Wilkinson Sword shaving soap (blue bowl)

Got it today and I am pleased with the smell ,lather and the shave . I have been looking at it for several years and I added it to a Amazon order to get free shipping!. So get it and try it but remember YMMV. Love it!

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I picked this up (blue bowl) at my local chemist. They sell this and palmolive, so tried this soap.

Its a softer soap, not hard milled. The scent reminds me of Lynx / Axe Africa shower gel. Pleasant, fresh and clean.

I found it lathered poorly in my shaving mug. It was enough for two or maybe three passes but not a nice fluffy lather, thin and lifeless. I did one pass with this but not to great effect. It protected my skin but felt that one passover with the blade and it was all gone, where other products stay longer on the face before needing to be re applied. So for a second pass, I rubbed my brush on the soap for 5 turns and applied it directly to my face. This provided better results and was far slicker. I wasn't too impressed with it at this point but after the second pass and washing my face, my skin felt great. I have nasty hard water at home and my skin dries out fast after most soaps and creams but not with this. Just a dab of Palmers cocoa butter, my winter stable and I was good to go. I think with a little practice, this will be a good product for me. Handy dish too, however, I don't think the dish will survive much longer than the soap.

I'm totally dumbfounded that this product has received such good reviews; especially by my fellow Canadians. Lets put it this way: It gets the job done. That is where all other comparisons should end. If you are used to high end shave creams from the likes of Taylor of Old Bond Street or Geo F. Trumper, then you will literally "feel" the disparity between the two realms. I ran out of my standard Taylor of Bond Street Sandalwood Creme and a freak snowstorm delayed delivery of my online replacement order. I only had a local WalMart near me and I chose this product over the legion of canned shave foams and gels. I was bitterly disappointed. Once open, the blue tub revealed a hard soap that smelled like a variety of Irish Spring bar soap. Yuck. I began my pre-shave as usual and lathered up with this stuff. It lathered readily and quickly but it was foamy and bubbled. From the first swathe, it was apparent (to me at least) that it did not lubricate to my liking. I had to take extra care in shaving with my Merkur DE and was appalled to find that this soap dried very quickly. So much, that I didn't feel any moisturizing effect whatsoever. I had to lather up the other side of my face each time when finished with the one I was working on. Incidentally, my wife also uses a Merkur DE to shave her pretty legs. She tried it and promptly tossed it into the dustbin, and shot me a dirty look in the process. For the discriminating, this product is an epic fail.

Such a poor product! How this can be sold as a genuine shaving soap is beyond me. The only positive thing about this soap is the shiny blue bowl it comes in.

As for the 'soap' itself, well, it is the poorest soap I've ever used. There is no way to get a decent lather from it, the scent is like a detergent used to clean public toilets.

For the price I paid, I wasn't expecting Tabac-like quality but this hasn't got anything to do with a shaving soap. In fact, I dumped this soap in the bin and won't ever buy it again.

Some cheap soaps are really good (Proraso and De Vergulde Hand come to mind) but this Wilkinson stuff isn't one of them.

Buying this soap is money wasted.

My review corresponds with the blue bowl, which is exactly the same with the exception of a different scent. Like the Williams mug soap, this soap is mediocre. Lathers like a regular hand soap and provides no glide nor cushion. Smells clean, but mine now smells like rubber (i've had it for 1.5 years sitting on the shelf). Nasty! Unlike with the Williams, I will not use it as a hand or body soap. Tried it and hate it. Cheers.

Received it as a gift. The scent is horrible but it lathers ok.\nRecommended only as start product in wetshaving. \nMe not like

Just picked a pot of this up on the off chance whilst shopping in Asda in the UK, Walmart I believe to you guys in the US. Just swirled my boar brush over the top of the puck and voila, a really efficient lather that lasts a good number of passes. Was in a bit of a rush for work when I first used it this morning, but still got an extremely close shave. Would definitely recommend and this will now be in my rotation of creams/soaps.

This is a good basic product. It has been one of my mainstays for years. Cheap to purchase, lathers well and gives my a basically solid, well lubricated shave. This is not a luxurious product, but a good solid daily use and travel companion.

The price is the best thing about this shaving soap - as well as it's availability. It is adequate for those wanting a quick shave but don't expect it to be one to look forward to.
The lather is thin but slick, no big foamy whips of lather from this soap can be had.

Like many others above, this was my first soap as it's easily available in the UK and cheap.

I agree with most of the comments regarding lather - I need to soak the puck with a little hot water, othewise I have to work hard to get a decent lather even with my fairly stiff Omega boar. Forget using a badger for this soap! I get enough for a couple of passes, three if I'm lucky.

Pleasant, clean scent and adequate lubrication, but not very moisturising. It leaves my skin feeling a bit dry and tight.

Still, it does give me a consistent, smooth shave. There's only a small dent in the puck and I've used it about a dozen times, so it seems like it'll last a while.

On balance, I'd say it's worth keeping in reserve for those times when you just need a quick shave.

Blue bowl purchase was my first attempt at wet shaving. It has a pleasant scent, and easy use when I'm on the road.

The lather is a bit challenging at first, but needs to be soaked in hot water, and it will improve.

Normal moisturizing, but nothing to write home about.

First shave soap that I used...I did really like the smell as it brought me back to the days when I first used after shave and would use some really cheap stuff lol. Price was decent too. However, the lather was basically just a bunch of bubbles it seemed like. You could tell that this is low end soap.

Like a few other reviews on here, this was also my first soap, which I thought was doing a good job until I tried a cream. I thought soaps just weren't for me, then I tried a 45p soap stick which put the wilkinson soap into perspective.

I can't get a decent lather from it, although a usable one at a push. It smells the same as shaving foam/gel from a can. Not offensive, just not great. If you need soap in an emergency, this is still better than canned stuff, there are in my opinion better products for similar money.

This was the first soap I ever used, having gone down to the supermarket the day my HD razor arrived and got it and the cheap brush alongside it. It was all of £2 so exceedingly cheap. Although my first attempt was pretty bloody the scent of this stuff always reminds me of the day I took up DE wetshaving.

I have been working on getting a good lather from TOBS soap and found a stiff boar brush is better for this. I decided to give the Wilkinson another go when I got a cold and couldn't smell a thing. That's not to say the Wilkinson scent is unpleasant, it's just incomparable with the TOBS. It reminds me of roll-on or stick deodorants.

I've used it for the last couple of days with my favourite razor - an English Tech with a Derby blade - and my 404 Vulifix brush. I must say the results are pretty damn good. I could definitely use this every day if it was the only soap I could get. I might get a little bored with the monotony but the shaves would be OK (besides I spent 4 years slapping gel on my face and this would be far better than that).

I dump a good quantity of hot water on the puck before going into the shower so it's softened by the time I come to lather up. Given the soap is so cheap, I go right ahead and mash the brush into it and get a good quantity of soap on to it. This does get suds over the sides but you can easily rinse that off once you're finished shaving. I usually lather in a latte mug and after a minute or so there is a sufficient enough quantity to do my normal 3 and a half passes.

It is a fairly thin lather but it's perfectly adequate for shaving

Some people have reported this soap dries out their skin. I've never noticed this with any soap or cream, however I nearly always finish up with an aftershave balm.

In conclusion, this is a very cheap soap which is widely available (in the UK at least) which gives a decent shave. You can get it at most supermarkets but don't pay more than £2 for it and it's definitely not worth hunting out or ordering it online and paying shipping for.

What this soap has going for it is mainly its price and accessibility. It is the only cake soap available on the high street in England - Boots, Superdrug etc. It lathers up well if you soak your brush in hot water for a couple of minutes first and it smells much like hand soap does, albeit a little more faint.

As a good, reliable starting soap it is unsurpassed. However, don't pay more than £2 ($3 or so) for it because it's fairly bare bones in all departments. I use it because it's available without mail-order. You won't be impressed by this soap but it will deliver what it promises: a clean, smooth, close shave. Not one for the connoisseur, though.

The scent is horrible, every time I smell it, I get a headache.

It is a relatively cheap soap, therefore not much to blame on it.

Doesn't lather very well and dries your skin afterwards.

I bought this as an alternative to my Proraso. This stuff works up a decent lather. Not really that thick unless you really work it, but if you work hard you will be rewarded with a near-cream consistency. It will do the task of hydrating your skin fairly well. It has a soapy/body wash smell that is strange for a soap.

Only a couple of quid, so I thought "why not" well... now I know

Since changing to DE again a few months back, I bought this soap as it was the only one in the local shops !
Pain, rash, burn and cuts were the order of the day...I put this down to technique and "tools", so persevered.
During the past few months, Ive experimented with blades and lubes, finally ended up with feathers+oil ! = BBS zero rash etc !

Today I saw the WS Soap in the cupboard, so I thought Id give it a revisit...
"Friday the thirteenth" AGAIN .... blood, pain - sore as anything, and shaving rash I thought was a distant memory.... This rubbish is going in the bin

My first foray into shaving soaps was the Wilkinson Sword Black Bowl shaving soap, which I thought was pretty dire. The lather was weedy and very dry. Took me a long time to get a good lather with it.

I saw this Blue Bowl version in my local supermarket for a couple of quid, so I thought I'd give it a go.

On getting it home, I took the lid off to get a glimpse of it. First impressions were pretty good, a nice neat cake inside the bowl. The smell of it was okay. It could be described as 'antiseptic' but overall the smell is reasonable.

On lathering up, I was surprised at how well it lathers. Ive read other reviews that it doens't lather too well, but for me it does a good job, almost on a par with my Trumper's shaving cream. Shaving was comfortable and smooth, leaving nice soft skin afterwards.

Im aware you can buy better soaps, but for the price I'd definetly recommend this as a starter/practice soap. Recommended.

(we talk about the blue bowl)

This soap is just the worst soap I never tried

- Yes, It smell very bad.
- The lather is just too airy.
- The lubrication in the lather is totaly inexistant.

enough?

Don't waste your money and keep your money for a better soap. If you are very tight on your budget, go with prorasso, else, don't bother with these cheap soap, go with high end soap, there's a plenty of very fine soap out there. And, never forget, you get for what you pay for. Even in this case, quality/price is not there.