Been interested in having nice, warm lather lately and started looking at scuttles. I've noticed that there are two different designs; one with holes in the top bowl and another design without holes and looks more like a bowl on another bowl with a pour spout. A few questions here... First, are scuttles worth the extra work and extra expense? Are the ones with holes for soaps? Do scuttles give a more satisfying warm lather than bowls or mugs? These questions are probably more for those who prefer not to face lather.
I had one that was small it worked nice with very small brushes I started collecting larger brushes so i sold it and bought a brush warmer and a large scuttle. The scuttle sucks doesn't stay warm long. The brush warmer works like a dream so now I just face lather. There is a guy on etsy.com that makes them from north Carolina. The price is good they are ready to ship. They work much better than a scuttle. Any brush will fit in them. The lather is not hot but warm for each pass. If I can find his name I will post it for you
There was a while there where I was using a scuttle daily. There is something very decadent about warm lather spread on the face in the morning. I found a full-sized scuttle to be more efficient (effective) than a smaller bowl or mug in providing warmer lather in large quantities.. The use of one, however, does require MORE work but many would argue the payoff is well-worth the effort. I've become more of a face-latherer as of late, so I've neglected using either of my scuttles. Ceramic biggie (with lid) and travel-size:
I have a very nice G12 scuttle. In the box it came in. Although it's nice to have warm lather, a scuttle takes a lot of room.
I am back on a face lathering stretch, but I still enjoy my Georgetown Pottery G-12. I also have a simple handmade bowl as well. I would put the scuttle up, but my son really likes it so it stays out and is used several times per week by him. I sent a G-12 to my son who lives in San Francisco and he really likes it. Here is my Sarah Welch (etsy) lather bowl: Here is my G-12: They both have a similar footprint on the counter, so I don't think I save space either way. The warm lather is nice on a cold morning. The light weight of the simple bowl is a joy to experience in the mornings when my hands are little bound up with arthritis.
Sorry I was unclear. I meant that a scuttle/bowl creates more mess than just face lathering with, say, a stick
Oh I do really like the warm lather on some cold mornings - but I do also clearly notice how much quicker it is to clean up - and be out the door - if I just use s shave stick. I go in phase with what I use. Right now I'm on an Arko/shave stick loving spree
I haven't been bitten by the scuttle bug yet. I just work up a nice lather in my ceramic shave bowl, fill the sink with about 3" of very hot water and set my bowl down in the water. Not only does it keep my lather nice and warm, I also have a reservoir of water to rinse off my razor between strokes. I can't say that I will never get a scuttle, but this method works great for me now.
I also currently put my mug in the sink with hot water. It keeps the lather warm when I lather in the mug and keeps the brush warm when I face lather. But, I am looking to get a G12. My wife isn't to happy with my mugs (she finds them ugly). So, I figured I would do her a favor and get something that looked nice. I am only thinking of her.
The travel-sized grey one is perfect for the road..essentially the size of a large mug but with capability to warm lather…
There are a couple different types of scuttles. The first type, called a moss scuttle, is the type many here have. With a moss scuttle, you are creating the lather inside the scuttle's bowl. Throw in some cream, some water, and whip it up. Alternatively, you can load your brush from soap in a different container and then use the bowl to create the lather. The second type of scuttle, who's name I forget, is not used to create the lather. It is only used to load the brush. This type has holes in the bottom of the cup, like this: This type scuttle is only used with soap. The soap is placed in the upper dish and the brush sits in the water in the bottom of the scuttle until ready for use. The user will pull the brush out of the water and load the brush on the soap. Any excess water drains into the bottom container. The loaded brush is then used to face lather, rather than building the lather inside the bowl. Did that clear it up?
I've been for the past few months using a Dirty Bird, which is a Moss-type scuttle. I love it. Is it worth the extra time and expense? Well for one thing, it doesn't add a whole lot of extra time to your ritual. Maybe two minutes tops. Cost-wise, they are not particularly cheap, but it's a one-time expenditure. In my case, I got mine as a birthday gift. Now to the performance. A scuttle can provide you with nice, warm lather, but it's not a sure thing. I think a scuttle does a good job of keeping the lather warm, but not necessarily a good job of getting it warm in the first place. The scuttle is prepared by filling both the outer part and the bowl part with hot water. I do this just before jumping in the shower. When I come out, I empty the scuttle and refill the outer part with hot water. I start my first pass by adding a very small amount of hot water to the bowl part of the scuttle before adding my soap or cream. Then I whip up the lather and it will usually be nice and warm. Right after lathering up my face, I'll dip the tip of my brush in the hot sink water and put it back in the lather in the scuttle, mashing it down a bit. By the time I've finished my first pass, the lather in the scuttle will be pretty warm, sometimes even hot. The hot lather is awesome! Two more passes of lathering delight! A scuttle is an excellent vessel for building lather. The web-shaped groove pattern in my Dirty Bird scuttle really makes a difference, I think. If I'm using cream, for example, I find that I can use about half as much cream as I did before and still get all the lather I could ever want. My scuttle does take up a little counter space, but it's not terrible. Eventually, I will build a little shelf underneath my sink to store the scuttle between uses.
