QCS - Soap or Cream?

[seizure]

With the release of their purportedly stellar ASB, I'm going to place an order for some soap/cream as well, but can't decide which to purchase. Can anyone shed some light as to which is better, their creams or their soaps?

I'm deciding between a Lavender scent and a custom Lily of the Valley scent for either one (if that's helpful information at all).

 

[inspiringK]

Soap. Next question

I have tried both and feel as though the soap performs better than the cream, lasts longer and is easier to work with. The cream, IMHO, lacks slickness that the soap provides.

EDIT: You can always try both!

 

[7 O Menthol]

I'm really glad you've asked about this, as I've been wondering about the texture of the "cream" for some time now.
When people refer to the cream as a soft soap, do they mean "cella" consistency, or more like an extra firm cream such as Castle Forbes.
Additionally, I asked if there was any additional time involved with creating a custom "soap" vs cream, but was unable to get an answer.

 

[Blix]

The cream is a soft soap, like Cella.

 

[7 O Menthol]

The cream is a soft soap, like Cella.

Thanks for the response, Blix!

 

[seizure]

The cream is a soft soap, like Cella.

Thanks for the info; that may push me towards the cream. Can you shed any light as to performance differences between the soap and the cream?

 

[sp514]

I tried just their cream, it's soft about as soft as italian soaps like Blix said. Vostok is a good one to get if you like menthol blast. It beats Proraso by a mile.

 

[Deacon Frank]

I have a soap (Old Spice) and two creams (Lavender, Basilica) from QCS. I get great shaves from both. The creams also seem to have a stronger scent than the soap...but the soap seems to be lasting forever, so the value is good.

 

[mctmatt]

QCS shave cream is really just a soft soap very much like Cella, RazoRocks XXX, Fresco, Artisan Soaps, and the La Famiglia line. Go with the cream you want be disappointed as I have used the Vostok and a sample of the Key Lime shave cream. I am curious about their new Aftershave balm so keep us informed.

 

[vitalMyth]

i have samples of the soaps and once you get the hang of lathering them, they're truly superb performers. i am going to happily put a puck of Green Irish Tweed into my full-time rotation. however, QCS soaps require kindof a lot of water relative to other soaps in my experience. they create an end-product that, to me, is VERY similar to Tabac in terms of cushion and slickness, but they seem to take 3-4x the amount of water that Tabac does.

 

[michiganlover]

I have used samples of the cream, and a full puck of QCS Green Irish Tweed soap. I found the cream to finicky to lather, and thus vastly prefer the soap. The soap is a top performer!

 

[saliavin]

I had Celestial Woods cream, and have Provence soap. I prefer the soap, for me it is easier to lather. Both provided the same lather, but I just had to work a little more for it with the cream. That being said I seem to prefer soaps, so it could be placebo. I agree with what has been said, the creams have a stronger scent. I have had a sample of the Provence cream, and the scent is stronger.

Honestly you can't go wrong with QCS. Just pick a scent, and get whichever you think you would like better, or by a soap, and cream

 

[shaverjoe]

I would have to say both. I have about 12 creams and soaps from QCS in rotation and they are all wonderful.

The ASB is absolutely the best ASB I have ever used. It destroys Proraso alcohol free balm and GFT skin food. Just one man's opinion.

 

[kingfisher]

Joe is right about the aftershave; the only one I've tried that comes close to it is the TwinLuxe stuff, and it's $70 a bottle.

 

[seizure]

Joe is right about the aftershave; the only one I've tried that comes close to it is the TwinLuxe stuff, and it's $70 a bottle.

Good to hear. I ordered 2 ASB - Vostok and a custom Lavender to go with a Lavender cream and a Key Lime cream.

Really excited to try it out - my Proraso alcohol free is getting low, so it's a justifiable purchase even.

 

[krisbarger]

Does anyone else find the soap to be slicker than the cream? I read that from someone in this thread. Just curious if anyone else thinks the same thing? I have a few of his creams and the only minor complaint is they tend to not as slick as I would like.

 

[Price]

I have used soap and cream (and tested the ASB). As has been mentioned, the cream is really a soft soap - in fact, before they introduced the hard pucks, they used to call it shaving cream soap. The easiest way to load it is right on top just like a soap. In my experience, the cream does have a more pronounced scent, and builds a thicker lather, easier. The soap is most definitely slicker, and can be a bit tricky to lather, but very rewarding once you dial it in.

Both are excellent. If I were a DE user, I think I might prefer the cream. I did originally, but the soap has really grown on me, and when if I ever get to the bottom of these tubs and have to replace them, I will buy more of the soaps.

(The ASB, by the way, is every bit as good as you've heard. You'll be thrilled with it.)

 

[krisbarger]

I have used soap and cream (and tested the ASB). As has been mentioned, the cream is really a soft soap - in fact, before they introduced the hard pucks, they used to call it shaving cream soap. The easiest way to load it is right on top just like a soap. In my experience, the cream does have a more pronounced scent, and builds a thicker lather, easier. The soap is most definitely slicker, and can be a bit tricky to lather, but very rewarding once you dial it in.

Both are excellent. If I were a DE user, I think I might prefer the cream. I did originally, but the soap has really grown on me, and when if I ever get to the bottom of these tubs and have to replace them, I will buy more of the soaps.

(The ASB, by the way, is every bit as good as you've heard. You'll be thrilled with it.)

Tricky to make lather? How tricky?

 

[Price]

Tricky to make lather? How tricky?

Not terribly. Especially if you've been around a while you can dial it in quicker. IMO, the cream is more accepting of variables - that is, any oaf can make very good lather with it, with a wide range of product and/or water quantity and technique. The soap is a bit more demanding, in that the lather gets a bit on the thin side rather quickly if you use too much water. I was fairly new when the soap came out, and I was turned off at first because my lather quality was hit or miss, while the cream was boffo no matter what. The poor lather was entirely a product of "operator error", but I believe someone relatively new to the game would find it easier to build great lather with the cream than with the soap.

 

[Gordy2]

I have the "Queen Charlotte" and Wims #3 plus a nice sample of Mysore Sandalwood. I usually grab a small scoopful out (dime to nickle size), squish it on the bottom of the bowl and whip up a great lather. I do the same with my RR "soaps". QCS has been described as a "croap", something between a cream and a soap. The Mysore Sandalwood has an excellent scent as do Wim's and QC. I agree with above that the QCS products seem to last forever.