Since I have started wet-shaving, I thought that using Williams was a right-of-passage, like some kind of fraternity hazing ritual that I just needed to do one day. With so many bad reviews, and the complaints of lathering with Williams, I kept putting off the inevitable. Having tried the other famous brick and mortar brand Van De Hagen, I thought maybe it was time for Williams.
Williams and VDH battle for the bottom end of the shaving soap market. I have used the VDH Luxury soap, and picked up the cheap-o 'deluxe' at the grocery store to try. That under my belt, I finally dove in and bought a 99 cent puck of Williams.
I've only used it once, but I had a couple impressions right up front.
The smell was the first thing. It's a real old-time 'soap' smell. I actually had a childhood flashback to like kindergarten or elementary school... does anyone remember the bathroom soap dispensers that had that gritty soap powder in them? It's all I could think of. Not a bad memory, but not what I was expecting at all. It does have that Ivory soap aroma to it, but the whole time I thought of that powdered soap dispenser stuff. That really threw me back.
It bowl lathered up nicely. From what I have read I was expecting an epic battle for a worthy foam out of that puck, but it required the same effort as any of the other brands I have used, really. It was pretty thick, I may have even loaded the brush more than I needed too. Needless to say there was more than enough to go through three passes.
I didn't have any adverse skin reactions from the soap... it was really a neutral feel to it. My skin didn't feel dried out or moistened or anything. Though I don't really have sensitive skin. I would guess any redness or irritation I tend to run into is probably from my ever-evolving blade-work.
Is it better than VDH deluxe? I would say it's just as good. It's like comparing coke and pepsi. Either one would work in a pinch. The VDH has an even more neutral smell, it was almost like shaving with nothing, which is not too much fun. But Williams just wants to punch you in the face and yell "SOAP!" every time you lather. If someone told me the only shaving soap I could ever use again would be Williams, I would miss the variety of flavors I have used up to this point. But I am pretty sure if I only had Williams from now on, I'd know I could get decent shaves from it, despite it's soapy fragrance. I do think both VDH & Williams will give you better lather than canned shaving cream.
It was worth the 99 cents just to bring up that memory of the powdered soap from my childhood, something that would have been lost to history for me if not for my adventures in shaving!
Williams and VDH battle for the bottom end of the shaving soap market. I have used the VDH Luxury soap, and picked up the cheap-o 'deluxe' at the grocery store to try. That under my belt, I finally dove in and bought a 99 cent puck of Williams.
I've only used it once, but I had a couple impressions right up front.
The smell was the first thing. It's a real old-time 'soap' smell. I actually had a childhood flashback to like kindergarten or elementary school... does anyone remember the bathroom soap dispensers that had that gritty soap powder in them? It's all I could think of. Not a bad memory, but not what I was expecting at all. It does have that Ivory soap aroma to it, but the whole time I thought of that powdered soap dispenser stuff. That really threw me back.
It bowl lathered up nicely. From what I have read I was expecting an epic battle for a worthy foam out of that puck, but it required the same effort as any of the other brands I have used, really. It was pretty thick, I may have even loaded the brush more than I needed too. Needless to say there was more than enough to go through three passes.
I didn't have any adverse skin reactions from the soap... it was really a neutral feel to it. My skin didn't feel dried out or moistened or anything. Though I don't really have sensitive skin. I would guess any redness or irritation I tend to run into is probably from my ever-evolving blade-work.
Is it better than VDH deluxe? I would say it's just as good. It's like comparing coke and pepsi. Either one would work in a pinch. The VDH has an even more neutral smell, it was almost like shaving with nothing, which is not too much fun. But Williams just wants to punch you in the face and yell "SOAP!" every time you lather. If someone told me the only shaving soap I could ever use again would be Williams, I would miss the variety of flavors I have used up to this point. But I am pretty sure if I only had Williams from now on, I'd know I could get decent shaves from it, despite it's soapy fragrance. I do think both VDH & Williams will give you better lather than canned shaving cream.
It was worth the 99 cents just to bring up that memory of the powdered soap from my childhood, something that would have been lost to history for me if not for my adventures in shaving!
. The smell is pleasant for me and a little bit milder than by the arko soap. 
