My thoughts on the Georgie (G-5) scuttle...

Gentlemen,

I always like to share my thoughts on new shaving gear as to give more insight to others regarding said product. I recently received a G-5 from Georgetown Pottery. I purchased it partly because I want to try everything if I can ( I own a large Moss and have owned and sold a Robert Becker large scuttle with lid), I also wanted to try it for myself to determine if it really is the lukewarm underdog of a scuttle it seems to be vs the Dirty Bird and Moss. I must say, to my surprise it is THE perfect scuttle for me, which is sad because I LOVE my Moss and never thought anything could top that. The Georgie really shocked me both regarding how small it actually is (to me the pictures make it seem larger) and how well it lathers and peforms as a scuttle, keeping the lather warm. Here is my general rundown of my opinions and experience with it.

Scuttle prep was as follows and is identical to my Moss prep: Fill the inner and outer chamber with the hottest tap water, dump and fill just the outer chamber with the hottest tap water and plug it up. Note: I find the scuttle stays just as warm with the rubber stopper out, this is really for keeping the water from sloshing out of the scuttle.

For size reference in the last picture, the one of poor quaility, lol... The brush is a 17mm knotted HMW Plisson. This scuttle is the perfect size for bowl latherers with tiny to 22-24mm brushes.

Pro's:
1. We all know how beautiful these scuttles are and in person they are just as pretty.
2. It fits better in my hand vs my Moss and the handle is freakishly comfortable to loop my thumb through.
3. The lather and brush stay nice and warm for 3 passes.
4. The lather ridges and bowl shape aid in building lather more efficiently than the Moss.

Con's:
1. The lather does not and will not stay "HOT" for a long Straight Razor shave. I will agree with most of the reviews by others on this fact, but how hot do you really need the lather? I prefer warm lather, not hot. Hot lather also breaks down much faster than warm lather.

General recommendation--- I recommend this scuttle to those who enjoy the finer things in life and would like nice toasty warm lather for a typical 10-15 minute shave. I DO NOT recommend this scuttle to anyone who likes to enjoy very long shaves and expects hot lather by the end of that shave.

Let me clarify I hold the Moss scuttle in high regard and would never consider getting rid of mine. I am just shocked how much I really like the G-5, I expected to try it out and get rid of it asap for it not living up to my expectations. It blew me away, really. After many years of wet shaving, I feel I can't really beat the pleasure I get with these great scuttles! :thumbup:

Jeremy-

I still have my G5 in Ivory and my son uses it for DE shaving and it's fine for that. When I first got it and used it for a straight shave I preheated it and then filled it with boiling water and by the time I was 3/4s done with my shave the lather was plain cold. If you use a different scuttle with a larger reservoir like the Oskar for instance the comparison pales. However, looks wise it's the nicest out there.

I recently got one of these as well, but have been having some trouble getting a nice lather with it. Can you go through how you use it to make a nice later?

I have tried a silvertip brush and a smaller travel size brish and neither seem to be working for me, but i think te smaller one should be able to get the job done.

Thanks

Sent from my DROIDX

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I still have my G5 in Ivory and my son uses it for DE shaving and it's fine for that. When I first got it and used it for a straight shave I preheated it and then filled it with boiling water and by the time I was 3/4s done with my shave the lather was plain cold. If you use a different scuttle with a larger reservoir like the Oskar for instance the comparison pales. However, looks wise it's the nicest out there.

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Yep, I can see that happening for sure, that's why I recommend this scuttle for a good 10-15 minute shave. My safety and straight shaves average that time. About how long does your lather stay warm? I know some people's 3 passer might be any where from 10-45 minutes. Jeremy-

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KerryWood34

I recently got one of these as well, but have been having some trouble getting a nice lather with it. Can you go through how you use it to make a nice later?

I have tried a silvertip brush and a smaller travel size brish and neither seem to be working for me, but i think te smaller one should be able to get the job done.

Thanks

Sent from my DROIDX

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Kerry, well, I don't do anything different/special when using this scuttle vs any other time. Here is how I lather:

1. Prep scuttle by filling the inner and outer chambers with hot tap water.
2. Soak brush and then dump out inner bowl chamber.
3. Re-fill just the outer chamber with hot tap water.
4. Load brush on moistened puck of soap for a good 15-30 seconds, I really load up my brushes good on the soap, why be cheap with it right?
5. Go to work swirling in the scuttle and adding tiny amounts of hot water as necessary to hydrate the soap.

That's really it. I use swirling motions and ocassionally pump the brush some to build my lather. I vary the amount of force I use to push the brush down into the lather when swirling, it's all about personal preference and feel. I would say it takes me a good minute or two to finish building a good lather. There is just enough in there for a good 3-4 pass shave, although I am a two passer. Keep in mind, I have found some creams to be difficult trying to lather in a scuttle, probably something to do with the properties of the cream itself. Cella for instance is a bugger for me at times to scuttle lather. I have found soap to be my best friend when it comes down to scuttles.

I hope this helps some. Jeremy-

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Originally Posted by cessnabird

Yep, I can see that happening for sure, that's why I recommend this scuttle for a good 10-15 minute shave. My safety and straight shaves average that time. About how long does your lather stay warm? I know some people's 3 passer might be any where from 10-45 minutes. Jeremy-

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My entire shave is no more than 15 minutes. I found the heat lasted around 10 minutes max. With my Oskar scuttle I can't use boiling water cause the lather is too hot and breaks down. Even with plain hot tap water the Oskar keep thing just right the entire shave and when I dump out the water it's still quite warm.

That sounds about right for the heat retention of the Georgetown. However, little birdy at Georgetown told me they will have both a small and large version of their scuttle available this fall. I am curious to see what the water retention is on the large model when it comes out. I have not used the Oskar yet but judging by your experience with it as well as Thomas' video review, it looks like a winning scuttle for sure. I lack experience with that one and the Dirty Bird. My goal is to eventually try them all just for the fun of it and to experience them all.

The key to heat retention in a scuttle is a lot of water and thin walls. If the walls are too thick they insulate from the heat and too much heat is wasted trying to get through. Off course the more water you have the more heat you start with to begin with. maybe you could heat the thing up in a microwave and the thick walls would then hold the heat longer but I don't think they recommend any prolonged heating in the microwave.