I generally like Art of Shaving products, even though they tend to be over priced. If you are someone who is using your average drugstore shaving cream than you will think this cream is outrageously priced. There are definitely other creams which are priced lower and do just as good a job as this cream. Specifically, the three T's of the wetshaving world come to mind, those are TOBS (Taylor of Old Bond Street), Trumpers, and Truefitt and Hill. However, this is a cream that you can actually find in a lot of local malls because it is carried by stores like Nordstroms, Dillards, and Macys. With the other creams I mentioned you will most likely have to purchase them online. I think Art of Shaving gets a lot of things right with their shaving creams. First they do a very good job with the smell. I have used this scent, sandalwood and the unscented version. I like the sandalwood scent the best, but the lavender is nice for my sensitive skin. I will tell you this, it is not a very masculine scent. So if you don't want to be smelling lavender for the first few hours of your day, then don't use this product. However if you do like the smell of lavender than Art of Shaving nails the scent, as they do with all their creams. Second, I like that Art of Shaving makes an aftershave balm and pre-shave oil with the same scent. However, if you think the shaving cream is over priced, you will certainly think so with the shave oil and the aftershave balm. In my opinion both those products are only average and I am someone who always uses pre-shave oil and an aftershave balm. So with all the caveats, why do I still think this is a good cream? Well, you will get a good shave with the cream and it will last you a long time, making it worth your money if you follow one rule, always apply it with a badger brush. The cream says that it can be used with or without a brush, but to me there is a marked difference in the quality of the shave if you don't use a badger brush. If you do use one, you will get a nice lather, with a pleasant smell, that will give you a close and comfortable shave and the tub will actually last you a long time, 3 or 4 months with daily shaving. However, you must use with a brush. It takes time to learn how to properly use a brush to create a proper lather for wetshaving but it is something worth learning to get a good shave and on the plus side you will use about a fourth of the amount of product that you would use if you just used your fingers to apply it to your face. Overall, this cream is a big step up from what you will find at your average drugstore.
