Adding a photo of the Dirty Bird the lines inside the bowl make it very easy to create a lather.
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Adding a photo of the Dirty Bird the lines inside the bowl make it very easy to create a lather.
I use a Moss Scuttle. It doesn't have the lines in it however the surface is on the rough side.
I also have the GeorgeTownPottery G20 scuttle, and it's great for occasions when I want an extra luxurious, hot lather shave...
...but for the day-to-day shaving I use a shaving bowl from an Etsy seller named NingsWonderWorld, available here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Ningswonde...hopheader-name
the inside ridges are incredible for building a great lather... I liked it so much I ordered a second one and now one houses my favorite soap all the time and I use the other one with various soaps, stored in their own containers.
Attachment 228010
I don't have a favorite bowl so much as a favorite size, ideally 4-5" across and around 2" deep. I find large shallow coffee mugs work well and the handle is a bonus.
The best thing I've ever found is a Corning or Pyrex "Grab It" bowl. Perfect size, steep sides so I don't sling my soap everywhere, and a nice handle!
I find it perfect for the task, and if you look hard enough, you can find them in a nice smoked amber color.
I don't bowl lather very much anymore but when I did I found, like Ed, that any bowl 4-5 inches wide and about 3 inches would do nicely. If you are going to got to the effort to bowl lather, I'd suggest a modern twin wall scuttle that will also keep your lather warm between passes. I have a Robert Becker that works just fine and there are many others that work well too.
Bob
I usually face lather, but when I bowl/scuttle lather this one is my current favorite. Even when I don't bowl lather, I use it to keep my brush warm. The Crown King scuttle.
Attachment 228041
Attachment 228042
From left to right is a bowl from Etsy by Symmetrical Pottery, a mesquite bowl that I turned, a Moss Scuttle, and a Dirty Bird scuttle. I love all four of them. I tend to use the one I made the most because it fits in the palm of my hand and is the right size. The one from Symmetrical Pottery is very nice and worth the money but a little large. For it to work the best, you'd really have to keep a soap in the bottom of it. The Moss scuttle is a great lathering bowl even though she doesn't advertise it for lathering, rather for keeping your lathered brush warm. The dirty bird is great too, but large.
For my weekend shave I use a G10 scuttle. But for workday shaves I have a porcelain bowl I picked up at Walmart for $1! Works amazing an still retains some heat in the lather.
I use a simple Van Der Hagen green ceramic bowl my wife bought me when I first showed interest in using a straight. Simple, and it gets the job done! I have been pondering getting a scuttle from SRD.