I tried Williams soap first, and eventually got the water ratio right so it made shiny thick lather - but it still drys quickly enough that the razor starts to grab even when I mix it a little wet. Lathering my face in sections (to keep the lather wet) got old, so I tried VDH soap. It stays wet much longer, but still not quite long enough (even when I mix it to a slightly over saturated consistancy). I also noticed that the VDH makes the razor glide a whole lot better than the Williams (which provided about as much glide as plain water).

So now I'm thinking I should try "better" soaps or creams. The SRD soap, Tabac Soap, and Poraso Soap / Cream, and KMF cream seem to get good reviews and aren't super pricey. I'd prefer to stick with soaps for cost reasons, and so I can face-lather - unless the creams give a lot more lubrication / cushion.

I don't want to buy all the soaps / creams above, or go to the pricey end of the spectrum (T&T, MWF, etc) if I can help it. What do you recommend ?