A week on and a few MWF shaves later, my thoughts are that the puck definitely needs a minute or two of hot water before attempting to lather, but this rewards with a real thick, creamy lather. I tried once between shaves to just lather the dry puck with a wet brush and it was thin and aerated by comparison.
MWF is very slick and protective, but it really doesn't feel that way to me when shaving; its strange that i have had many shaves that feel "more luxurious" but the end results just aren't as good as MWF. I can definitely hear and feel the shave more with MWF, but afterwards no cuts or nicks and my face feels moisturised and great. Maybe its the Progress or the Astra SP ?
Anyhow, it is, for me, a fantastic product and i can see what all the fuss is about.