Thread: Scuttle vs Mug

Originally Posted by Str8Shooter

Don't know how it happened but somehow I ordered the dirty bird travel scuttle. To match the home 1.5. Lol

I have a DB Travel that matches my DB 1.5. I use the Travel Scuttle when I face lather to keep the brush and lather warm between passes. Works Great.

Originally Posted by DLP

I have a DB Travel that matches my DB 1.5. I use the Travel Scuttle when I face lather to keep the brush and lather warm between passes. Works Great.

Looking forward to it.

It looks like here soon, my foray following this thread, will take me back to the plain mug & soap. I am quite enjoy the scuttle, warm lather and nicely soaked brush. The only thing I think i will prefer is the mugs easier portability and moving. So far I only look forward to not leaning over to make lather. The "Feats of Clay" scuttle hold a bit too much water to feel comfortable holding by the handle and lathering. I am afraid I might see the handle come off in my lifetime if I did that. Plus the brush soaker and water level appears I run a chance of getting water everywhere, no biggie but why clean a mess you dont have to make? Even if it is just a quick wipe up of standing water.

Originally Posted by LameBMX

It looks like here soon, my foray following this thread, will take me back to the plain mug & soap. I am quite enjoy the scuttle, warm lather and nicely soaked brush. The only thing I think i will prefer is the mugs easier portability and moving. So far I only look forward to not leaning over to make lather. The "Feats of Clay" scuttle hold a bit too much water to feel comfortable holding by the handle and lathering. I am afraid I might see the handle come off in my lifetime if I did that. Plus the brush soaker and water level appears I run a chance of getting water everywhere, no biggie but why clean a mess you dont have to make? Even if it is just a quick wipe up of standing water.

dont pick it up and leave it on the sink counter.

+1 on leaving the scuttle on the bathroom sink for storage and mixing, if you have the counter real estate. Scuttles are a bit heavy to hold in ones hand while lathering. I move mine only to fill, empty and clean it. I use a Steve Woodhead scuttle which keeps my lather warm as long as I need it. If you do not have the counter space for permenant scuttle storage, consider a set of shelves above a nearby WC tank for additional storage space. I keep frequently used shaving supplies over the WC tank on shelves and move what I need for my day's shave to the sink counter as needed. However, my straights are stored in a dryer more secure location when not in use.

I use the scuttle only for keeping lather warm. My soaps are kept in mugs or ceramic shop ramkins of suitable internal diameter. I fill my scuttle with hot faucet water and let it sit with my brush soaking while I shower. I drain and refill the scuttle with hot water before making lather.

Hard milled soaps such as MWF and Tabac soak in warm water in their mugs while I shower. After showering, I drain the mug, shake out the brush, and make lather in the mug. I dribble the lather from the mug into the scuttle as I mix the lather in the tipped down position. Often, I add 8 drops of glycerin and a dollop of Bigelow cream to the scuttle with soap before I whip up my lather. Softer soaps such as ProRaso and Cella do not need a presoak.

Nothing that I have used so far beats MWF or Tabac with the glycerin and cream additives. I believe that I bleed less frequently and have less irritation while using these soaps based on appearance and the frequency and intensity of aftershave lotion burning sensation. The cream and glycerin give me more glide, cushion, and drying face time which is desirable for straight razor shaves as I am slower shaving with a straight than when using only a DE razor.

The lather does start to dry faster in the scuttle from its heat than in a room temperature mug, but this is easily and quickly corrected by adding some water to the brush and remixing. You can see Chimensch rehydrating soap in his scuttle in his 30th anniversary straight shaving video.

Chimensch's Shaving Video - YouTube