I's assuming the internal diameter at the top is more like 3.75 and 2 inch depth.

I have very large hands and I'm concerned that the mug may restrict me. Is there any benefit other then grip between these two different styles?

Are there any suggestions I could look into for a quality bowl/mug for lathering. I am not interested in lathering on the puck.

 

[BladeDE40]

Both the EJ mug and bowl are pretty small. They are designed to hold a puck of their soap. They do look nice, but if you are looking for something to build lather in I would go with something bigger. Something like a large latte mug or cereal bowl might work better.

 

[xillion]

Both the EJ mug and bowl are pretty small. They are designed to hold a puck of their soap. They do look nice, but if you are looking for something to build lather in I would go with something bigger. Something like a large latte mug or cereal bowl might work better.

This is great advice.

I have owned both and they were too small for me. My brush was always hitting the sides of the mug. The bowl has a raised center section for placing an EJ soap puck so there is no place for the lather to go but over the sides. Both are great looking items but neither worked for me so I sold both. You could use them for loading your brush and then use a larger bowl to build your lather. I now use a DB 1.5 scuttle. I find it has plenty of room, even for larger brushes, and it keeps my lather warm through my entire shave.

 

[nickelsig229]

Thanks guys. That's why I posted, so I could benefit from your experience. My biggest fear was they were to narrow for my fist.


I do love the look of these compared to scuttles. I'll have to keep looking.

 

[talbotdale]

I am a big fan of Sara's Lather Bowl. It is large enough to build lather, the ridges in the bottom seems to help in the lathering process, and the ridge at the rim of the bowl keeps lather from climbing out. It has a different aesthetic than the EJ bowls, but it works well.

http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/product.php?productid=677&cat=118&page=1

Tal

 

[AlanL]

I like a bit of space, too:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2487504#post2487504

 

[cnnc97]

Go to Target or Walmart or something like that and check out their coffee mugs, latte/soup mugs, dipping bowls, etc. I've seen some decent options there. Up until a couple of days ago I was using a large latte mug. Other than being a little too deep and getting the handle of my brush full of lather it worked pretty good.

 

[Vlad]

I love the apothacary mug look, so I was tempted by the EJ too. I'm curious if anyone has on of the apothacary style mugs from Straight Razor Designs. They look the right size for lathering.

 

[rsaltonstall]

both the ej mug and bowl are pretty small. They are designed to hold a puck of their soap. They do look nice, but if you are looking for something to build lather in i would go with something bigger. Something like a large latte mug or cereal bowl might work better.

+1

 

[BroJohn]

Regarding a lather bowl, get something 4.5in to 5.5in diameter, 1.5 to 2.5in tall, non-white glazed interior so you can see the lather develop, crockery or stoneware to retain heat, cheap, $2-$5 at Wal-mart, Target, K-mart, etc. Avoid 'purpose made' shaving bowls/mugs --they're a poor value and most are too small and unsuitable for building a lather.

Most 'purpose made' soap bowls offered by shaving vendors (C&E, EJ, and the like) are too small and overpriced, IMO. Many of them are quite attractive and can be quite high quality; I just find them to be too small for the task of generating a lather. The exception are some of the offerings by potter-artisans who make scuttles and bowls for the on-line wet shaving community.

The other exceptions are soap bowl/containers offered by some brands of triple-milled shave soaps where the container is sized and specifically made for their product. These are best used to hold a cake of soap and are not used as a 'lather bowl'. The appropriate use for these is to hold the soap. In use, the user loads the brush on the soap held in the bowl, then builds the lather directly on the face. The bowl is too small for any other usage.

I've been quite satisfied with a stoneware bowl and find most mugs to be somewhat confining. Don't forget to check your cupboard to see if you already have something suitable to re-purpose to shaving.

-- John Gehman