Slickness vs Cushioning

[Mendel]

What is more important to you when it comes to creams and soaps - slickness or cushioning? Or are they equally important? Please cast your vote.

[DFSDAILY]

I'd go with slickness being the most important. For me I can have lather like marshmallow sauce spread on my face giving all the cusion in the world but if it isn't slick the shave will still be awful.

[craig87c]

Slickness is more important....but a bit of cushion is necessary too!

[Synthetic Badger]

I have never managed to grasp the whole cushion concept, and so have no idea what it means or how it works for one's benefit; so I go for slickness.

Some people seem to define cushion as some kind of protection provided by the lather against the blade cutting the skin... but I find this hard to accept, given that the blade is immensely sharp and coated to reduce fraction, and can without effort cut through very tough and hard whiskers. I don't see how any film of soap-and-water could prevent it from doing anything if the blade angle is wrong. That is, it will go through the film like a hot knife through butter.

[InHotWater]

Cushion is more important when you have gone for a few days without shaving. I like some slickness to my lather, sometimes the second pass does not require a thick cushiony coat.

[jamesspo]

+1. I don't see how "cushion" can even be relevant to shaving where the "business" occurs, right where the blade is cutting. The blade is in contact with the skin, and it's pushing the lather out of the way as it does so. The only thing that remains is a tiny little layer of lather, and slickness seems to be the only relevant factor there.

I have never managed to grasp the whole cushion concept, and so have no idea what it means or how it works for one's benefit; so I go for slickness.

Some people seem to define cushion as some kind of protection provided by the lather against the blade cutting the skin... but I find this hard to accept, given that the blade is immensely sharp and coated to reduce fraction, and can without effort cut through very tough and hard whiskers. I don't see how any film of soap-and-water could prevent it from doing anything if the blade angle is wrong. That is, it will go through the film like a hot knife through butter.

[smalltank]

Slickusion..best of both worlds..if I could ever invent this :-)

[Dennard]

I think for me, it's cushion.

[erudolph]

Especially since starting to learn to shave with a straight razor, I find the ease of the blade moving through the later is most important.

[john parker]

Had not really thought about it lately until I saw this post. And I think, on reflection of the last few shaves, that I can definitely say slickness. And I can say why! Out of laziness I have been going across the grain and with the grain on my neck without rinsing and relathering. And it has worked - thanks, I believe, to the slickness of the soap. On the last with the grain pass there is no cushion on my face from lather at all since there is no lather there! And it works well! So slickness it is!

[Altair]

Slickness is the most important. It your lather is too thick you will have a harder time getting a close shave. YMMV

[Blooze]

Slickness is the most important. It your lather is too thick you will have a harder time getting a close shave. YMMV

I'm finding this out twofold since I started messing with a straight several weeks ago. If I do lather like I did with my DE the straight is not fun at all.

[Wildalaska]

I have never been able to figure out how 6 inches of foam can "cushion" a .01 mm hair from a blade .0005 mm thick pressed against soft skin.

Vote for slickness

[akira2a]

Screw Cushioning! Without a reasonable amount of slickness I wouldn't be able to to shave comfortably , or safely for that matter.
In my opinion: you can easily have too much lather/cushion on your face but not enough slickness when you need it most.

[Marco]

In my opinion a quality shaving soap or cream needs to have balanced qualities. Not only slickness and cushion, but also good latherability and moisturizing properties and, very important, a stable lather that does not deteriorate once created on the brush.

[JDTTO]

+1. I don't see how "cushion" can even be relevant to shaving where the "business" occurs, right where the blade is cutting. The blade is in contact with the skin, and it's pushing the lather out of the way as it does so. The only thing that remains is a tiny little layer of lather, and slickness seems to be the only relevant factor there.

+1

The word cushioning means to me there is some sort of buffer between the blade and the face. How could one ever get a close shave with that?

Slickness and hydratation is all I ask from a soap/cream (in the technical sense)

[Oblique Human]

Slickness.

[Rengrave]

Definitely slickness.

[Brent]

This is a good poll. I hear so much about both elements. I know that cushion is counter intuitive to shaving but from one cream/soap to the next I can tell if it's a bit more protective. To me, too much cushion is not a good thing as my shaves, though protective, are a bit less close. Cushion probably was a more important element when I was first starting out vs. now (though I'm still by no means an expert).

I picked slickness. Nothing worse than a skipping straight razor.

[DaveL]

I've come to prefer a wet, slick lather.