What do u think of Williams?

[Shavetheman01]

I feel like Williams works best in a mug and horrible if you try to use the Puck as a shave stick.

I soak it in very hot water while showering, dump the water out, and vigorously make the lather on top of the soap. It seems to work.

 

[eastomjac]

I was using Williams before I knew anything about getting a good lather (meaning prior to B&B). Wet, sloppy, dripping lathers, but slick. Learned to properly lather with other soaps, so the return to Williams--and great lathers--was a joyful one.

+1. Without the lathering problems.always liked it

 

[slyfox279]

I've tried to like it. Iced tried soaking it, loading for 5 minutes, adding water, less water, etc. never gives a lasting lather, it'll look Okish but fade away to nothing before I get to my other side. Arko is t much more, godrej is 30¢ both those soaps are good soap, much better then Williams. I think people who like Williams are just nostalgic and in deny. Williams better then cell, mdc, caries bubbles, dvh, tabac, etc, no way. That's like saying a Honda lawn mower is better then a Porsche. Williams back in its day may have been great but then they reformulated it into this crap thy try to pass off as shave soap.
I like the scent though. I wish someone would import godrej here and sell it in stores to replace Williams.
Instead I'll pay the $7 to ship it here when need replaced. its the same size as Williams, cheaper(except shipping), preformance better, and comes in a container in a box.

i do wish I could have tried actual original Williams shave soap.

 

[Charlie Van Dyke]

First off I only like using products made in N. America or Europe with few exceptions; mostly for quality control and trust in manufacturing standards, but supporting certain regions and not others also plays into things. That being said, Williams does belong in the bathroom cabinet and is a decent, affordable daily soap.
After reading some of these posts, I am going to put a little more effort into using Williams soap over the next week. I like the scent and glide (not to mention the price) and my clogging issue with DE razors might be mitigated with more water in the lather.
I'll report back with results.

 

[auk1124]

I try not to think of Williams at all. It isn't as big of a fail as Erasmic, but it is close, in my book. I'd much rather have a puck of Van der Hagen or Conk than Williams.

 

[Rusty Blade]

I used Williams for most of my 40+ years of wet shaving. It is a fine soap. Takes a while to get the hang of lathering it (the secret is blooming it before each shave...it is a thirsty soap). As others have said it is one of those "some love it some hate it" soaps. I like it just fine...though I don't use it much any more. Since I discovered the shaving forums my eyes (and wallet) have been opened to a new world of great soaps and creams.

 

[skibik]

I will pile on. If you haven't noticed it is a love or hate relationship. I would be the latter and it is not worth the effort to get a half decent lather from. The only thing it has going for it is price. I certainly didn't get into DE shaving to save a couple bucks on soap. If I was into the idea of saving money I would still be shaving with either my Schick Injector or twin disposables and Gillette canned shave cream.

 

[majorrich]

It's not my favorite soap, but I keep it on hand. Takes technique and a lot of water to make it perform properly. I guess that puts in on the "I don't dislike it, so I must like it a little" list.

 

[imbored2deth]

My signature line says it all.

But I do have one in my possession due to my hypocrisy. I have used worse but for the effort it takes, VDH is only a container away.

When it all does come together williams does deliver a nice shave. It does dry my skin out a bit in the winter though.

 

[krause99]

I like Williams, it's the only soap I use...

 

[OldSaw]

You are not an inferior calibre wet shaver if you find Williams to be below average. Also, you are not an inferior wet shaver if you find Williams to be an acceptable product.

I'll let you all in on a little secret... there is no magical, mystery technique that will make Williams "work for you". It is a below average soap that some people like and there is nothing wrong with that. If you find it not to your liking there really is nothing you can do to change that. You could draw a pint of holy water from the baptistry of St. Peters basilica on Easter morning of leap year during a full moon in a hand forged golden chalice made by the monks of Santa Maria Novella and soak a brand new puck of Williams in it for forty days and forty nights and you will simply end up with holy bubbles.

I have made mounds and mounds of bubbly Williams lather in my time and it simply is not satisfying to me. There is no doubt that it is extremely slick, but there is more to a good shaving soap than slickness. Beard softening and moisturizing are also important attributes, which Williams does not offer me.

So there you have it. You don't need to feel like less of a shaver if Williams isn't for you. There is no secret code to unlock what isn't there.

 

[Charlie Van Dyke]

I just had a nice clean shave with Williams (due to this post) and used my Dovo "Best Quality" straight razor since I have found Williams to clog my DE razors. I noticed more shave residue remained on my blade than other soaps.
Even though I was unable to get a thick frothy lather as I can get with other soaps (VDH Lux) I was able to get a decent lather which thinned out before I could get to the other side of my face. This is typical for me when using Williams and frustrated me before, but I noticed one advantage to a less than lofty lather.
I maintain a mustache and goatee and try to keep symmetry and the same lines as before, but a thick lather can obscure the lines. Today, with a thin Williams lather, the hairline was easier so see and work.
Food for thought.

 

[coolcanuc]

Periodically I will use something else. But, for the most part I use Williams every day.

 

[Charlie Van Dyke]

I've been referencing Williams Mug shot his whole time and just realized that there is a Williams Marvy. They both look like standard classic pucks. Does anyone know if there's a difference?

 

[dsmcloud]

Funny to find this post,
I literally just finished my shave with you guessed it Williams.
Slicks ok but just too much water and bam bubble mess but I like trial and error.
This is a nice shave for price .

 

[sonarman]

I soaked mine and it made a world of difference.

 

[dionesius3]

Fantastic soap! Love the stuff! Use it almost everyday. I don't know why so many dislike it. It makes fantastic lather when you place the soap in a mug and cover it with water and let it soak till the water is gone. Cover again and soak till gone. The just wet your brush and load from the mug nod lather on your face. Two days of soaking and the puck is perfect.

I don't know why that is hard to do for some shavers but it seems to be. I know I had a hard time following the advice at first, but I finally just did it and discovered that Williams is a very good soap.

 

[FarmerTan]

For me, it's awful. I consider it the worst "shaving" soap that I have tried. I baffle every time when I see an expression like "tons of slickness", or "luxurious lather" when people are describing the Williams Mug soap.
I would make it the official prison shaving soap though.

Love the prison soap reference! My dad loved it, but believe it or not I never even tried it!

 

[FatboyFan]

Tried it out of curiosity but didn't like it at all. The scent and the effort involved was not to my taste and I tossed it in the end. There are six pucks of the stuff out in our council landfill somewhere.

 

[bvance554]

I wish I could still pick it up at the drug store for $1.17.