Dirty Bird Scuttles,mug and lather bowl

[Fido]

I ordered a Dirty Bird double size scuttle, lather bowl and mug. A 1.5 scuttle arrived with a lather bowl which I thought had a blemish on it. Julie offered to send me a double size scuttle at her expense and did not want the double back. I decided to keep the 1.5 scuttle and Julie sent me a brush scuttle as a gift. So I'm happy and Julie enhances her reputation as a delightful person to deal with. Because that is what she certainly is.
So I have ended up with an example of most of the Dirty Bird Shaving gear. Lengthy reviews have been done on other forums which many of you will have read so I am not going to go into a lot of detail here. These are my thoughts so far.

These are excellent pieces of pottery. So much so that I have three of them on a shelf in my study. And Julie is a delight to deal with. Just email her through her website and she will respond quickly and make adjustments to her basic models to suit your individual requirements. This is what I am referring to: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.dirtybirdpottery.com/shavinggear.html">http://www.dirtybirdpottery.com/shavinggear.html</a><!-- m -->

The Scuttle

I ordered a double because I thought I would need that for larger brushes. My largest is the Kent BK8. It's just about OK with that so I decided to keep the 1.5 that arrived. I am glad I did. It's quite big enough to handle. It does all that is claimed for it. Lather is quickly created and the brush/lather is kept warm for at least 4 passes which is my maximum. I just use my hot tap water and that is sufficient. I was surprised at the shape of the bowl. There is no flat surface at the bottom to spread the brush. I am used to having a flat surface at the base of a bowl to splay the tips of the brush. This almost gathers the tips to a point. But it doesn't seem to affect the quality of the lathering.
In summary, this is a way of building and keeping warm lather in a convenient way. I am able to place the scuttle on top of my basin and it interferes with nothing. Of course it's a fiddle to use but I think it's worth the effort.

The mug.

It's just a mug. Good for building lather from creams. And it will hold the largest size puck you are likely to get.

Lather bowl

This is a small, very effective lather bowl which can be used in conjunction with the brush scuttle. It fits neatly into the palm of the hand. It's really just to get the lather going rather than to build up a mountain of the stuff. The design works well.

Brush Scuttle.

This comes in two pieces. The inner bowl and outer bowl. Hot water in to both and soak brush in top. Empty, refill outer bowl and insert the inner bowl where the lather filled brush can be placed to warm/keep warm. With my normal tap hot water it works well. It does what it is designed to do.

Conclusions.

Did I need this stuff. No. Could I get warm lather in a cheaper, different way. Yes.
Personally, I have no idea if cold or warm lather gives a better shave. But I do know that I find it much more pleasant to use warm lather.
Is the scuttle better than the brush scuttle? I'm not sure at present. I'm just pleased to have both. After a few weeks I may develop a clear preference, but for now, I'm undecided.
The mug and the lather bowl are nice pieces of pottery. They do what's needed. But I suspect that not a lot of people this side of the pond will see the need to import them.
Having said all this, I'm delighted to have all these Dirty Bird products. They are fun to own and use. As always in this business it's all down to personal choice. As a shaver and a pottery collector I've killed two birds with one stone.

I posted this here because we don't have a "other things" sections in reviews. I won't object to it being moved!

 

[chicken neck]

Wow! Those are some smart looking accessories.

I have been thinking about placing an order for a brush scuttle and was concerned whether or not they would work with larger knot (26/27mm) brushes. One of the guys on B&B who also favours larger brushes ordered a special: non-tapering inner (apparently the tapered inner causes an air pocket when you put the brush in) and a one-piece rather than two piece scuttle (so you don't have to guess how much water to put in the outer pot. Any thoughts on this Fido?

Also, do you find a little preliminary lathering in the lather bowl helps at all or is just extra washing up?

I must say your brown glaze looks very good too - much better than on Julie's website. Do you think it looks more traditional or cool and contemporary ...?

 

[Fido]

The two piece brush scuttle works well because it is simple to judge how much water is needed in the outer bowl. I'm not conscious of an air pocket problem. I would imagine a single piece would work well and that a slightly larger inner bowl would be better for larger brushes. If you have concerns you could discuss it with Julie by email. She must get feedback from others. All I can say is that it works well with my largest brush, the Kent BK8.

As to lathering, you don't do that in the brush scuttle. You lather in your usual way. Bowl, hand or face. The routine with the brush scuttle is prepare your lather in the bowl/hand/soap bowl then place your brush in the scuttle while you rinse your face with hot water. The brush warms quickly.

I'm delighted with the bown glaze. I'd call it traditional.

 

[Arrowhead]

Fido, have you had any problems with the lather deteriorating when kept warm? I mention this because Tabac seems to go a bit slack when I've tried keeping it warm. Doesn't seem to affect other soaps so much though.

 

[Fido]

Andy

The jury is still out on my scuttle and brush scuttle. I'm not really aware of any deterioration of the lather. I am still working out how best to use them and just how to lather in a way which enables me fully to take advantage of them. I'm inclined at the moment to think I will enjoy using the scuttle best. I think it is a more effective way of creating and maintaining warm lather. I have tried taking boiling water to the shower room and filled the scuttles there - an inconvenience for a start. My water from the tap is actually quite hot enough so I'm sticking with that now.
Once I'm settled I don't see myself using warm lather every day. Perhaps once or twice a week - what's the point of a daily pamper? Do things less often and you enjoy them more. Some things anyway!

 

[Fido]

Several months on I'm still using my scuttle but only occasionally. The brush scuttle I use rarely. I'm pleased I got them - all part of the fun of this hobby to try things out. But of course neither are really necessary. If you really enjoy warm lather the scuttle is very effective as a means of getting it. Simple as that.

 

[fozz77]

I am with you here Andy. I also have a Dirty Bird brush scuttle i got given by SWMBO & it has had quite alot of use this winter. However, I have noticed certain lathers wither on the brush between passes. Too be honest in the Houston climate a warm lather is really only appreciated for a short time of the year.

Is a lather that is made in a scuttle more stable than one that is whizzed up on the face & then kept warm in the scuttle?

 

[Fido]

Never noticed a problem with the lather - but I don't use very hot water.

 

[Audiolab]

Good review Fido.

I went for the blue glaze version, Julie had just started offering the chocolate version when I ordered mine and I wasn't sure....then the missus told me to go look at the bathroom, "Feck me our bathroom is blue!!!, when did that happen? " said I, and a blue one was then ordered to match the existing decor. I have used mine almost every day since I bought it last June so I have overheated, under heated, made mistakes and even got it perfect. I have found my prefect combination of initially overheating to save multiple rinses coupled with the right amount of time to cool before use. This works for me, your routine may be different but my morning routine is;

Alarm goes off and Mrs Audiolab goes straight to shower as she has makeup and hair to do. I go downstairs, boil the kettle, and make a nice cup of coffee. I then go and fire up my workstation and see what kind of, or how much crap I have to deal with at work that coming day, I usually have a wee peek at the news hoping that Amy Winehouse has been found to be not from the UK at all, she is an alien immigrant, or just alien.

Coffee finished and day evaluated (5 mins tops) I go back to kitchen and fill scuttle with water from kettle that is probably still a bit too hot to use and walk smartly to bathroom before the sucker heats up too much. Little tip from experience, do not stop to flick the missus on backside with a towel if you happen pass her in the corridor. No matter how tempting this may seem it is not a good idea. You are holding hot water and it will either penetrate through the pottery during the pause while you take aim, and you will look like an arse as you go "OOHH AAAHH". Or if it is filled right to the rim the jerk movement as you attempt the flick of the towel will cause some water to spill and you then swear a lot and your fingers get very hot, either way justice is served and your missus walks away laughing. Of course I am not in the habit of flicking ladies backsides regularly, it was a spur of the moment thing and I nearly drop tested the pottery. I don’t do this at all now…at least not with the scuttle in my hand.

Anyway I digress so back to the routine.

I then shower and perform the required ablutions (10 mins for me in total) this is now about 15ish minutes from when the kettle actually boiled and the scuttle is now perfectly heated, I don't need to bother with running the tap for ages and multiple fills to get heat into the pottery and keep it warm.

The point I am making is that cold pottery sucks the heat out of your warm water so you fill it, wait, empty, and refill, more than once if your tap water does not get very hot. One good solution to this which I use when I can’t be bothered with the kettle (and this works for any lather mug) is to just fill the sink and leave the scuttle completely immersed while you shower. This is the same for any scuttle, you need to get heat into the pottery to store it for release later, the water you fill it with allows thermal transfer to happen easier.

A couple of comments on some of the questions above;

Is a lather that is made in a scuttle more stable than one that is whizzed up on the face & then kept warm in the scuttle?

To make lather in a scuttle you are talking about the normal mug scuttle, I don’t have one of these but Fido has both. With the Brush scuttle if you stick the brush in to heat and it dries slightly you can recharge it from the cold lather bowl stick it back in again to warm. Other scuttles like the DR Moss and the ones where you build and heat the whole lather in a single bowl are different to a brush scuttle. This scuttle is not meant to be a lather store, it is a brush heater. If anything the conical nature of the brush scuttle actually stops the lather drying out unless overheated in the first place (see below)

Fido, have you had any problems with the lather deteriorating when kept warm? I mention this because Tabac seems to go a bit slack when I've tried keeping it warm. Doesn't seem to affect other soaps so much though.

Yes absolutely, overheat the scuttle and the lather on the becomes foamy especially on the outside of the brush and you could blow it away, this sometimes can be rescued by recharging in the bowl (if you used one) or if you face lathered by adding a little water but it is easy to avoid, just don’t use roasting hot water, anything above body temp is nice.

Wow! Those are some smart looking accessories.

I have been thinking about placing an order for a brush scuttle and was concerned whether or not they would work with larger knot (26/27mm) brushes. One of the guys on B&B who also favours larger brushes ordered a special: non-tapering inner (apparently the tapered inner causes an air pocket when you put the brush in) and a one-piece rather than two piece scuttle (so you don't have to guess how much water to put in the outer pot. Any thoughts on this Fido

The inner scuttle can have an air lock with large 26-28 brushes, but only if you ram it all the way down to the down to the bottom. I have noticed this when I have picked up soap from the cake and the bristles are still splayed out and I put it in the scuttle. Just don't push it right down to begin with, the whole scuttle is warm and it will heat the tips and the core of the brush just the same, however if you predominately use the larger brushes then the flat bottomed or 1.5 version is a good idea.

At the time of purchase there was not a 1.5 scuttle available, most of my brushes were around 24 mm knot and they suit this ideally. I do have more bigger brushes now and they do not go all the way down so if I was buying another now I would probably buy a 1.5, but the one I have still heats the brush sufficiently. The heat radiates inside the cone and in some way stops overheating because only the sides of the brush are in contact with the pottery. However if someone want to buy me a 1.5 I will do a compare for you.

Also, do you find a little preliminary lathering in the lather bowl helps at all or is just extra washing up?

Like any bowl lathering it does give you more control of the lather, I bought this as a brush heater and for face lathering and when using a stick so the bowl is just the same as any other, sure it means a little more washing up and drying but we are talking 30 seconds here. If I want to bowl lather it is because I am using a cream or just for the hell of it. When using a straight it helps to have a spare amount of cold lather which does not deteriorate as quickly as heated lather, I take ages to straight shave so this is a bonus for me.

I hardly use the lathering bowl, but I don't often bowl lather anyway, more often I will use a bowl at the weekends than during the week. But it is a nice part of the set and since it is a pain to get it later if you intend on bowl lathering at all then I would buy it. My only complaint is the walls or it are a little low for my liking and some of the soap spills over the edge, the walls taper back in so most of it is reclaimed back into the mix, but it can be mess. With a smaller brush I use my trusty Edwin Jagger lather mug with high sides, with large brushes I use the Dirty Bird lather bowl. For the sake of $12 (£8) I would say buy it and if you don't like it give it to the missus as a trinket tray or keep it beside your bed to throw your keys and loose change in when you get in from work. It's your choice, if you never bowl lather then obviously don't buy it.

I must say your brown glaze looks very good too - much better than on Julie's website. Do you think it looks more traditional or cool and contemporary ...?

I think the brown looks more traditional and the blue more modern, the subtle shaping of them means they will fit in with any décor, I believe….but then again I didn’t realise my bathroom was blue…

Just because we all love pictures here are some of the blue version.

 

[n1vlo]

nice posting guys...i love the scuttle...anyone care to tell me what the delivery is and time to arrive from order

thnx

 

[Audiolab]

Mine took about three weeks from placing the order to having it in my hands but I ordered a custom red basket for the wife that added a little time. It can vary slightly dependent on demand at that time but Julie is usually clear on delivery time if you ask.

 

[Audiolab]

Last point,

Two piece or one piece?

The two piece is easier to clean and fill but it can spill easier and if you get an airlock it can try to lift the inner section when you pick the brush up. I personally do not find this a problem as I don't ram it right down and a slight twist as I pick it up releases the vacuum below, but I concede that a one piece design would work better and how often would it need cleaned? depends on you water I guess. Perhaps a two piece with a half turn screw for the top section to join to the bottom would be the best of both worlds.

 

[Fido]

As my original post shows, I bought several pieces, and they make a nice little pottery collection. But if I were to choose one thing only, it would be the 1.5 scuttle. Its big enough for most brushes, serves as a lathering bowl with or without the hot water required to keep things warm. But if you do use it as intended you have an even more satisfying shaving experience. But don't think you really need it, it's pure indulgence - but isn't that what we are all up to anyway?