I am finally ready to admit it- I hate Williams Mug Soap!

[Owen Bawn]

It's different. I am absolutely, 100% sure that the modern Williams is different from the vintage Williams. I went through a puck of vintage Williams. It lathered much more quickly and the lather was much more stable than the lather from modern Williams.

Having said that, after I grated it, added some glycerin, and mixed it all up and pressed it down into a puck, it was almost exactly like vintage Williams. So maybe the only thing that happened was that they are no longer adding as much glycerin as they used to. I don't know for sure, but I DO know for a fact that the vintage Williams and the modern Williams are different.

Many men have said that very same thing, so there's likely something to it. I just don't see a big difference, myself. Perhaps because I've used it all along I'm like that proverbial frog in the pot with the water gradually getting more and more heated...

 

[HarryAU570]

I know some of you out there are big fans of Williams. I get it, I really do. There is an allure to getting a soap as inexpensive as Williams to work. If it works for you, great. Unfortunately, I just cannot get Williams to work for me.

I first purchased Williams a couple of years ago so I could see what everyone was talking about. I had a terrible time trying to get Williams to lather, but at that time my water softener was not working properly and my tap water was super hard. Thus, I figured the problem was the hard water.

If used if again about a year ago after my water softener was replaced. I still found it difficult to lather and did not get a great shave.

I tried it again this morning. Since it had been so long since I last used it, I started to rehydrate the soap three days ago. Even with the hydration, it still took me three times longer to load my brush than it does with most of my soaps. Then I started to whip up a lather in my lather bowl. I kept at it until my wrist started to hurt, but I still could not eliminate the large bubbles.

I went on and applied the lather to my face and started my shave. I normally do a four-pass shave (WTG, XTG, ATG plus clean-up). After the first two passes, my face was so irritated that I could not go any further. Normally, I can do all four passes with zero irritation. I skipped the final two passes and left a lot of stubble remaining as my face could not take any more abuse.

Normally, my post-shave routine is to rinse off the soap and apply witch hazel. I did that this morning, but my skin was so irritated that I had to use a post-shave balm. I have not had to use a balm since last winter when the temperature and humidity were quite low. Most of the soaps I use to leave my face feeling moist and nourished, not so with Williams.

So, I now officially admit to being a hater of Williams. I tried hard not to be, but it just did not work out for me. The puck of Williams that I used a few times will go into the garbage. Another unopened puck will be donated along with a bunch of other soaps I no longer use.

I do not like using Arko as the soap leaves my face feeling very tight and dry. However, I can at least get a decent shave using Arko. With Williams, I cannot even get a decent shave. What is left of my Arko purchase will be donated as well.

Welcome to Anti-Hate Frustration Williams Mug Club

 

[AnimalCatcher]

I think kingfisher may be right about the glycerin. There were at least three reformulations, but it was the last reformulation by Combe that caused the lathering quality to drop and it's the only reformulation to list sodium chloride as an ingredient. I have heard that sodium chloride is used to extract glycerin during the soap making process. Maybe it is more profitable for Combe to sell the extracted glycerin while also producing and selling a soap of lesser quality.

 

[luv2shave]

I used 'vintage' Williams each day in the 70s-80s when it was not yet vintage and I have no memories of gobs of rich Santa beards. I remember it being thin, slick, and efficient, just as it is today. 40 years ago no one wasted 2 minutes and a lot of soap to get mountains of lather. You hit the puck with your wet boar brush for 20 seconds, slapped it on your face, and shaved. I really don't think the product has changed. Sure I can get mountains of lather from it, but there's no need to do that. 20 second load, face lather, maybe adding a little water to the brush, and shave.

This....

 

[gman41]

Various issues such as parabens has caused nearly every product to re-formulated. Williams is a great product, much better than anything in a can you'd find in a place likely to stock it.

Note to Williams people...marketing it better is the key,... put it in a fancy container, change the name, raise the price to 15.00 and watch everyone on here fawn over it.

Why can't they do different scents is the next question

 

[mozartman]

I used 'vintage' Williams each day in the 70s-80s when it was not yet vintage and I have no memories of gobs of rich Santa beards. I remember it being thin, slick, and efficient, just as it is today. 40 years ago no one wasted 2 minutes and a lot of soap to get mountains of lather. You hit the puck with your wet boar brush for 20 seconds, slapped it on your face, and shaved. I really don't think the product has changed. Sure I can get mountains of lather from it, but there's no need to do that. 20 second load, face lather, maybe adding a little water to the brush, and shave.

Yes, I'm glad someone said that, I've never understood the "mountains of lather" idea of many wet shave enthusiasts. Even a popular youtube wet shave reviewer seems to put WAY too much lather on his face. But whether Williams has changed or not, I found that it does take longer to lather than many others.

 

[luv2shave]

Many men have said that very same thing, so there's likely something to it. I just don't see a big difference, myself. Perhaps because I've used it all along I'm like that proverbial frog in the pot with the water gradually getting more and more heated...

That boiling hot water kept the lather going me thinks, the Williams guys shout it on their website too !

 

[2whluge]

I grated a puck, added some glycerine, and a few drops of bergamot and lime essential oils. The I pressed some into a bowl, and the rest into a push up for a stick. Works for me.

 

[Waistgunner]

My favorite soap!

 

[Chandu]

I have vintage and new and I think vintage lathers easier. Both give a good shave. Modern Williams is frustrating to new shavers and for the cost savings that Combe realized by giving us poor lathering (by comparison) soap it seems like eventually people quit buying it and they drop it. Somewhere in that is a board meeting wherein they conclude people don't use pucks like they used to and that's why it's not selling rather than we f'ed it up to save a penny and made it not lather properly.

I hope they fix it. It's a decent soap. Old Spice and Palmolive are no longer produced in the USA, this is really all that's left of traditional shaving soaps from the USA (and the original American puck, at that), I don't count VDH as an original, nor Surrey.

So Combe, pull your head out and start making a better product. Shavers will spend the extra nickel a puck. And while you're at it, bring back menthol and add something like a quasi old spice scent, that would sell like hot cakes.

 

[Earcutter]

Hell, I hate it and I’ve never even tried it.

 

[FarmerTan]

I have vintage and new and I think vintage lathers easier. Both give a good shave. Modern Williams is frustrating to new shavers and for the cost savings that Combe realized by giving us poor lathering (by comparison) soap it seems like eventually people quit buying it and they drop it. Somewhere in that is a board meeting wherein they conclude people don't use pucks like they used to and that's why it's not selling rather than we f'ed it up to save a penny and made it not lather properly.

I hope they fix it. It's a decent soap. Old Spice and Palmolive are no longer produced in the USA, this is really all that's left of traditional shaving soaps from the USA (and the original American puck, at that), I don't count VDH as an original, nor Surrey.

So Combe, pull your head out and start making a better product. Shavers will spend the extra nickel a puck. And while you're at it, bring back menthol and add something like a quasi old spice scent, that would sell like hot cakes.

Perfect post my friend!

 

[mozartman]

I grated a puck, added some glycerine, and a few drops of bergamot and lime essential oils. The I pressed some into a bowl, and the rest into a push up for a stick. Works for me.

Nice choice of fragrances. Roughly how much glycerin do you use per puck?

 

[Chandu]

Perfect post my friend!

Thank you. Sometimes my thoughts come together. (the voices in my head all agree) LOL

 

[ShaverAZ]

I put about 5 drops of room temperature distilled water from a water bottle atop the puck, shake out my brush, then swirl it around. I add a few drops of water at a time until it explodes into a dense thick lather. No controversy, no long wait, no wailing or gnashing of teeth, no tears., no additives. Just a fine lather that gives a superior shave.

 

[henrickd]

I’ve been wet shaving since 1990. I’ve been traditional wet shaving since 2005. I’ve never tried Williams Mug Soap.

In true “This really stinks. Smell it.” fashion, as soon as the November GRUME is over and in spite of the fact I’m trying to winnow down my soaps to seven, I will be purchasing a puck just to see what it’s like.

Thanks all for making me dumber (I wasn’t a rocket scientist to begin with). My wife hates all of us.

 

[FarmerTan]

I’ve been wet shaving since 1990. I’ve been traditional wet shaving since 2005. I’ve never tried Williams Mug Soap.

In true “This really stinks. Smell it.” fashion, as soon as the November GRUME is over and in spite of the fact I’m trying to winnow down my soaps to seven, I will be purchasing a puck just to see what it’s like.

Thanks all for making me dumber (I wasn’t a rocket scientist to begin with). My wife hates all of us.

It's good stuff! I just rub the puck on my face and lather it up! The smell is just plain clean.

 

[Shaving like a boss]

One guy said it has sodium chloride...umm..that is just table salt. It is used in the making of soap. Its nothing special.

 

[AnimalCatcher]

I'm not sure that I understand what you mean. Salt is nothing special? We are talking about a soap formula having been changed and most people are wondering why a company would make a change that is obviously detrimental to the performance of their product. Consumers have been adding glycerin to Williams to improve it ever since Combe changed the formula and started listing tallow second and began using sodium chloride as one of the new ingredients. Coincidence? Not likely.

 

[Shaving like a boss]

I'm not sure that I understand what you mean. Salt is nothing special? We are talking about a soap formula having been changed and most people are wondering why a company would make a change that is obviously detrimental to the performance of their product. Consumers have been adding glycerin to Williams to improve it ever since Combe changed the formula and started listing tallow second and began using sodium chloride as one of the new ingredients. Coincidence? Not likely.

Actually, they are required to list everything in the soap. Salt has always been used in the production of soap. It was there before but probably not listed. Salt is what is used to get the soap to fall out of solution during the manufacturing process. I watched my grandma do it when I was a kid. Combe surely changed the formula, but the addition of salt was not the change. Only listing it on the package would be required now.