Thread: Straight Razor Designs Shaving Bowl A review

review of the new
]Straight Razor Designs Shaving Bowl

A few weeks ago Don sent me one of the new SRD shaving bowls to do a review on, and I was thinking ok it ‘s a bowl piece of cake, But when the bowl arrived that turned out to no exactly be the case. The thing he sent me was more like a pot then a bowl. So I endeavored over the next couple of weeks to see what it could do. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful green glaze that covered the clay it looked well done and a nice sturdy finish. The bowl was well made and when I inquired I found out the bowls were designed by Lynn and Don and each bowl was hand done by Sara Costic an Artist and the owner of the Richfield Art Studio. Because of the handmade nature of these bowls no two will be exactly alike,
As I said earlier this is a large bowl that measures 4 inches across and a good 3 inches deep. I was unable to get a weight on it but let me tell you it a heavy solid tool. I took it in the bathroom to try it out and because of the weight it can set in the sink while the water runs without shifting around, and because of the height you can fill the sink higher than you can with most bowl and thus keep more of your lather warm. I allowed the bowl to set in the water while I got the rest of my stuff together and was surprised to feel how much heat the clay had drawn in from the water it was almost just as hot as my water was.
For this test I used a mixture of cream, glycerin and hard bar soap and used more than I normally would have to see how the high would affect the lather, I added all my soaps in the bowl and selected my largest brush a 28 knot. I soaked the brush in water and started to whip up the lather adding a little water as I needed to get a great lather going. I was surprised at how well the large brush fit in the bowl the opening was just big enough without being so large that you would lose a smaller brush. And I continued to whip even after I had enough lather for my shave and let me tell you this bowl will make enough lather for two or three guys to shave with if you need it and the lather stays hot all the way through.
The last thing I found interesting was the top of the bowl. Most bowls when they get full of lather will allow the lather to over flow the bowl and get all over your hand and the sink. This makes your hands slick and can make holding your straight a little more difficult then normal. This bowl did not have that problem though because the top of the bowl is slanted in at a 45 degree angle causing the lather to fall back into the bowl instead of overflowing. All in all this is one very well thought out bowl.
I found this bowl to be just great you get all the benefits of a scuttle without all the headaches of having to fill it. It got a nice weight and holds a ton of hot lather without making a mess, and it attractive to look at. The only change I might like to change is to give us a choice of colors so we can personalize them a bit more. But all said I would definitely buy one over a scuttle and think its well worth the money
On a 1 to 10 scale I give it a 9

It looks good!

"Most bowls when they get full of lather will allow the lather to over flow the bowl and get all over your hand and the sink. This makes your hands slick and can make holding your straight a little more difficult then normal."

This is THE reason why I'm a face latherer! I'm glad to see that someone has finally addressed the issue - Good Job to Lynn and Don for having the foresight to put the top section at a slant to keep the lather in the bowl. From looks alone, it seems that the bottom of the bowl has a small enough diameter to comfortably hold it in your hand. Usually any bowl that I use that is comfortable to lather in is NOT comfortable/easy to hold.

The ergonomics on this one look just right, to me! Has a price been set?

I think it is just check thrir website

I got mine yesterday and used it this morning. It is VERY LARGE. I had enough lather to shave 2 or 3 times, and I am one who does WTG, XG and ATG passes. So I use lots of lather. All-in-all a great lather bowl. And if that doesn't work out for you it would make a great pot for a plant..

Originally Posted by Doc

The last thing I found interesting was the top of the bowl. Most bowls when they get full of lather will allow the lather to over flow the bowl and get all over your hand and the sink. This makes your hands slick and can make holding your straight a little more difficult then normal. This bowl did not have that problem though because the top of the bowl is slanted in at a 45 degree angle causing the lather to fall back into the bowl instead of overflowing. All in all this is one very well thought out bowl.

Doc sold me on the bowl with the description of the top of the bowl. It being higher and having the angle worked like a charm in preventing one of my shaving pet peeves, lather flowing over the top. Having been a face latherer most of my shaving life I discovered the superior results of the bowl a couple of years ago and this is the best designed bowl made IMHO.

Nice review Doc. Thanks for the information.

I love that there's a lip to it to keep the lather in. "Makes your hands slick..." I hate it when that happens.

I'm getting close to getting myself one of these to try. I'm ready for something else besides just my one mug in the rotation. Hell I got choices with everything else, why not another mug/bowl too?

Yes its a bowl. Not much different to a cup.

Never seen the value of one myself. I've tried them but I get just as rich a lather without.

Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

Originally Posted by English

Yes its a bowl. Not much different to a cup.

Never seen the value of one myself. I've tried them but I get just as rich a lather without.

Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

Agreed, different strokes but ......... what makes this bowl work for me is the 45 degree angle at the top. Not only is the bowl deeper than many with this diameter but the angle really does work to keep the lather in the bowl instead of running over the top and down the sides.

That's a fair comment. I suppose if you add glycerin etc and if you don't want to make a mess they are invaluable. Some of us are just messy.

I ordered one of these after reading Doc's review (thanks for that!) and it arrived today.

It's somewhat bigger than I expected. But I like it better as it sits nicely in the sink with plenty of hot water around it. It aslo gives plenty of room for a large brush to work in.

The lip is a cool idea that really works well, keeping everything in the bowl.

This thing is definitely gonna get it's fair share of SOTD time.