I'm new to wetshaving and have been experimenting with making lather from soaps. I'm using a cheap pure badger brush, C&E Nomad soap and so far have been getting very inconsistent results as i try different bowls.

I started with a smallish mixing bowl with a rough surface and found that i would either get a small amount of good lather or a larger amount of crap. Then a switched to a larger, smooth bowl and got a large quantity of great lather first try.

I would have thought the rough bowl would give me a better (more aerated) lather but this doesn't seem to be the case. Do you think the difference is coming from the surface, size or just chance?