Not all razors do well with all soaps

[SalS]

I don’t know what cushion means when applying it to a shave, truth be told. I think of the lather as softening the whiskers and providing a slick slide. I use a lather on the wet side, I guess. The razor head glides and doesn’t interfere with the blade doing the work.

This is my thought exactly. Cushioning or the idea of it makes you feel good but actually doesn’t exist. And its actually provable scientifically. Every time I shave I prove it.

But whipping up lather and experimenting with different soaps is part of the fun but so be it, just that beard softening and slickness is really the only thing that matters in the end.

 

[rajagra2]

Cushioning or the idea of it makes you feel good but actually doesn’t exist.

I'm glad someone said it.

The closest thing I've found to cushioning is using shaving oil years ago (King of Shaves with a cartridge razor.) Oil forms a cohesive layer that keeps other things apart. I liked that the shave was smooth and irritation free but it wasn't especially close without applying pressure. That's not what I want from shaving soap.

 

[Doc Dan]

I think that cushioning has to do with viscosity. The thinner the less cushion feel, the thicker, the better feel. A car engine oil that is too thin makes the metal parts rub, especially when working hard. Better viscosity cushions and protects the parts. My opinion only, but someone else pointed this out in another thread. I've forgotten who.

 

[silverlifter]

Every soap I've ever used has worked fine with every razor I've ever used.

So, all soaps are equal, then?

Not all swans are white.

 

[LRod]

So, all soaps are equal, then? That would mean that all of these bottom shelf soaps and flea market flops are actually as good as A&E K2e based soaps. Those that find their performance lacking are at fault, not the soap. Sorry, I don't agree with you on that.

No, I never said (I think) they were all the same. What I meant to say (which is sometimes hard to explain) is that all my soaps have performed the same with any of my razors. Yes inferior performing soaps exist but for me they're inferior with any razor that they're used with. You're analysis is that certain soaps are incompatible with certain razors. I've never found that to be the case. For me a bad soap will be bad with every razor! But hey, this is all YMMV anyways!
My experience has been that (if it's a good soap), it's been me that has mixed it wrong. And a bad soap has been bad just because it's bad and won't work with any razor!
What a mess of a paragraph, LOL!!
Hope it makes sense!

 

[Ravenonrock]

No, I never said (I think) they were all the same. What I meant to say (which is sometimes hard to explain) is that all my soaps have performed the same with any of my razors. Yes inferior performing soaps exist but for me they're inferior with any razor that they're used with. You're analysis is that certain soaps are incompatible with certain razors. I've never found that to be the case. For me a bad soap will be bad with every razor! But hey, this is all YMMV anyways!
My experience has been that (if it's a good soap), it's been me that has mixed it wrong. And a bad soap has been bad just because it's bad and won't work with any razor!
What a mess of a paragraph, LOL!!
Hope it makes sense!

Makes sense to me. Soaps that I don’t dig, for whatever reason, I turf or pass on. The keepers seem to work equally well for me with various SR’s of various metals and grinds. Or I don’t pay enough attention, or don’t care, or don’t notice any glaring deficiency. They all seem to work equally well. I don’t DE shave often, but when I do, the same soaps seem to work well, although I tend to reach for a fave like Tabac or MWF. It might be time for a rare DE shave with a new fave soap that’s been working out just for kicks, to test my theory. Or not. Stunt shaving at its best!

 

[Doc Dan]

@LRod, I get you now. For me, a lot of soaps work well with a DE safety razor. If they don't I toss them or move them on. However, some of those soaps that I like with a DE razor don't do as well, no matter how I load or mix the lather and water, when I use them with a straight razor. I can use them, but are they as good as a top tier soap or cream? No way. I do have a solution for those soaps and creams, however, because a lot of them have other things I like, such as feel or scent. I mix a little Stirling Unscented Beeswax (which is great on its own) in with them and turn them into top performers. This is all part of the fun.

 

[LRod]

@LRod, I get you now. For me, a lot of soaps work well with a DE safety razor. If they don't I toss them or move them on. However, some of those soaps that I like with a DE razor don't do as well, no matter how I load or mix the lather and water, when I use them with a straight razor. I can use them, but are they as good as a top tier soap or cream? No way. I do have a solution for those soaps and creams, however, because a lot of them have other things I like, such as feel or scent. I mix a little Stirling Unscented Beeswax (which is great on its own) in with them and turn them into top performers. This is all part of the fun.

Ah ok, got it! I failed to read in your initial post about "straight" razors. I read very fast so it's a common occurrence for me, Lol! Sorry!
I have zero experience with straight razors so I guess between that and a DE a difference can exist in soaps that work and soaps that don't.

 

[geneaut]

I suspect this is YMMV as well. I can shave with almost any soap with some blades and razors so I don’t think I have the same shave experience some users have. When I have a blade/razor give me issues it seems to usually be a bad experience with all my software.