I was looking for a relatively inexpensive soap for ever day shaves. I like to save my artisan stock for special occasions and I am not made of money ya know. As a mass produced soap it's actually really nice. It loads well, though I will say it loads better on stiffer brushes than softer ones. The scent is nice and has some staying power. The slickness is about average I would say and it provides decent cushion. Is this the best soap in the world? Nope. Is this soap a decent proformer at a great price point? Absolutely. One of the advantages of this soap over the cream in a tube is that it has a better post shave. Not sure why but it is definitely more moisturizing and has a better finish than the tube creams from Proraso. This is their sensitive skin formula (and I have some sensitive skin.) Let me just say a preshave is a must. I use an oil but you could use theirs as well. A good preshave and prep will make this soap preform better. without a preshave treatment this soap is still to drying for me but it does have some good anti-inflammatory properties.