Thread: Cushion, glide, slickness

Originally Posted by Augustagj

The reason I started this thread to begin with was to see if I could objectively measure them. Certainly I can measure lubricity and viscosity. Of course, with soaps you would need a constant such as water ratio.

I know it can be done, but what value it would have to others seems dubious.

I doubt it would be worth the effort as every soap/cream seems little different in the amount of water they like and people like their lathers in various forms. There really is no paint by numbers/set formula wrt lathering, shaving or honing. It is strictly taking guidelines and experimenting till you find what works best for you as an individual.

Bob

Yes, I think you are right. Having data is not always the answer or solution.

Originally Posted by Augustagj

Yes, I think you are right. Having data is not always the answer or solution.

Yea, not when you are dealing with something that is more art and skill than dry science.

Bob

yea, we hashed this out in that other thread. I don't think we came to any real conclusion other than some think cushion means nothing and others think it means something.

In my book the only factor is lube so the razor glides over your skin. You can buy a can of Gillette Foamy and have 6 inches of goo on your face and you'll be the cushion king but will that contribute to a good shave? I don't think so. Once you got the lube down you have a basis for a good technical shave. All the rest is window dressing; a substantial lather, great scent, ingredients good for the skin, ease of lathering and maybe fancy packaging and a name with pedigree.

I have really been impressed with some artisan soap makers for the lubrication factor. Maybe it's the soap, maybe it's me becoming better at lathering soaps; maybe both. The bottom line is the shave is just great!

Originally Posted by BobH

Me, I just want a thick very slick yogurt type lather to be happy.

Bob

Yes, and that is really a hard thing to come by. For every one good soap/cream there are a dozen that yield the kind of lather you get from dish soap. Strip away the intoxicating scents, peel off the price tags, and forget everything anyone has said about any of them. Then evaluate them side by side. If you're about to spend a tank of gas on a new soap, ask yourself how much better it is than Arko. I'm not saying not to buy. But some of the more coveted soaps don't cut as well as Arko. And many of them ring up at five or ten times the cost.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Yes, and that is really a hard thing to come by. For every one good soap/cream there are a dozen that yield the kind of lather you get from dish soap. Strip away the intoxicating scents, peel off the price tags, and forget everything anyone has said about any of them. Then evaluate them side by side. If you're about to spend a tank of gas on a new soap, ask yourself how much better it is than Arko. I'm not saying not to buy. But some of the more coveted soaps don't cut as well as Arko. And many of them ring up at five or ten times the cost.

Can't argue that at all. Well, maybe just a little in that I have found few soaps that give a lather like dish soap but point taken. Yes, every time I use Arko or Palmolive shave sticks I ask myself why I bother with more expensive soaps. Only answer is I can and want to see for myself.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Can't argue that at all. Well, maybe just a little in that I have found few soaps that give a lather like dish soap but point taken. Yes, every time I use Arko or Palmolive shave sticks I ask myself why I bother with more expensive soaps. Only answer is I can and want to see for myself.

Bob

I think of Arko as my base model. The next soap that comes along has to be at least as good as that. And there are better soaps. But not as many as I'd hope. While I have given up n many popular soaps, I continue to use Arko.

Cushion /Glide, in my limited experience they feel Slimy to me.

One thing that the worst soaps all seem to have in common is how dry the surface of my skin feels after the blade passes over it. Good soaps (call it glide or cushion) will leave my face slick even after the blade passes. The skin loads with soap when it's a decent one. After a shave with a dry one, that bay rum lights you up like a house on fire.