What's new
The Shaving Cadre

Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun

Scuttles...

dangerousdon

dangerousdon

"I am Udderly Insufferable”
Veteran
Concierge Emeritus
So I have seen a lot of scuttles lately. In the SOTD pics and the online retailers. It seems that some of these are much more affordable than they used to be. It wasn't long ago that you either found a vintage one and probably paid more than it was worth. Or you bought one from a retailer or artisan that had them specially made and most likely broke the bank. But now I am seeing some good quality modern shave scuttles for...seriously...$25 - $30.

So here is my question to the wise all knowing of the Cadre...Are Shaving Scuttles useful and or practical?

 
dangerousdon said:
So I have seen a lot of scuttles lately. In the SOTD pics and the online retailers. It seems that some of these are much more affordable than they used to be. It wasn't long ago that you either found a vintage one and probably paid more than it was worth. Or you bought one from a retailer or artisan that had them specially made and most likely broke the bank. But now I am seeing some good quality modern shave scuttles for...seriously...$25 - $30.

So here is my question to the wise all knowing of the Cadre...Are Shaving Scuttles useful and or practical?

Click to expand...
I've been so lazy recently that I have been (plug your ears @Dragonsbeard ) soap dish loading and face lathering.

This would be a 180° turn from my current trajectory. Still, I'm also curious. Previous conversations, if I recall:

Positive = warm soothing lather

Negative = drying lather

But don't go on that. I've never used one and could be mistaken.
 
mrdoug said:
I've been so lazy recently that I have been (plug your ears @Dragonsbeard ) soap dish loading and face lathering.

This would be a 180° turn from my current trajectory. Still, I'm also curious. Previous conversations, if I recall:

Positive = warm soothing lather

Negative = drying lather

But don't go on that. I've never used one and could be mistaken.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I am really more curious than anything. I mostly (plug your ears again @Dragonsbeard ) soap dish load and face lather myself. But I do bowl lather from time to time (depending on the soap really) and I have always wondered about scuttles.
 
Yarrrrr, matey. That be a dirty word here in Pirate Cove! Me best dancing leg do be on that ship.
giphy.gif




sinking_orig.gif
 
I sometimes use one. They seem nice. Make sure not to get it too warm or you risk breaking the lather.down... get it just right and it's good..
Some hold temp better than others.. if you live in a cold area they could be really nice I could imagine. I live in a sort of mild climate so I guess I don't really need it but it's nice.
 
dangerousdon said:
But now I am seeing some good quality modern shave scuttles for...seriously...$25 - $30.
Click to expand...
I don't pay much attention to scuttles on the market, but honestly I don't recall them costing much more than that 5-10 years ago.
dangerousdon said:
So here is my question to the wise all knowing of the Cadre...Are Shaving Scuttles useful and or practical?
Click to expand...
I have a few, both vintage and artisan...… and never use them. If you really want to have warm lather, then go for it. But I never got enough benefit from them to warrant the extra time involved.

mrdoug said:
I've been so lazy recently that I have been …... soap dish loading and face lathering.
Click to expand...
That's not lazy. Face lathering is where it's at! That's the one thing I wish I'd known about from day one. Once I learned about face lathering, my lather quality and shaves improved dramatically!
 
Spider said:
I have a few, both vintage and artisan...… and never use them. If you really want to have warm lather, then go for it. But I never got enough benefit from them to warrant the extra time involved.
Click to expand...
Thanks...the sort of info I am looking for.

Spider said:
I don't pay much attention to scuttles on the market, but honestly I don't recall them costing much more than that 5-10 years ago.
Click to expand...
Maybe so...I never saw them that cheap. I always saw them for $75+ and more often than not northward of a hundo.
 
Never tried one. However, if I want warm lather, a puck of Williams in a green Marvy mug filled with hot water with an Omega pro soaking works nicely.
 
I received a scuttle recently, and have been using it with nearly boiling water from the kettle, when using softer soaps. It certainly provides a warm brush and lather throughout the shave, but dries the lather a bit as well. I don't find this to be a big deal, being that I normally face lather, so dipping the tips on the next passes application is no big deal.

As a matter of fact I also tend to do less "lathering" in the scuttle, and instead mostly just load from it and finish off the lathering on my face. It is mostly a fancy warm bowl for resting my loaded up brush, and it feels quite nice.
 
OpusX said:
I received a scuttle recently, and have been using it with nearly boiling water from the kettle, when using softer soaps. It certainly provides a warm brush and lather throughout the shave, but dries the lather a bit as well. I don't find this to be a big deal, being that I normal face lather, so dipping the tips on the next passes application is no big deal.

As a matter of fact I also tend to do less "lathering" in the scuttle, and instead mostly just load from it and finish off the lathering on my face. It is mostly a fancy warm bowl for resting my loaded up brush, and it feels quite nice.
Click to expand...
Definitely face lather. 😁
 
I have two vintage ones and I do use them from time to time. Mine have the small bowl on top and I use it for a brush warmer, they are too small to build a lather. I face lather and don’t need one of those massive bowl lathering ones.

The folks at PAA sent me an email and I am considering buying this one.

phoenixartisanaccoutrements.com

Phoenix Shaving Moonscape Brush Scuttle | A Classic Face Lathering Tool | Ceramic

Find the ENTIRE Phoenix Shaving Brush Collection Here! [See All Our Scuttle Options ===> HERE!] You totally were not expecting this one, right? Surprise folks! With the launch of our latest Moonscape Scuttle and almost immediate popularity due to it's quality, value and size it became really...
phoenixartisanaccoutrements.com phoenixartisanaccoutrements.com
 
They are in that they do make the later feel nice, but there's a downside, that most soaps don't tolerate the heat, and evaporation is a problem. The lather can easily go thin and bubbly. I haven't used mine in quite a while tbh.
 
I use a Moss scuttle every day throughout the year because I like the feel of the warm lather on my face. I have owned and used many other good scuttles, but for me the Moss is overall (counter footprint, weight, bowl size, efficiency, appearance) the best. I have found that with nearly all my soaps and creams, so long as I just use warm to hot tap water - not pan-boiling or microwave-heated - the lather does not break down at all or get dried out.
 
HMan said:
They are in that they do make the later feel nice, but there's a downside, that most soaps don't tolerate the heat, and evaporation is a problem. The lather can easily go thin and bubbly. I haven't used mine in quite a while tbh.
Click to expand...
churchilllafemme said:
I use a Moss scuttle every day throughout the year because I like the feel of the warm lather on my face. I have owned and used many other good scuttles, but for me the Moss is overall (counter footprint, weight, bowl size, efficiency, appearance) the best. I have found that with nearly all my soaps and creams, so long as I just use warm to hot tap water - not pan-boiling or microwave-heated - the lather does not break down at all or get dried out.
Click to expand...
Thats why in my earlier post I said to be careful and not get it too hot so as to avoid the lather breaking down...
 
I’ve got a very large scuttle I got from Dirtybird yrs ago. When it’s filled with hot ( not boiling water ) it gives me a nice warm later which I really enjoy from time to time during the cold winters we get in NY. It’s so heavy when filled that once I build my lather I don’t have to touch the scuttle. Just leave it on my countertop and load my brush from it. So yeah I enjoy using it once in a while when I have the time.
 
I pretty much always soak my brushes in my coconut bowl filled with HOT water then load-n-lather either on the soap and/or my face as the soap/lather dictates. My goal is to do as much lathering on the face as possible because it is my FEELING (is it scientifically proven? God's will? plain truth? Barber lore? or pure fiction?) that face lathering does things to yield a better shave and even a better...but I have always been one who does a hybrid face/bowl lather. I have never really felt the pull of the scuttle but I have enjoyed a warm lather here and there and wondered if a warm lather for each of 3 passes would be "worth it". Since I lather the brush and not the bowl I would need a scuttle that is capable of keeping my brush warm if one existed.

If I may go slightly off topic... It seems more than a few of those who have already posted have indicated that "lathering on the soap" is somehow a sin? I don't agree, in fact I think most soaps perform best if you load of the surface of the puck or tub, some harder soaps even benefit from a little lathering action on the surface. I have noticed a disturbing trend among wet shavers lately that has officially "stuck in my craw" and become a "pet peeve". What is this trend you ask? SCOOPING! Gone are the days where someone buys a soap intent on actually keeping it, nay! they gingerly scoop soap from the surface and place that scooped sample in a bowl (or scuttle) to be loaded and lathered. How do I know this? Because these scooped soaps end up later being listed for sale on a shaving forum BST "almost new!-never lathered on, only x scoops removed".

Back on topic. One of the biggest reasons I have never really considered a scuttle is that I usually use cool or cold water for my shave. After the hot water first rinse and first lathering I go cold to avoid irritation. I found hot water rinses caused irritation so I assumed hot lather every pass would do the same or not help any.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top