I have only had 2 pucks and a bunch of samples from Al's shaving (the cream) but here's my 2 cents.. I mostly use the puck because of time. I shave in the AM for the most part. When I do have time I have starting using Al's cream. Yes it does produce a much different lather although it takes a little more effort. The cream seems a lot more airy and somewhat slicker. The trick is getting the right amount of water with it. The other difference I notice is with a puck you brush your face a lot more because that's where your making the lather.
Some pucks and creams are not as good as others like anything else. These differences will depend on your opinion only. What brush you use can affect all this too. High loft brush on a puck is not the best because there is not enough backbone to work the soap into the brush. You may want to read up on brushes as well as soaps. The hardest part about soaps for me is which scent to get. :<0)