I like the vintage Old Spice mugs for their low sides, I hate the clanking of a brush against the side of a deep mug. I also find that the lathering is easier if the puck fits the mug side to side, I melt my pucks into the mug in the microwave or a pan of hot water.
I "borrowed" a nice bowl from the kitchen. After about three months SWMBO started "asking" for it back. I was at a craft fair, and found a nice soup bowl with a textured bottom and a handle, and 90 degree sides. I have seperate containers that I store my soap in, the bowl is used just to build the lather. I enjoy bowl lathering all time, but don't know that I would pay for a specific shave mug. Find something you like the look of feel of, and use it.
Newbie here. It seems odd that people have strong preferences for blades, razors, soaps, creams, and everything else but could not give a fig about the shaving mug. Around here you can't fling a plate without hitting a potter so I was thinking of ordering a shaving bowl or mug to spec. The prices are tolerable - we had some large two handled mugs made for our son who has tremors and the two handed grip helps. Which lead me to wondering what made for a really nice mug or bowl. Nubbly texture inside? Mass to hold heat? Concave, convex, or flat sides? Raku firing? Loops to store the bush and razor? Seems like - nuthin'.
I've tried a Chinese ceramic rice bowl; which worked well until I chipped it badly against the sink. I've tried a coffee mug; which did not give the the surface area I wanted and I didn't like the clanking of the side with the brush handle hit it. I've tried a stainless steel bowl, but it cooled down as soon as it was out of the hot water bath. My favorite bowl is now a wooden bowl that my GFT soap puck came in. It holds temperature for a decent amount of time and has the perfect amount of surface area to swirl my lather. The sides are low enough that it won't hit the brush handle, and I won't easily break it.
Find a local potter and have a bowl fired to your liking. The price won't be much different and there is no shipping charges. I just realized I'm starting to collect bowl.
I should be receiving the Marvy rubber mug this week. I have been using a ceramic coffee cup these last few months...it works fine but it does make a racket while lathering my soap. Which I don't mind but I do shave at 3AM and I do respect anyone under the same roof trying to sleep.
I like a nice bowl for my Cella croap , no clanging brush against the bowl with brush, works great even for hard soap , some guys microwave the hard soaps then refrigerate to harden http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Hand-Thrown-Lather-Bowl-Light-Blue_p_526.html
