Proraso Professional Shaving Mug Review – A Good Start
Proraso Professional Shaving Mug
Proraso Professional Shaving Mug – An affordable dark green plastic mug type bowl with a handle that might just go well with a tube of Proraso shave cream.
Pros
Buying Availability
Non-Breakable
Easy to Use
Inexpensive
Cons
Smooth interior makes Lathering Take longer
Doesn't retain heat for hot Lather
When you are looking for a good shaving mug to get started in wet shaving, you will frequently find yourself wondering “Why don’t I just use some everyday dishware?”
That’s a valid question and one that many guys have run into in the past.
The point of a professional shaving mug is that it can do more than just any old coffee mug you pull off a shelf. They have some design changes that make them great for lathering up for a shave.
Proraso has you covered for these professional-grade shaving mugs, and for not very expensive either.
About the Company – Proraso is an old-school shaving company hailing from Italy. It was originally founded in 1908 and has been a staple in the shaving community since then. They frequently make some of the best products on the market for inexpensive prices.
As an example of the popularity, Proraso products are so ubiquitous you can get them on almost every shaving site that does mail order. In addition to that, you can also find them on the shelves in brick-and-mortar stores. For specialty wet shaving gear, that is saying something.
Design and Features
At first glance, the Proraso Professional Shaving Mug makes yours truly think of a plastic planter at something like Lowes or Home Depot. It looks like a pot for a plant I would see in the nursery section of a big box store.
That isn’t a bad thing though. Specifically, the color green is one of my favorite colors, but that is more subjective than anything else. The plastic is nice and thick, feeling very durable. If you drop this thing, it’s not going to break easily.
The Mug itself is about 5 inches across and 3 inches deep. This means it works well for doing a presoak on your brush, and has a high enough outer wall to make sure to keep your lather inside the bowl when you start scrubbing your brush.
The diameter is also great because it gives you full space to really start swirling that brush around to get your lather on.
The Handle is nice and fits into the hand well. It has the Proraso Lion emblazoned on it as a nice touch to hold your grip.
The sides also have the raised Proraso name, just in case you forget whose product you are using.
On the interior of the mug, there are several vertical ridges. These ridges provide a bit of friction to the brush as you are lathering it up to churn more air into the soap and create a thicker lather for shaving.
Building a Good Lather
For this review, I used a Tcheon Fung Sing Tabacco Verd Shaving Soap. It’s a nice and refreshing soap, and I would highly recommend it.
The Proraso Professional Shaving Mug is nice, but it’s not absolutely great. This is the part where I start to tip my hand about how I actually feel about the product.
As you can see from the pictures, it is very possible to get a nice rich lather from this mug. Granted if you have a great brush, you can get a good lather almost on anything, even your hand.
My Yaqi brush is actually one of the best synthetics for making a nice lather.
The biggest issue here is the interior smoothness of the mug. While it has ridges inside the mug itself to create friction, the rest of the interior is very smooth. This means there is much less friction than you think, meaning it is going to take a little longer to build a good lather than if you have a bowl that is rippled on the bottom.
Value for Money
This part is where the Proraso Mug really shines out.
The Mug itself is dirt cheap when it comes to shaving mugs.
Walmart, Shavenation, and bladeandwhiskers all have it for sale at inexpensive prices in the USA. For the price Walmart has this mug, it’s almost a steal to NOT get it.
I picked mine up for about $17 USD plus shipping. If you are getting into wet shaving, which more and more guys are doing, then this is a great shaving mug to pick up. This also makes a great option if you know a guy who is getting into wet shaving, and you want to get them a gift.
Common Consumer Issues, Reviews, or Complaints
When you look online for others’ opinions on the Proraso Shaving Mug, there are not really many communal complaints. It’s hard to find any review on this product that isn’t 5/5 stars.
There are a few small points people have put out, but they are few and far between.
One of the only complaints I have seen is that people would like it to be a bit wider or deeper to accommodate larger brushes or larger hands. This is a valid complaint if you have a larger face or larger hands.
The second complaint I have seen is that this mug is plastic, so it won’t hold heat well. Often part of the luxury of wet shaving is the warmth of the lather when you are applying it to your face. I personally like the lather to be cooler, but that is also a real nitpick if you are looking for something warmer.
If you are looking for a warmer lather, a porcelain bowl might be a better option for you. Though those are much more expensive and much more fragile, so temper your expectations there.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really like this product. I think it is a great start for a guy who is just getting into wet shaving, and a good investment to get used to lathering.
It has some downsides, but nothing that can’t be fixed without just upgrading your shaving dish once you are ready to move on.
It’s not going to break the bank, and it’s going to last you quite a long time.
