Hey, Brooksie.

I think your question is a good one, though I'm not willing to reformulate. By accident, I tried an Uber recipe that Glen posted about and Gerrit seconded. Though I'm not sure the specific brands are critical, I think most of us have encountered at least one shave soap that was underwhelming. I've you're not had the opportunity to be disappointed by Williams, Conk, VDH - you're not missing much. Yet w/ some creams, they seem to add what was missing from the underperforming soap - making them passable as a lather.

Glen's recipe is from a small shop about an hour from me.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/soaps...er-recipe.html
The cream, I've used daily for more than a year. Its about 4/5 used up. $13, but it helps most soaps I've tried it with

The specific cream is: http://store.escentialonline.com/org...-oz-p4881.aspx

I suspect other creams could provide similar benefits. I've tried TOBS and a very reasonable Indian cream called Godrej. Both improve a marginal soap.