When it comes to shaving bowls, there isn’t much to it. Sure, there are certain things you could look for to increase the performance of your shave. But mostly, you just want a bowl that is deep enough to hold in the lather when you’re whipping it up with the ol’ brush, wide enough to snugly fit shave soap, and good looking enough to sharpen up your bathroom!

You’re going to want to base your shaving bowl off of the other shaving gear you have. If you have a larger brush or use larger soap, you are going to want to focus on getting a bowl with deep dish and a lip that will prevent spilling. If you’re going for looks, you can pick up a chrome shaving bowl that goes with your stylish safety razor. Either way, it’s an accessory that you want to make work for you and your shaving style.

We have compiled a list of various bowls to help you make your decision!

Why Should You Convert to Old School Shaving:

Researching the different shaving bowls that we are reviewing for you today really got us thinking about the resurgence of wet shaving. It also made us wish that more dudes knew why it is so awesome and why they should join in too. Now we know that this is a little deviation from our shaving bowl path, but bear with us while we try to convert those that aren’t on the wet shave bandwagon already.

Beards were really on trend for a while, but thanks to the shaving gods in the big shaving bowl in the sky, smooth faces are starting to make a comeback. With baby faces on the rise, there also has been a revitalization in the ways of shaving that were popular back when our granddad’s were still the cat’s meow.

We are, of course, talking about wet shaving, friends. Back are the days of double edge safety razors, shaving brushes and shaving bowls. Put down your multi-bladed, uber expensive version of a straight razor and big up a big boy tool.

Those major market brands that claim to give you the closest shave possible have nothing on wet shaving. In fact, closest thing they are giving us is a case of razor burn and too many layers of skin removed. No thanks! We’ll keep our mug intact, thank you very much.

Wet shaving actually does give you a really close shave, but without the high cost of replacement cartridges and skin irritation. So, what we are telling you is, that you can have a wicked smooth face with an awesome razor that will last you longer and will be far cheaper to maintain. Doesn’t that sound great? Ok, so we haven’t got you hooked yet, but no worries because we have another ace up our sleeve.

How do you feel about those cans of foam and gel that you think are doing you justice as shaving cream? Yes, we know they are cheap and that you can find them almost anywhere, but how do they make your skin feel and how to they help your shave? Did you know that they are loaded with chemicals and do nothing to nourish your face?

With wet shaving, you will experience a whole new world of shaving cream and shaving soap…yes, we really did just say shaving soap. You can pick your poison depending on what kind of things you do and do not like. You can select the type of scent, moisturizer and ingredients that you’d really prefer a product that is going to go on your face almost daily and you’ll even be able to read the ingredients list without an issue. That’s probably something that is appealing, right?

We feel like we’ve almost got you hooked, so we will wrap it up and get onto the the shaving mugs now in an attempt to pull you over to the dark side. We hope that you are picking up what we are dropping here and will give wet shaving a try. If you don’t like it, no biggie – but you just may find yourself a fan with a smooth face that didn’t have to take a beating in the shaving process.

Colonel Conk Model 111 Santa Fe Shave Cup:

  • Southwestern style pottery cup handcrafted in New Mexico. Because each cup is individually hand glazed, colors will vary.

Well, I figured we would start this off with a bang. We love Col. Conk products, and we know you love Col. Conk products. So why not start with a Col. Conk shaving bowl? The great thing about this bowl is each one you order will be unique from the rest. It provides a wide base to handle any shave soap you might use. This bowl is ceramic, which means it may be more prone to breaking. However, this also means it can hold its temperature very well! This bowl isn’t as deep as other bowls we have found. This is a good thing. Since this bowl is ceramic, it is more likely to chip when you’re whipping up your lather. However, since the bowl it a little more shallow, there is less of a chance you will hit the brush handle on the edge of the bowl and chip it. Overall, an outstanding bowl for anybody’s collection and another great piece from Col. Conk!


Edwin Jagger Rn6 Contemporary Chrome Plated Shaving Soap Bowl:

  • Ideal for use with many hard shaving soap refills
  • Wonderful accompaniment for any wet shaving routine
  • Used with quality shaving soap and hot water whip up a rich lather for wet shaving

Edwin Jagger is a major brand in shaving gear, so naturally we had to include them in this article. Plus, this bowl is swanky as hell. It has a chrome finish that will go great with any bathroom, and it fits nicely in your palm. The only downside, conceivably, is the relatively small size makes it a bit tough to fit a larger brush inside. Other than that, this is a handsome and great piece to add to the bathroom!


Large Stainless Steel Shaving Soap Bowl from Super Safety Razors:

  • Large bowl accommodates both mug size and over-sized soaps
  • Genuine stainless Steel
  • Mirror finish

For those of you who read the last review and thought “this little bowl isn’t going to do me any good” will be happy to give this bad boy a try. This stainless steel shaving bowl is massive. It will easily receive any combination of shaving soap and brush and wont complain a bit! Another plus, especially for this type of product, if it gets knocked off the counter, it will not break (I am sure some of you have experienced the other side of this with ceramic bowls). Additionally, the good thing about this bowl is that it does heat quickly, however, it also loses heat rather quickly compared to a heavy ceramic bowl. The main thing to note about this bowl is that it is just a great bargain for what you get. We would recommend this bowl to anybody who enjoys wet shaving!


Dark Wood Kingsley Shave Soap Bowl with Lid:

  • Includes lid
  • Dark wood

This dark wood shaving bowl is very attractive! This bowl definitely serves its purpose. It is wide enough to handle any circular shaving soap puck you order and deep enough to fit your brush. The dark wood is an excellent touch. Also, as most bowls we come across do not include the lid, this one certainly does! This makes your soap storage much more secure, and you don’t have to worry about the soap cracking.

However, this bowl cannot be soaked often. You may run into problems with the bowl warping. This can be a downside for those just starting to learn the process of wet shaving. That being said, it is still a very attractive and effective bowl for your shaving needs!


NSSTAR Stainless Steel Shaving Bowl with Heat Insulation:

  • Durable and portable, very classy and stylish.
  • Made from high quality stainless. Perfect for those of us who are accustomed to the traditional form of shaving.
  • Height: 52mm/2.05″ Diameter: 73mm/2.88″ Material: Stainless Steel

This bowl focuses on one thing: simplicity. This bowl is very sleek and stylish with its chrome finish and simple design. The heat insulation helps the bowl hold its temperature longer. One of the downsides with this bowl is that it is rather small. So, for those of you who were drooling over the larger bowls we have added, might not be too interested in another smaller design. However, the bowl fits nicely in your palm for added control. It makes a perfect back up bowl, travel bowl, or a bowl for those who are just starting out. Regardless, this is a brand who is making a name on the shaving market, and if you can get past the smaller size, this will make an excellent addition to any collection!


SimplyBeautiful Shaving Bowl:

The shaving bowl produced by SimplyBeautiful is a simple, fuctional design that should aid anyone in their shaving experience.

The bowl is a bit small, but that can be a positive. If you are able to hold the bowl the the palm of your hand, it makes it much easier to use to whip up the lather. The chrome plating and metal core helps this bowl heat up quickly if you’re in a hurry. Also, it is light so you will the added control.

This bowl runs around $20 to purchase. For the price, you really can’t get too much better. It’s a well-built, well-designed piece, and it would make a handsome addition to any bathroom. It’s a hard product to beat.

This bowl is fine to take traveling with you if you already have a primary bowl sitting at home. It wont likely break, but it may dent if not stored properly in your suitcase. Also, when you’re shaving with it, you may notice the bowl losing heat rather quickly. If this happens I recommend you dunking the bowl in hot water to heat it back up. The fact that metal bowls do not hold heat for very long is a blessing and a curse. It will aid well when you have to shave quickly, but it can also make the shave uncomfortable if the lather cools down.


Buffalo Horn Shave Bowl by Handmade Shave Bowls:

We were quite apprehensive about this bowl. It’s made from India, and it’s probably not real buffalo horn. Well, this is not a bad thing.  We have discussed our appreciation for pseudo animal products on this site because they can give you the right look (if that’s what you’re going for), plus they are animal friendly, which is important to us.

Additionally, the curves of this bowl are great. It fits in your palm nicely, it allows for tons of control while you’re whipping up your man lather (maybe a poor choice of words, but you get the point).

The great thing about this bowl is that it’s more naturally made. So when you buy a bowl from this company, each one is unique. They will each have their own color variants, shape, and size. Some people wont like the uncertainty, however, it’s great to have a unique piece.

These bowl actually take a bit longer to heat up, sometimes even longer than ceramic. However, once this bowl is heated it, it takes forever for the bowl to lose its heat! Unlike with other metal bowls we have reviewed, you don’t have to hurry through your shaving process because you’re scared of your bowl and lather losing heat.

Overall, this is a solid bowl, for a solid price. And it should last you for years if it is taken care of properly. It would be a great bowl to take with you while you travel. This if for a few different reasons: mainly, the bowl wont break or dent if it’s shoved in your suitcase aimlessly. Also, it wont set off any alarms in the airport (yes, we’ve been there). It would make a great secondary shaving bowl, or a primary for somebody who is just starting out! We recommend this bowl.


Stainless Steel Shaving Bowl by Pearl:

We were pretty impressed with this little six ounce amalgamation of metal. It’s sleek, clean, and it has a lid.

A lid might not seem like that big of a deal, however, the lid protects the inside of the bowl from corrosion, rusting, and other defects that happen when you leave moisture in a metal bowl for too long. The lid will help keep you’re bowl in good shape for years to come. We rarely see bowls with lids, so we were pretty excited when we were able to get our hands on one!

Also, this bowl is good looking. It’s an excellent addition to any bathroom, and it will certainly impress people when they come in and see a sleek, metal shaving bowl. it’s a smaller bowl than average, and it doesn’t weigh much. However the small stature and weight of the bowl allows for added control when you have it gripped in your palm and your whipping up some lather.

Yes, it’s another chrome bowl (and we note that we do have plenty), but this seems to be the most convenient style on the market. We talk to plenty of guys who travel or have a busy schedule and they are looking for products that allow them to wet shave even in those circumstances.  These bowls heat up fast, and they are super convenient for those who don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to wet shaving throughout the week. The main downfall is they also lose heat fast. We always recommend leaving water in the sink while you shave. This water should be hotter than normal, and whenever you feel the bowl getting cool, along with your shaving cream, you can dunk the bottom portion of the bowl in the water to heat it back up!

All in all, it’s a solid bowl for a great price. It will last a very long time, especially with the lid. You can take it on the road with you when you travel, or leave it on the bathroom counter. Either way, this will be a great fit to your wet shaving arsenal if you’ve decided to ditch your favorite electric companion.