do you think shaving creams are superior to shaving soaps?

I do. They are lot less complicated in my opinion. They are much easier to work with and I find them slicker than shaving soaps. Squirt an almond size of cream into the middle of having brush and you got enough cream for 3 passes. Shaving soaps are more difficult to work with and you need to work them more to get a lather comparable to a shave cream. What does anyone else think? Do you prefer creams over soaps?

No, they are not superior. Yes, they are easier to lather. Yes, they tend to be a little less fussy about the product/water ratio than some soaps. But if you stick with a soap long enough to figure out how much water it likes and how long it takes to build a nice lather you will find no difference in the shave.

My preference is for soaps. Creams are easier to load and a bit easier to lather, but I find little to no difference in overall performance. But that's just me.

Needless to say, there are pros and cons and many supporters for soaps, creams, and those here who are bi-saponificants.

I've tried several creams and found them all to be inferior to soaps. I also never found an almond glob of cream to be adequate for a decent shave either in which case they don't last as long as soap, and can burn through a puck of soap in one month.

I find the creams provide more cushion and lubricity. Also, I don't find the creams to be nearly as drying to my skin as the soaps. But, that is just my opinion and preference. I will gladly yield those who prefer the soaps.

I've used creams almost exclusively since i started wet shaving a couple of years ago - tried a few soaps early on, but I did find them a little more drying. Felt creams were much better. Have recently had another go at the soaps and am enjoying them much more now. I am a lot better at building a lather with them now, they give just as good a shave (that's a generalisation; I have found good and not so good examples of both soaps and creams). I still find them more drying as a rule, but I suspect that is down to my skin type. I do enjoy the variety of soaps out there, and MWF has opened my eyes in particular to what soaps can offer. Haslinger will always be in my den as well. I'm going to enjoy both soaps and creams from now on - I think they are both great!

BSAGuy said:

Needless to say, there are pros and cons and many supporters for soaps, creams, and those here who are bi-saponificants.

Click to expand...

Haha, I like "bi-saponificants."

I guess I'll call myself a bi-saponificant unless there are any objections? I think soaps do take a bit more effort than creams but I've not found the quality of my lathers from a soap and performance during the shave to be inferior compared to cream.

I do own more creams than soaps, but for me that's a testament to how much mileage you can get from a soap because they last so much longer. I plan on getting more soaps this year.

I find my best triple-milled tallows to be (at least) as slippery & cushioning (and skin-friendly), as my best creams.
I enjoy using both formats, but find creams somewhat less messy (no messy hardware) and more aesthetic, personally. YMMV.

While I don't find that creams are better than soaps, I do find that some brands of lather fuel far out perform others.

I have mostly creams, and enjoy them immensely. What makes them even better is when I start up a lather with MWF soap and spice up the joy with St James or Mr. Taylors. The combination is preferable to either by itself.

As a general statement, no, they aren't superior but I certainly prefer them. I've used both but found myself gravitating to the creams. Now I've completely abandoned pucks/soaps and use creams exclusively. (Though I do have a tub of Proraso white I haven't tried yet. That's kind of a middle ground between cream and soap.) I find that the creams are much easier and quicker to lather, they're less fussy, less work and it's easier to get a more consistent lather.

jonwilson said:

I do. They are lot less complicated in my opinion. They are much easier to work with and I find them slicker than shaving soaps.

Click to expand...

It depends. Try a couple hundred different scents and variants and your answers might be much different. Some soaps are much slicker than creams, and vice versa. You haven't said what you have tried.

"In general" creams are easier to lather, but you are talking seconds here, not a lifetime. OTH, in creams you are buying water. Why do you want to buy water? To make it easier to lather?

Try a wide variety of both and then decide.

I get equally good results with soap and cream, in general I prefer soaps but couldn't honestly say why.

I get great results from both and use them almost interchangeably (and sometimes together).

60 of one 6 dozen of another (B&B version).

I equally enjoy shave creams and shave soaps, there are great products of both. I've mostly face lathered soaps for the past few years, but occasionally enjoy bowl lathering some wonderful creams.

We've had record breaking cold weather the past few days, so Sunday I just stayed in the house all day and enjoyed a wonderful shave with Palmolive cream lathered in a Dirty Bird 1.5 scuttle. The past few weeks I've been alternating between Palmolive and Bulgarian Figaro creams and Mitchell's Wool Fat and Mystic Waters Irish Tweed. Doesn't get any better.

BSAGuy said:

Needless to say, there are pros and cons and many supporters for soaps, creams, and those here who are bi-saponificants.

Click to expand...

Just keep in mind that not all shaving creams or even shaving soaps are made with the process of saponification!

To saponificate for a moment: As a scuttle latherer, I find creams preferable overall. MdC and Tabac have reserved real estate on my counter, but the rest is occupied by several Wm Neumanns, XPEC Original, Castle Forbes Lavendar, Salter Sandalwood and others.

I have some creams that are better than some of my soaps. I have some soaps that are better than some of my creams. I agree with the comments that creams are generally easier to use, but with a bit of trial and error anyone can work a soap, and anyone can work a cream.