Best shave of my life ... using Williams!

[Christoph]

There are some problems with this whole discussion.

One problem is that Williams is truly a classic. It is sacred. And people find it really hard to be objective about things like this.

Wiliams Mug Soap is just like Aqua Velva in the world of shaving. It has history and lore unlike almost any other product. Williams Mug Soap is to shaving as Buddy Holly is to Rock and Roll. You may have a hundred bands you like more, but Buddy Holly is no less important to the history or rock. And people just get into stuff like this.

But on the other hand, Williams CAN be effective. I have used numerous other soaps that cost 25 times as much (yes, we can all hold our hand up there) but many of these soaps are actually only a bit better than Williams. But admittedly, 20 bucks can get you some soaps that are indeed much, much better.

But I too can get a good shave with Williams. I recommend the tips mentioned earlier - soaking it or even gating it. I have done both.

A good cream beats a great soap any day. We all know that. But among soaps, it can be hard to find something that is truly worth the money.

Well, at "a buck a puck", Williams truly is.

 

[markb]

A good cream beats a great soap any day. We all know that.

I must respectfully disagree. Having started off with creams, once I discovered how great soaps were, I never looked back. As with everything, YMMV...

 

[The National Razor]

There are some problems with this whole discussion.

One problem is that Williams is truly a classic. It is sacred. And people find it really hard to be objective about things like this.

Wiliams Mug Soap is just like Aqua Velva in the world of shaving. It has history and lore unlike almost any other product. Williams Mug Soap is to shaving as Buddy Holly is to Rock and Roll. You may have a hundred bands you like more, but Buddy Holly is no less important to the history or rock. And people just get into stuff like this.

But on the other hand, Williams CAN be effective. I have used numerous other soaps that cost 25 times as much (yes, we can all hold our hand up there) but many of these soaps are actually only a bit better than Williams. But admittedly, 20 bucks can get you some soaps that are indeed much, much better.

But I too can get a good shave with Williams. I recommend the tips mentioned earlier - soaking it or even gating it. I have done both.

A good cream beats a great soap any day. We all know that. But among soaps, it can be hard to find something that is truly worth the money.

Well, at "a buck a puck", Williams truly is.

I was with you all the way until here. I must respectfully dissent. I like a good cream to change the pace, but soaps rule the roost in my shave den.

 

[pmast]

Wow, this has been a great thread so far. I just recently revisited Williams and found I got better results using it as a shave stick and face lathering with a synthetic EJ brush. I will have to soak it overnight now to see if that makes a difference for me. I would like to say I have gotten a great shave from it, but so far, it has only been "okay" at best. Well, I love the challenge anyway and it beats the hell out of the new formula Erasmic shave stick by a very wide margin. That didn't even make a good shower soap.

 

[bearbear]

There are some problems with this whole discussion.

One problem is that Williams is truly a classic. It is sacred. And people find it really hard to be objective about things like this.

Wiliams Mug Soap is just like Aqua Velva in the world of shaving. It has history and lore unlike almost any other product. Williams Mug Soap is to shaving as Buddy Holly is to Rock and Roll. You may have a hundred bands you like more, but Buddy Holly is no less important to the history or rock. And people just get into stuff like this.

But on the other hand, Williams CAN be effective. I have used numerous other soaps that cost 25 times as much (yes, we can all hold our hand up there) but many of these soaps are actually only a bit better than Williams. But admittedly, 20 bucks can get you some soaps that are indeed much, much better.

But I too can get a good shave with Williams. I recommend the tips mentioned earlier - soaking it or even gating it. I have done both.

A good cream beats a great soap any day. We all know that. But among soaps, it can be hard to find something that is truly worth the money.

Well, at "a buck a puck", Williams truly is.

+1...save creams just don't do it for me.

 

[salisburyyates]

I like my lather to be opaque and creamy. I can't do this with Williams unless I lather on the puck and then superlather with a cream.