Who Makes the Best High End Shave Cream

[dparish1952]

Although I have not--and likely will not--used these soaps, posters whose experience and opinion I respect have mentioned these two soaps as among the best:

Creed Green Irish Tweed ($80) --it reportedly is an amazing soap even disregarding the fragrance (cologne is at least $150 for 4 oz.)
Martin de Candre -- a unique French soap that will run around $40+ here in the US (IIRC it comes in an open bowl).

 

[P23afut]

Aesop Moroccan Neroli Shaving Serum

Not a cream or a soap.
Very good performance.

 

[Chris H]

It doesn't have to high end and I believe JM Fraser's is amazing. For $15 for 450 ml you cannot go wrong. Also makes some of the best lather i've ever had. Used it this morning and had a effortless BBS shave.

+1 Love JM Fraser, when I can find it! Luckily it comes in a 1 pound tub, so it lasts a long time.

 

[superkreep]

Castle Forbes Lavender

 

[dparish1952]

You might want to read this current thread:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/340817-Must-try-soaps/page4

 

[musicman1951]

It's difficult to say in business selling a cheap product at an expensive price. There are always good values out there for the well informed (or lucky), but to suggest that there is generally no correlation between price and quality seems far fetched. We could easily argue that the additional quality is not worth the price - that's a different discussion.

I have not tried the expensive creams yet simply because I don't want to love them. Sometimes ignorance is bliss for the wallet.
Castle Forbes is my #1 cream for both the shave and the way it leaves my face for the rest of the day. In my use the amount of Proraso equal to a tub of CF would cost about $29 (yes, I did the math). Since I find CF considerably better the small difference in actual price is inconsequential.

I also think Simpsons and Ultimate Comfort are both worth the price.

I find Proraso and many of the RR are a step down in quality, but still fine creams reasonably priced. I would call the steps at this level very small and can easily understand someone not wishing to pay for the next step.

I haven't tried every cream yet, but some of the QCS creams are priced ridiculously low for their quality. I think they fight for a spot equal to the Simpsons and Ultimate Comfort and just ordered a tub of cream and puck of soap.

It's a big world with lots of choices. We can't all drive a Benz. Some of us may not want to drive one. I think the question is a valid one. I'm not offended when a post asks what the cheapest functional cream might be. It's all good.

 

[babydials]

I'm a Truefitt and Hill fan. I also like Dr Harris (boy what a difference a badger brush makes, did not like it with my first synthetic brush).

 

[ike000000]

Geo F Trumpers Coconut and Spanish leather are very nice

 

[Neurotopia]

AoS unscented cut with Old Spice Fresh Lime performs better than either alone, and as well as anything I've ever used in any price range.

 

[Coler]

GFT is just excellent, and in my opinion worth the money. An amazing performer and excellent scent.

These days I'm mostly rotating Martin de Candre and various Mike's Natural but on days when I'm a little pressed for time and in any event not less than once a week I reach for the tub of GFT and it does not suffer by comparison with either of those fantastic soaps, which is high praise.

 

[Marcos1]

I've been more of a soap guy as of late but my tub of AOS unscented is a superb product.

 

[brooks_bro]

Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet

 

[m139]

TOBS!!! Yes, it's not high-end with regards to price but it's high-end on every other aspect. Comparing it to AOS Unscented and Sandalwood, which are in my routine, I think TOBS is actually better (at least for me). While both the AOS and TOBS provide a perfect lather and excellent cushion, I feel that the TOBS rinses off better and does not leave a tacky residue like the AOS. As for scent, I like both the SW scents and scent is highly subjective anyway so it cannot be used for this type of comparison.

I'm a finance guy and I always have to pay attention to how I'm pricing my products compared to the competition. Sometimes, if the price is too low compared to the product's peer group, the consumer can develop a perception that it's inferior to the others. That is not always the case, as there are a lot of factors that determine price point. In my opinion, I think TOBS can raise its prices (on the cream) by 50% and not lose any sales... in fact, I think they may even gain sales in a different market sector (i.e. the high-end group).

But again, I like the price where it is and I don't think they'll be reading this post anyway! There, I've said my piece.

 

[Craig_From_Cincy]

T&H and Harris, IMHO.

 

[Trout Bum]

Geo F Trumpers Coconut and Sandalwood are my favorites.

 

[Mick]

another vote for Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet

If the price is a little off the chart for you, Truefitt & Hill come in a very close second at less than have the cost