Quote Originally Posted by BeBerlin View Post
Get a quality soap or cream, and you will not need it. Really.

As far as cream vs. soap is concerned, I find creams easier to lather up. And the best products I have ever tried were creams (cf. Shaving Soaps/Shaving Creams Reviews - Straight Razor Place Forums, but there are some soaps right near the top - although I personally doubt that they really are as good compared to Caraceni or Castle Forbes).
Absolutely, Robin. People spend a lot of money on glycerin around here...

However, I think that not only do people need a quality soap or cream, they need to learn to use them properly. In my opinion, lather is not second to the blade in terms of quality shaving, lather comes FIRST.