Barrister And Mann for me is first class although like any soap / Cream they are not for everyone.
If i can smell a soap 2 hours after a shave that’s a plus point for me.
As for lathering a soap has never taken me any longer than a cream,
For me lathering takes the same amount of time depending on the effort i put in, but i can pretty shave with anything in 30 seconds should i choose to do that.
Artisans are all pretty much of a muchness but that doesn’t mean they are bad, All in the eye of the beholder i guess however you can’t put B&M in the same category as 3P but again each to our own