There are few absolutes in the shaving world, and one of the most common expressions you will hear or read is, Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV) reiterating the fact that just about everyone will have a different experience and opinion about everything shave related. Heck, even the same person will have a different view of exactly the same product or process at different times of the year, or even days of the week for that matter. For example, in my opinion, testing any product in the Summer will almost invariably yield a more favorable result than trying the same thing in the Winter. Winter for those of us in the frigid-North is brutal on the skin – central heating, glowing fireplaces, bone-chilling outdoor air, wind, etc., all challenge even the best products. Even at other times of the year our skin reflects much of what is going on in our daily lives – a little too much booze…here come some nice red blotches. Not enough sleep….get ready for extra wrinkles, etc. etc. The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but the skin is certainly the blackboard of your health. This being said, can we draw any general “truths” from our experiences? I think so. Based on this last year of intensive wet-shave testing of different creams, soaps, razors, etc., I believe I can conclude that four things are true and generalizable:

1. The single most important piece of equipment in your shaving armamentarium is the blade. A bad razor will be improved by a great blade, but a bad blade can’t be improved by anything! And a good razor will simply sing in your hands like a virtuoso violin with a great blade. Too many shave enthusiasts spend way too much time and money buying razors, lotions, and potions for sometimes small fortunes – hey, look I don’t have a lot of money – $100 is a “small fortune” – while neglecting the blade, or simply accepting that a certain brand is good because others say so. The most effective thing you can do to improve your shave is to experiment with a broad range of blades from different manufacturers.
2. A superlather will invariably produce a better lather than a soap or cream alone. I can no longer shave without a superlather, its that good! It seems that combining the two brings together the strengths of each and nullifies their respective weaknesses.
3. There is little correlation between price and quality in the shaving world. I’ve gotten some of the best shaves with the cheapest products, e.g. the Treet Blue Special carbon-steel blade goes for a dime but is my benchmark blade today. Similarly, Proraso, Musgo Real, Arko, all consistently give me as good, if not better, shaves than some of the pricey uber-creams and soaps. This means that price probably isn’t our best guideline for whether or not a product will give a good shave. There are good and not-so-good inexpensive products, as there are good and not-so-good expensive products. In fairness, some people find “value” in beautiful packaging or are simply allergic or sensitive to certain ingredients in soaps and creams and they have to spend more for “hypoallergenic” products. Again, as with blades, be ready to experiment with a broad range of products and brands and don’t turn your nose up at the cheaper confections. I spent 20 years as a corporate executive in the skin-care market and I can say with some confidence, “Yes Virginia, it is all about Marketing”.
4. Everything else is open to debate and even regarding points 1-3 above, YMMV!

Hopefully in six months or so I may discover some more “truths” to share with you. In the meantime, its a helluva great ride!