Your thoughts on these two bowl designs…

[Albert V]

I have been using a Bicrops ceramic Captains Choice style knockoff and then had an itch to try a marble bowl. The marble bowl is beautiful but the practical difference is a mixed bag soI thought it might be helpful to hear what others with experience in these designs have to add.

• Bicrops (Captains Choice clone) and MDLUU marble bowl have the identical volume
• Bicrops is wider at bottom and Marble bowl is taller on top
• Bicrops has circular indents, marble bowl has grove marks (not deep but not smooth either)
• Time to make lather (using Cella and boar brush) is identical, as is the quality

Practical differences include:

• marble bowl is taller and deep enough to let my brush soak.
• Marble bowl is nicer to look at
• Marble bowl is heavier, 745 grams, and can sit still on counter when using without holding
• Marble bowl being narrower at bottom means that when swirling the brush lather works up to the sides and will begin to spill over so I need to frequently use brush to put back in
• Captains Choice design does not tend to push lather out as much because there is plenty of room at the bottom to swirl without displacing lather

So with a tiny bathroom and shallow pockets I am considering returning the marble bowl. The lather lather overflow can get onto my hand and make it slippery (while holding this heavy bowl). The Captains Choice style is lighter so easier to hold and does not get as much lather spill over, but also two short to let brush soak.

I am aware that my pros and cons are just little nits but also wonder what others think. So comments and feedback are welcome.



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Link to Bicrops

Amazon.com

Link to MDLUU marble

Amazon.com

 

[BigJ]

I don’t bowl lather routinely, so take this with at least a grain of salt.

Your analysis is good as is your conclusion. Given your experience, I would return the new bowl.

 

[Dimitri]

I have been using a Bicrops ceramic Captains Choice style knockoff and then had an itch to try a marble bowl. The marble bowl is beautiful but the practical difference is a mixed bag soI thought it might be helpful to hear what others with experience in these designs have to add.

• Bicrops (Captains Choice clone) and MDLUU marble bowl have the identical volume
• Bicrops is wider at bottom and Marble bowl is taller on top
• Bicrops has circular indents, marble bowl has grove marks (not deep but not smooth either)
• Time to make lather (using Cella and boar brush) is identical, as is the quality

Practical differences include:

• marble bowl is taller and deep enough to let my brush soak.
• Marble bowl is nicer to look at
• Marble bowl is heavier, 745 grams, and can sit still on counter when using without holding
• Marble bowl being narrower at bottom means that when swirling the brush lather works up to the sides and will begin to spill over so I need to frequently use brush to put back in
• Captains Choice design does not tend to push lather out as much because there is plenty of room at the bottom to swirl without displacing lather

So with a tiny bathroom and shallow pockets I am considering returning the marble bowl. The lather lather overflow can get onto my hand and make it slippery (while holding this heavy bowl). The Captains Choice style is lighter so easier to hold and does not get as much lather spill over, but also two short to let brush soak.

I am aware that my pros and cons are just little nits but also wonder what others think. So comments and feedback are welcome.

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Link to Bicrops

Amazon.com

Link to MDLUU marble

Amazon.com

Albert, I will throw in my two cents for what it's worth. I have a Beau Brummel bowl, in white. I love that bowl. It whips up a fantastic lather and does so fairly quickly. It was love at first sight, so I pulled the trigger when I first came across one in a Wicked Edge Reddit thread. It's aesthetically pleasing, high quality, makes fantastic lather quickly, and it's made of marble. I'm Greek, so we have a thing for marble lol.

All of that said, I wish I had done a tad more research before making my impulse purchase. In another thread, some members warned me that these could be abrasive to shaving brushes since the inside of these bowls tend to be left somewhat rough, instead of smooth like the rest of the bowl. I contacted Beau Brummel about this, and they informed me they intentionally leave the inside of the bowl slightly rough to aid in building lather, which makes sense. They also told me they haven't had any complaints regarding damage to brushes.

My experience is this. I don't have a lot of brushes. I have three, with a couple more soon on the way. My primary brush is a 24mm Semogue OC Taj. I specifically bought that brush because pig/boar bristle brushes are reputed for having excellent exfoliating ability, since the hairs split after a while forming these nice little hooks on the end that really help clean the pores and also lift the hairs into the lather. I want to say I've been using the brush for about 4 months now, and the bowl for a month, maybe 6 weeks? Anyway, I noticed that bristles around the periphery of the brush are breaking, and I want to say the 'hooks' on the bristle tips are no longer as pronounced as they were once the brush broke in. My eyes could be playing tricks on me, but I am convinced that the members that had warned me about this bowls abrasiveness are likely correct, so I've stopped using it for bowl lathering, and use it instead for soaking my brushes, as it's the perfect size for that.

I currently have a copper Captains Choice bowl on the way. Actually arrived today at my UPS box, so I will be picking it up shortly. I also ordered a Timeless 'adjustable' brush handle today so as to be able to just purchase and swap out knots, without having to buy an entire brush. If I use the bowl going forward, it will be with the Timeless brush with synthetic knots that I acquire from AP Shave Co. The synthetic knots are fairly inexpensive so I won't be too worried about chewing them up, and they will be a snap to replace with the Timeless handle.

My opinion is this. If you're worried about it chewing up brushes, my limited experience is that I believe that it does. I say I believe that it does because of the slight wear I've noticed thus far on my Semogue that I'm attributing to the bowl. I'm not willing to continue using it to see if I'm right, because if I am, by then the brush would be too far gone. If you want to keep it for limited use with inexpensive shaving brushes, or for use as a soaking bowl, keep it. If you have no interest in using it for either of those two things, return it. My return window for it has since closed or I may have ended up returning it myself. For what the bowl costs you (if you bought it on Amazon) you can get a Captains Choice standard copper bowl for $10 more.

All said, the ceramic Captains Choice look-a-like bowl that you purchased looks amazingly similar to the genuine CC bowl, and I'm willing to bet it will whip up just as good a lather, and with the smooth interior, you won't have to worry about it chewing up your brushes, especially if you have some spendy badgers in your arsenal.

 

[jaro 101969]

If you have problems with the marble bowl , return it and go to a thrift store and get a cup or soup mug for less than a dollar and use it to soak your brush in and use the CC tribute bowl to build your lather in.. That way you wouldn't be spending a lot for extra stuff you might not really need and then can turn around and use the money you got back on the marble bowl to buy another brush ,razor, soaps , or , AS /colognes !! Good luck with whatever you decide....

 

[Albert V]

My opinion is this. If you're worried about it chewing up brushes, my limited experience is that I believe that it does…. If you want to keep it for limited use with inexpensive shaving brushes, or for use as a soaking bowl, keep it. If you have no interest in using it for either of those two things, return it.

All said, the ceramic Captains Choice look-a-like bowl that you purchased looks amazingly similar to the genuine CC bowl, and I'm willing to bet it will whip up just as good a lather, and with the smooth interior,…

thanks for your reply. It was your thread from last month with your marble bowl that gave me the itch I needed to scratch.

My two brushes are Omega boar brushes which are inexpensive. My 26mm knot 10049 Pro brush is only $10, and my other one costs only slightly more. So I am not too concerned about wearing out my brush, and I already have a proper size coffee mug for soaking.

My half price Captains Choice clone is indeed identical in all measurements to the real thing. Only difference is the thumb rest is generic so it does not have the Captains Choice “Compass” logo. I have used it exclusively for over two years so I know what it can do. And, as mentioned above, the time it takes to lather, and the quality of the lather, is identical between the two bowls and both my brushes. So neither bowl has an advantage over the other for its main use.

I will likely return it. But, I do like to look at it. So I better pack it up and get it out of site soon else I may keep it - or worse drop the 1 1/2 pound block of marble on my foot

 

[emwolf]

I've moved to the Captain's Choice heavyweight copper bowl almost exclusively these days. We remodeled our bathroom last year making the tub and shower into a dual walk-in. Pictured below is my side and I have a plastic cup for soaking my brush and blade, and plenty of room on my shelf for the lather bowl.