The RSC range is produced by CreightonsPLC in the UK. This is the company which produces many of the "Top end" creams which we see on the shelves of the old traditional gentlemens shops in London. I quote from their website: The Company has been providing professional shaving products to barbers throughout the UK since the 1950s, furnishing them with a range of products which excude luxury and a 'spa indulgence', combining style and quality. Creightons manufactures the finest shaving creams and supplies to many traditional barbershops in the West End of London as well as all over the country. Formerly only available on-line...or in Boots Chemists (UK), these creams are now available through the largest supermarket chain in the UK. The cream gave a good long lasting lather which was very moisturising and protective. This particular version of the product contains cocoa seed butter for additional moisturisation. Thes scent shows the presence of tea tree oil . Tubes are 150ml...so I would consider this cream to be good value for money. Protection was excellent. Normally I take a 3 pass shave. However today I was happy to use 4 passes....with no ill effects. This is definately a quality cream....and I would be more than happy to buy again. Equipment used: Murker HD with Israeli Blade, Shavemac 23mm in Finest. I lathered directly on my face. As for everything. YMMV! Brian
Brian has an excellent point. This cream is top-quality. The lather is super-rich, the skincare is very, very good. I find the scent a bit less than ideal, but I can still live very easily with it. For a tube this size, the price is quite reasonable. Jeff
This is honestly the first cream that made me say, "Wow". Now, I'm sure in the back of my mind, the $5 USD price tag had something to do with my initial reaction; but, truth be told, so did the performance. This is a phenomenal cream, period. At it's price, it's even better. Ease of lather? Stunningly, surprisingly easy, each and every time. The first time I used it, I was surprised at how fast great lather formed. I didn't time it, and I wasn't really sure what to expect; so, all I know is it lathered so much faster and better than my other (very well-respected) creams that I actually noticed it. Lather lifespan? Much longer than my 4 passs + touch-up. I honestly don't know how long beyond that. The leftover lather was great quality. Moisturizing? Yup. I've been comparing it to MWF in terms of how my face feels: almost like I wouldn't need a balm, and I always need a balm or moisturizer. Lubrication? It's quite good. I don't know how to downgrade this cream. I really don't. So, I'll keep the streak of 10s alive. How protective? Amazingly. The lather is dense, thick, and provides a fantastic cushion. Scent? OK. I found a place to downgrade it, but honestly, this is really almost playing off the other ratings, because my sense of smell is admittedly poor. Sometimes that's good ("Honey, can you clean the litterbox?"), and sometimes it's bad ("Man, that soap/cream has a scent that's other-wordly!"). So, beyond my own "seems OK", I relied on the supermodel I talked into marrying me, who conveniently for times like this, has a bionic nose. She liked it a lot, though the scent wasn't terribly strong. Not up there with AoS Sandalwood (her favorite), but it very clearly passed her test. Price? Where's my "Spinal Tap" eleven rating? It's $5 USD for 150 ml. I know KMF is technically better priced, and I'm a big KMF fan; but, at the ridiculously small amount of this cream I need to get tons of lather, it's probably pretty competitive. I squeezed a tube into an Anchor Hocking cup to see how much cream I'd use doing the dip & twist method of loading my brush. Answer: not much. Would I buy again? I already did! I went back to my local Rite Aid and cleaned out the last two tubes, giving me a total of three now. Amazingly enough, having tried my share of the mid-range (e.g., 150 mls = $15-$25) creams, I've found my first true go-to cream that I'll always keep in stock.
Real Shaving a Real Bargain I held off trying this cream as I had tried the 3T's and figured it wouldn't be quite as good at the much lower price. For a measly $5, I have a cream that performs as well as any of the 3T's. I've read some guys think this is just TOBS with a different scent. It wouldn't surprise me at all. The lather is super easy to make and lasts at least as long as I've tested it. It's also plenty slick, not the absolute slickest I've used but plenty slick for a great shave. Skin care might be a small downside, but not huge. The chemicals might be turn-off to some and seem to leave my skin not quite as nice as my favorite soaps and creams. Still, it's not the worst by any means and still a huge improvement over canned goo. I will say the scent isn't up to some of my favorite T&H scents, but it's not bad at all. My wife says it reminds her of Noxema acne cream and it certainly is similar. For those just starting out who can pick it up cheap at a local shop (most often Rite-Aid), this might just be the best choice possible. It couldn't be easier to use; you almost have to try to mess up the lather. I'll definitely be buying this cream again. It's the first cream I've found that to me competes both in term of performance and economy with my favorite soaps. Next time, I'll try the sensitive scent.
