Kingsley Shave Soap Bowl with Lid Dark Wood

This is a very nice and attractive wooden bowl. The side is concave and rounded at the top and bottom. The lid is fitted and is rounded across its entire surface (not just around the perimeter).My bowl is MUCH darker than the product photo suggests. It is more like the product photo shown in "Kingsley Shave Soap Bowl with Lid Natural Wood" (available on Amazon, at a greater cost). In fact, it looks EXACTLY like the Kingsley bowl - I wonder if they are really the same bowl sold under different labels. I notice the Kingsley product listing also includes a photo of a lighter color - very similar to the product photo in this listing. I prefer the darker color, which is what I received.I bought this bowl to hold my "Musgo Real Lime Glyce Soap" (available on Amazon, currently with Prime shipping, although when I ordered three months ago, it was shipped (free, but slow) from South America). This is a thin pre-shave soap. The Musgo cake did not fit - it was too tall, but there was extra room around the perimiter. I took the advise of other reviewers and heated it in a 1000-watt microwave for 40 seconds (I had first broken it into chunks with a screwdriver). I heated it directly in this wooden bowl (why use another vessel? Wood is microwave-safe). It melted nicely to conform to this bowl - a perfect fit. This is a pre-shave soap, and is glycerin based, and melts readily and quickly in a microwave (almost like butter). I also attempted to melt a cake of sandalwood shave soap into a shaving mug (not a bowl), and it absolutely DID NOT WORK. The sandalwood shave soap burned in the microwave, instead of melting.

I have had this bowl for about 6 months now and it has functioned very well. It is a little larger than my DR Harris puck so I decided to smash the puck in after it soften some from a few days of wetting. The bowl held up to my pushing and pressing and still looks good.I like how it looks kind of elegant and the low cost allows me to buy refills of my favorite soaps and put them in one of these bowls. I have several of these bowls for my other soaps.The finish is forgiving enough to allow me to leave it wet without leaving marks etc. the lid fits lose enoug to let the soap puck breath a bit so it doesn't get funky if I don't use it for awhile.At about $8 I don't think this bowl can be beat.

I purchased this item especially for use with Colonel Conks shaving soap, as it was rated highly and matched by Amazon. When I recieved the bowl, the packaging wasn't spectacular looking, so if this is a gift to someone, do not send it directly to them.This bowl is very finely crafted and wonderfully polished. It's made from solid wood and is very smooth and well made. It did smell strongly of varnish when I first opened the packaging, but that went away in a couple of days.My two complaints are: It's not deep enough for a new bar of Conk's soap. It's about 1/4" shy of being deep enough. Second, the lid, while I wouldn't say it's improperly made by any means, is looser than I would prefer. A snug lid would make this perfect for traveling.Overall, an extraordinary value, and I would buy it again.

This is very nice wood bowl that has held up well. I love the looks, it holds my soap as a shaving soap bowl should and it looks sophisticated. I have had the wood version since February and so far there has been no paint or varnish peeling off nor are there any cracks or other deformities. I also travel with this so it has spent many in hour crammed into my bathroom bag getting jostled around with all my other toiletries and so far I have not had any problems with it getting scratched or chipped or even having the lid fall off.The only real downside I can think of is that it isn't an airtight seal nor does the lid screw on, but considering that this is meant for shave soap and not something more perishable like food, I don't see much of an issue.Basically it's a good value and it does what it's supposed to do.

These just arrived today. I ordered two and they are both nicely finished with no cracks apparent. The lids fit loosely which I expected.To use these with any glycerin based soap, you simply put the puck in the bowl and microwave it in small bursts of perhaps ten seconds until your soap has melted down and conformed to the inside of the bowl. This includes soaps like Col. Conk, VDH, and others. I just melted down a puck of VDH Deluxe in one of mine and it worked beautifully and filled it up about half way.For other types of soaps which can't be melted, you can smash the puck down, grate it up with a cheese grater and then press it down, or just toss the puck in with a bit of water to glue it down. If it is too tall grate some off and pack it around the sides. with a few drops of water.Anyways, for the price this is a nice quality luxury addition to your shaving apparatus, and it will add a nice stylish look to your ensemble. Full five stars here, I love it!

When i first took the bowl out of the shipping box i was impressed. Its a nice light, but solid bowl. Its one solid piece the outside is smooth and nice to the touch. The lid also fits and matches nicely. The lid is smooth finished all around. I see some people have mentioned that its a little small, however for me it fits in my hand perfectly. The groove on the outside of the bowl makes an awesome grip for my medium hands. Personally I load my brush, then go to the bowl for the lathering process, It seems to hold just the right amount for three full passes. The inside is not smooth finished like the outside, its lacquered, just rough, no chance of getting a splinter rough, but just enough to really send your lather into overdrive.Having only had this bowl for a week i cant comment on long term durability but honestly if it lasts a year (which i predict it should) i will feel like i have gotten a good value.