Latherking Latherizer Machine

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07-17-2010, 02:33 AM
Slacker007

Latherking Latherizer Machine

Hello guys,

I just went to my barber today and was talking about straight razors with him. He gave me some good advice and strategies to attack my thick beard.
One thing that he mentioned is to try out a Latherking latherizer machine. Said he would help me get one for a good price also.

My question is... Has anyone here ever used a latherking and a straight razor? What was your mileage and opinions? I think the cool factor would be off the charts and a good conversation piece when people came over. :)

Thanks
07-17-2010, 02:40 AM
wdwrx

A bit of Google-fu turned this up: Shaveblog » Further Adventures of the Latherking
And a quick glance at a sales page says in plain english "low-volume use will result in degraded lather quality" (Latherking Latherizer Machine)

So there ya go....
07-17-2010, 05:20 AM
Pops!

my barber uses a latherking and it's okay i guess.. i've gotten a shave on occasion and i enjoy it.. but i further enjoy my brush.
07-17-2010, 02:01 PM
JimmyHAD

I owned one for a time back in the '80s. For a pro barber who keeps the machine plugged in daily for hot (more like warm) lather on customers it is alright. For a home user it would be something you would have to monitor by adding water so it didn't dry out if it were plugged in all of the time.

Alternatively you could leave it unplugged until an hour before the shave and remember to plug it in to heat up the lather. All this and the lather is nowhere near as thick and creamy as that generated with a brush and a puck of soap or a tub of good cream. That is IME but YMMV.
07-17-2010, 02:24 PM
Lynn

I had one a few years ago and I just could not get a thick and creamy lather. It lathered well and warm for sure, but it was a thinner suds no matter how much I experimented. It was fun to play with for a while though. I have been addicted to better soaps and creams and a scuttle since then.

Have fun,

Lynn
07-17-2010, 06:06 PM
BKratchmer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynn

I had one a few years ago and I just could not get a thick and creamy lather. It lathered well and warm for sure, but it was a thinner suds no matter how much I experimented. It was fun to play with for a while though. I have been addicted to better soaps and creams and a scuttle since then.

Have fun,

Lynn

See, that's what gets me... I'd never use it, but it would sure be fun to play with...
07-17-2010, 06:12 PM
Slacker007

Thanks

Thanks for the opinions. I was thinking it would be fun to play with and a big conversation piece when people stopped by.
07-17-2010, 06:57 PM
niftyshaving

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slacker007

Hello guys,

I just went to my barber today and was talking about straight razors with him. He gave me some good advice and strategies to attack my thick beard.
One thing that he mentioned is to try out a Latherking latherizer machine. Said he would help me get one for a good price also.

My question is... Has anyone here ever used a latherking and a straight razor? What was your mileage and opinions? I think the cool factor would be off the charts and a good conversation piece when people came over. :)

Thanks

For home use it is hard to compete with Tabac, MWF or Proraso
combined with a decent brush. Unless you have some
Truefit & Hill or Taylor of Old Bond Street or one of 100 other
classic creams or soaps.
07-17-2010, 11:23 PM
thebigspendur

I remember years ago when I was a kid and the barber used it to produce lather to trim sideburns with a straight. It was a really light airy foam. I think if you bought some soap and it produced foam like that you would be a very unhappy guy.
07-17-2010, 11:44 PM
Pops!

this just brought back a memory of being at the barber as a kid and when it came time to clean up my neck i'd feel like molten lava was being spread across my neck.. i guess i was a sensitive kid.. but damn that stuff was hot.
02-09-2012, 08:20 PM
gcubed

I'll be 65 this month and have shaved with straight razors only since 16 years age. Till 1992 I used brush and shaving mug with Williams being the soap because it was readily available. I started with the razor because I started cutting my own hair and insist on razor lining around ears and back of neck which cannot be done safely and easily any other way. In 1992 I purchased a Lather King Jr. and it has been plugged in everyday 24/7 since and has never had issues even on occasions when it has been run dry. In such case I just add water and let it sit for a few hours, press the button for a while and add cap of Campbell's soap. One 8 FL.OZ. bottle will last me two years for home use. At $3.00 a bottle please.

As for thick lather, that you don't want. What you do want is moisturizing that does not evaporate before you finish. Also you want the lather to be thin enough to be able to swipe your thumb to remove the lather so you can see where the razor line is when trimming around your ear or getting sideburns straight and even, as well as, your mustache, beard or what ever needs close cropping.
02-09-2012, 08:59 PM
CaliforniaCajun

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcubed

I'll be 65 this month and have shaved with straight razors only since 16 years age. Till 1992 I used brush and shaving mug with Williams being the soap because it was readily available. I started with the razor because I started cutting my own hair and insist on razor lining around ears and back of neck which cannot be done safely and easily any other way. In 1992 I purchased a Lather King Jr. and it has been plugged in everyday 24/7 since and has never had issues even on occasions when it has been run dry. In such case I just add water and let it sit for a few hours, press the button for a while and add cap of Campbell's soap. One 8 FL.OZ. bottle will last me two years for home use. At $3.00 a bottle please.

As for thick lather, that you don't want. What you do want is moisturizing that does not evaporate before you finish. Also you want the lather to be thin enough to be able to swipe your thumb to remove the lather so you can see where the razor line is when trimming around your ear or getting sideburns straight and even, as well as, your mustache, beard or what ever needs close cropping.

Evidently the Junior model is no longer available. I have fond memories back in the day when the barber would start that machine and put that warm lather around my ears and neck and shave it after the haircut.

What I do to have warm lather is keep a bowl of very hot water to dip my brush in before each pass. Feels good.
02-09-2012, 09:04 PM
JimmyHAD

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcubed

I'll be 65 this month and have shaved with straight razors only since 16 years age. Till 1992 I used brush and shaving mug with Williams being the soap because it was readily available. I started with the razor because I started cutting my own hair and insist on razor lining around ears and back of neck which cannot be done safely and easily any other way. In 1992 I purchased a Lather King Jr. and it has been plugged in everyday 24/7 since and has never had issues even on occasions when it has been run dry. In such case I just add water and let it sit for a few hours, press the button for a while and add cap of Campbell's soap. One 8 FL.OZ. bottle will last me two years for home use. At $3.00 a bottle please.

As for thick lather, that you don't want. What you do want is moisturizing that does not evaporate before you finish. Also you want the lather to be thin enough to be able to swipe your thumb to remove the lather so you can see where the razor line is when trimming around your ear or getting sideburns straight and even, as well as, your mustache, beard or what ever needs close cropping.

Welcome to SRP. j had a lather king 25 years or so ago but liked the brush/mug better. Thanks for sharing your experience. Goes to show, different strokes for different folks. :D
02-09-2012, 10:12 PM
MoreWhisky

Ive just had a look at one , bloody ugly machines arnt they.

http://www.ensleybeautysupply.com/Me...g%20lather.png
02-09-2012, 10:38 PM
thebigspendur

Back in the old days they were chrome plated stylized machines to match all the chrome on cars in those days.
02-10-2012, 04:14 PM
whavens

I have one that I just got back from my barber. His heating element died and while it was getting repaired he borrowed mine. I use soaps and creams more than I use my Lather King. Mine is like the one thebigspendur describes. My dentist geve it to me, it was in his dad's barber shop for years. It does produce nice hot lather, just not as dense as what I can whip up with a brush and puck.
02-10-2012, 04:31 PM
JimmyHAD

Quote:

Originally Posted by whavens

It does produce nice hot lather, just not as dense as what I can whip up with a brush and puck.

IME nowhere near as dense. Thin actually, that is why I don't care for it. BTW, I had the pro chrome one too. Bought it off an old barber.
02-10-2012, 04:49 PM
sharptonn

1 Attachment(s)

I have one. I got this soap/cleaner off an Ebay merchant. Sucker makes piles and piles of lather right now. I thought about experimenting with grated soaps and such, but have not. This soap and a squirt of glycerine works fantastic, though!;)
02-16-2012, 01:34 AM
Disburden

Can we see the lather? As far as lather thickness goes more and more i am liking a more slick lather over a thick and mashmellowy lather. I have been rubbing the lather in with my hand on my face after the brush too...
02-16-2012, 02:11 AM
JimmyHAD

Quote:

Originally Posted by Disburden

Can we see the lather? As far as lather thickness goes more and more i am liking a more slick lather over a thick and mashmellowy lather. I have been rubbing the lather in with my hand on my face after the brush too...

Many barber shops still use the device to do the neck and around the ears after the haircut. If yours does, ask for a dab in your hand and you'll have an idea. IIRC, it was very thin stuff.
02-17-2012, 01:11 AM
vvti713

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I have one. I got this soap/cleaner off an Ebay merchant. Sucker makes piles and piles of lather right now. I thought about experimenting with grated soaps and such, but have not. This soap and a squirt of glycerine works fantastic, though!;)

THAT ROOM IS LIKE A WONDERLAND BTW ;) lol.
10-14-2012, 01:58 AM
fmlondon

Campbell's Latherizer

Quote:

Originally Posted by vvti713

THAT ROOM IS LIKE A WONDERLAND BTW ;) lol.

I have owned one of the chrome plated varieties for years. I purchased it off Ebay. I agree with most of the posters, I usually prefer a stick and brush or lather shaving cream and brush. However, it is a nice treat to have the warm lather, so I uses it once in a while.

Does anyone know when it was invented? I also have a black hot lather machine, which uses bar soap. Does anyone know about this machine?

Thanks!
10-14-2012, 05:08 AM
dustoff003

Latherking Latherizer Machine

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Back in the old days they were chrome plated stylized machines to match all the chrome on cars in those days.

I am thinking they were chromed and stylized to match the barber chairs?
10-14-2012, 05:35 PM
CaliforniaCajun

My fondest memory of haircuts when I was a kid was hearing the "whirr" of the lather machine and feeling the warm lather being spread behind my ears. It also felt great when the barber shaved that area. I probably haven't experienced that since before 1970.

I'm curious, does anybody try to apply lather behind the ears and around the nape of the neck and try to shave themselves? Sounds dangerous!
10-14-2012, 08:17 PM
thebigspendur

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

My fondest memory of haircuts when I was a kid was hearing the "whirr" of the lather machine and feeling the warm lather being spread behind my ears. It also felt great when the barber shaved that area. I probably haven't experienced that since before 1970.

I'm curious, does anybody try to apply lather behind the ears and around the nape of the neck and try to shave themselves? Sounds dangerous!

I imagine with practice it would be no different than normal straight shaving. It's done more by feel anyway.