Thread: How important is the bowl when making lather

Here is a link in the Wiki that I did sometime ago, on making Uberlather, Yes it is better, Yes it does use more stuff.....

However all that aside you can use just the parts that you want from this guide, you can use soap, soap & cream , cream, or full Uberlather.... This system will work with all of them...

As to your original question though, Yes the type of bowl does make a slight difference in the way the lather comes together, but I think it is more of a heat issue then a surface issue....

Lather only has a few variables to it.... soap/cream + amount of water + temp + water hardness + brush = lather
You can adjust somewhat with all those things, our well water for example is hard enough to chip a tooth, so the hotter it is the better.... but if I re-heat then I lose the creaminess and the lather gets foamy not creamy.... weird huh??? Really good, creamy, whipped cream lather, just takes practice, period....

+1 on what Glen said...it's easier to get great lather with hot water than it is with warm water and it feels so much better too.

It's a dual edge sword though as after your VERY hot lather sets in VERY hot scuttle for a while it has a tendency to dry out...so while you are in the beginner mode and taking 30 minutes or more to shave you might have to add a little more water to the lather.

I don't think the bowl is a big deal.
I usually use cream, so I soak my brush with hot water, apply a bit of cream and then build the lather on my face. The hot brush feels really nice, and it is one less item to clutter up the bathroom.
I don't have a scuttle either.

Bowl ,schmoal. I have a GP scuttle and its a very nice decorator piece I rarely use. As long as you have relatively soft water load up your brush with soap after a good wetting and you can make outstanding lather right on your face. That's what I do. You say you want hot lather. Every now and than give your brush a shot of hot water and you have hot lather.