Quote Originally Posted by VeeDubb65 View Post
I think I have a very different view of lather than a lot of the folks around here. YMMV, but I see no reason to generate a pint of lather that looks like pudding.
Well, it depends on what you are doing. When I shave I do 2 things: test the soap and shave. I find it easier for me to find the right point of the lather (when the big air bubbles start to come out) when I lather in a bowl and use a bit more than I need, particularly because I test too many soaps; otherwise, I would agree with your comment for the most part.

Quote Originally Posted by VeeDubb65 View Post
I don't lather in a bowl, and if I somehow managed to produce lather that looked like what I see around here all the time, I'd wash everything off, including my brush, and start over. The lather is there to lubricate your skin, not make you look like santa.
Again, I think that you are partially right on this one. Yes, one of the functions of the lather is to lubricate your skin (and also to soften the whiskers) but also to provide cushion and glide (these do not have to be mutually exclusive) during the shave. Good lather does even more for your skin than just that but I agree, the santa face is not necessary, you can definitely get both if you really want. I would say that the santa face is a matter of personal preference. If I have read the reviews correctly, with the soap you are using, you get some of these qualities from the clay rather than from any direct effect on the skin, this is also something to consider.

Quote Originally Posted by VeeDubb65 View Post
I rapidly twist the brush back and forth while pumping up and down on top of the soap to load it, which usually takes about 10 seconds. I go until I can just see a thin lather starting to form around the edges. The brush will have no visible lather on it.
10 seconds? With most of the soaps I use, if I swirl for more than 3 seconds, I end up filling my bowl with lather.

Quote Originally Posted by VeeDubb65 View Post
Then I take my very hot soapy brush, and lather on my face. I get lather that is as hot as I could possibly stand, and a nice full lather. I also get a nice little face massage in the process.
I am not a face latherer but after talking to a few senior member that prefer this method, I gave it a try. I must say that face lathering is great for your skin. I would have to work on the process as I ended up making a mess in the bathroom but that is a different story. Also, a lot of brushes are to soft to be used for this method. I managed to get enough soap in the brush to relather a couple of times without hitting the soap again.

Quote Originally Posted by VeeDubb65 View Post
Doing this, I get consistently hot lather, and a 1oz bar of TGQ (which is very soft stuff) lasts me a month or more. And, you can pick up an old-school scuttle like mine for $15-$35 on the bay.
If I read your post correctly, your comment is partly directed towards the economy of your method vs generating large quantities of lather that would inevitably end up in the sewer. This is how I look at the issue of economy: assuming that you shave once a day, you get approximately 30 shaves per oz of soap. I get over 10 shaves per 4 gr of The Bomb, which is my homemade soap, using my seemingly wasteful method; this is over 70 shaves per oz of soap. Utopian, another member here, gets over 5 years of usage out of a puck of Tabac, which is an EXCELLENT!!! shaving soap. You may not like the scent but you cannot argue about its performance. I personally would not use his method myself but again, this is a matter of personal preference. I have been offered some samples of TGQ soaps for testing and at that point, I would be able to tell you how they compare to The Bomb. The point that I am trying to make is that the choice of soap and lathering method should be a matter of personal preference. People should do whatever makes them happy, there is not a unique way to do things. Also, I find that you normally get what you pay for, there may be a way around this but I have not yet found it... ;-)

Al raz.