Williams provides an excellent base for a super lather. It's all residual slickness, whereas your average cream is all scent and cushion. Together, they make the perfect pair. I made a super lather with Williams + GFT rose cream today. It was divine. At about $1.50 per puck, Williams represents a very economical way of boosting the quality of your creams.
I am finally ready to admit it- I hate Williams Mug Soap!
- Thread starter RayClem
- Start date
It is also fine enough on its own to lather. I get roughly 3-4 weeks because I lather directly on the puck. I wouldn’t do this method with a more expensive soap, but Williams is only like $1.20 locally.
I always tell new shavers to begin with the cheap Van der Hagen instead though. The trickiness of Williams might turn some folks away from wet shaving
I always tell new shavers to begin with the cheap Van der Hagen instead though. The trickiness of Williams might turn some folks away from wet shaving
Add another vote to the “I dislike Williams” column!
Messygoon
Abandoned By Gypsies.
Confession: I desire to remain a frugal shaver, but am enjoying discovering new things. I exclusively used Williams for 30 years. Last year, after reading B&B posts, I decided to try Proraso, Cella and Tabac. Oh my... I shalt go back. Williams is okay, but there are so many better choices at low costs.
What I did do was PIF my stash of Williams to someone new to DE. He was ecstatic. And soon I’ll gift him an even better soap.
What I did do was PIF my stash of Williams to someone new to DE. He was ecstatic. And soon I’ll gift him an even better soap.
OP @RayClem
I hope you give it another try.
I used Williams mug soap today for the 1st time and blade moved so swiftly and I got a real close shave without any negative effects.
I put the Williams soap in a mug, poured some warm water and put my Omega 10005 brush with it.
The whole blooming/ brush wetting process took less than a few minutes, just enough for me to assemble the razor, fill a mug for rinsing etc.
It doesn't take a lot of blooming time, certainly not the overnight soaking, not hot water etc.
I hope you give it another try.
I used Williams mug soap today for the 1st time and blade moved so swiftly and I got a real close shave without any negative effects.
I put the Williams soap in a mug, poured some warm water and put my Omega 10005 brush with it.
The whole blooming/ brush wetting process took less than a few minutes, just enough for me to assemble the razor, fill a mug for rinsing etc.
It doesn't take a lot of blooming time, certainly not the overnight soaking, not hot water etc.
- Thread starter
- #226
If primary slickness were my only criteria, I would not have started the thread. I have tried Williams on multiple occasions and it always comes out near the bottom of my list. Yes, I have used worst performing soaps, but I have nearly 200 soaps (about 95 different formulations) that will give me a better shave overall.
Arko > Williams
I've been using Williams for the last handful of shaves and have been reminded why I love it so. I have a puck of the vintage formula that is nearing it's end placed on top of a puck of "modern". The lather is crazy slick, rinses clean and most importantly offers a good shave. I find that the thinner layer of lather produced allows me to focus more on removing the hair from my face with precision and less on scraping off a layer of "cushion".
Still a two thumbs up soap from me!
Still a two thumbs up soap from me!
If you have such variety, then it's right to discard a low performance soap as compared to your better soaps.
I myself like to give a soap a try, and unless it is exceptionally good, it won't be purchased again.
For me, Williams works, I've received 2 pucks of it, so it'll be in the rotation but it'll never be purchased again.
I was under the impression that it was proving difficult to lather it up, and that's why I shared my experience.
Take care.
- Thread starter
- #230
Your description of Williams is the reason I hate it.
When you say it "rinses clean" you are saying that it contains nothing to stay behind and moisturize or condition my skin after the shave. My skin is super sensitive and I rely on ingredients in my shaving soap that stay on my skin long after the shave to keep my skin soft and moist. A soap that "rinses clean" contains nothing to provide those benefits.
Because my skin is so sensitive, I need that "layer of cushion" that you wish to avoid to protect my skin from the blade. Without that cushion, my skin is irritated during the shave. I want a soap that allows me to shave with zero irritation; Williams cannot give me an irritation-free shave.
I am not saying Williams is a bad soap; I am saying that it is a bad soap for MY skin. If it works for you, I am delighted ; it just does not work for me. Beard types and skin types differ greatly. I need a soap that is formulated differently.
- Thread starter
- #231
Williams was designed as a mug soap, a soap that is designed to be used for daily shaving. With the number of soaps I have in my den, it will be six months between uses of a specific soap. That makes Williams very difficult for me to lather.
My definition of "difficult to later" may differ from many people. I lather in a mortar bowl using hot water and vigorous brush swirls. With my best soaps, I can "bloom" the tub for 15 seconds, load the brush for 10 seconds and then build a later in the bowl in 30-40 seconds. I then take another 10-15 seconds to paint the lather onto my face. Thus, in less than a minute and a half, I can be ready to shave.
With Williams, it take me about 30 seconds to load the brush and even after two minutes of lathering, the lather will still have some large bubbles. I could get rid of them by lathering longer, but I refuse to do that.
Some of the responses to my initial post state that Williams can be lathered in a "few minutes". I agree with that statement, I just do not consider that to be acceptable when I that do not require that much time and effort. There is even a YouTube video in which a guy spends 11-12 minutes lathering Williams to get a superb lather, but in that time, I can complete my shave.
Your reasons are justified and everyone has certain expectations from a shave product, if that is not met, then he/ she is absolutely free to not only leave the product and also to voice his disagreement with it.
I'm a student and therefore I can manage few extra minutes, ergo I don't mind extra time needed/ spent on soaps as long as I get my time's worth of enjoyment in shave.
So, I find Williams usable, probably likable but definitely not at par as Arko, Tabac and Mitchell's.
Leaving some protection on face is a desirable factor in shave soap, but we can't expect it from dollar soaps.
You have a great collection and experience with the soaps, so leaving behind the Williams let me ask you, what soaps do you actually find good for your skin (good benefits to skin, protection, performance etc) ?
There is no malice here, I'm really new here and genuinely interested in people who know about what they want/ like after using several products.
- Thread starter
- #233
I have been retired for several years, so I could take more time with my shaves than I do. However, I also have some arthritis in my hands (oh to be young again) that makes lengthy lathering and shaving sessions uncomfortable. That is why I refuse to use shaving soaps that take more than 60 seconds of lathering time.
When I was young, my skin was not nearly so sensitive and my beard was not nearly so course. Now I have to use very sharp blades to sever my course beard hairs. That makes it imperative that I use high quality soaps to avoid irritation. Since you are still young, you can use soaps that do not work for me. However, I suspect you would like the soaps that I love to use.
Although my student days were many decades ago, I still remember what it was like living on a very tight budget. I did use Williams back in my early days of shaving. However, modern Williams is much different than the Williams available in my youth. I could never have afforded the premium shaving soaps that are now my favorites, even if they had been available back then. Most of my favorite soaps have only been on the market a year or two and some no more than a few months.
I remember I used to mix Williams with other soaps by grating it and pouring something like Conk over to mix. I think the glycerin in those other soaps help make the lather stable.
But now I just use those products by themselves. My lathering technique has gotten better
But now I just use those products by themselves. My lathering technique has gotten better
My first month of shaving with a de razor was with Williams. It was all that I could get my hands on locally and they also had a boar brush beside it for 7$. I placed it in the bottom of a coffee mug and used the mug as my bowl. Seemed like a very good soap at the time compared to the goo I had been using with the Mach 3. After my artisan soaps started coming in I swapped over to them for a while and was really happy with the quality of the new soaps like Mitchell’s wool fat and stirling and others. But I travel for work, and I always bring along a brick of mugs and that very same coffee mug. And still get good lathers and great shaves. I’ve never had any trouble getting a lather, but it is the only soap that I use that I allow to bloom in warm water as I shower. I’ve used both badger and boar and always found it to lather quite nicely and I don’t mind the scent, the after shave gets rid of the extremely faint scent that is left over after I finish my shaves. And it’s a lot easier for me to just throw what’s left in the cup away and head back home knowing I only spent a little over 1$ for it anyway! I always wonder after I get back home and start using my good soaps if it is really necessary to spend 10-20$ for a puck of soap when Williams does just fine for me. But I do enjoy the other soaps I use enough to well justify the added cost. But if it isn’t for you, then it’s definitely nothing to sweat over. Most 15$ pucks are good for 100 or more shaves so it isn’t like it is breaking the bank. I believe everything to do with wet shaving is absolutely YMMV!
WMS is what I learned on. It's decent and does not offend my pet domesticated rodents.
Okay, I am back to say it is still not worth the trouble but I need to stick it out this week for a couple shaves for the reason it was what my Dad used and this week I will be using his Schick Injector and WMS for a couple shaves, this week will mark his 100th birthday(he has been gone for over 20 years, but one of the few times I use his razor now is on his birthday). So, I started hydrating the soap the last 2-3 days by putting some water on top of the soap but since the house is so dry right now it was just drying up so I added some water and put a baggy on top of it so it wouldn't evaporate. The other day I could actually stick my finger in the top of and leave a hefty fingerprint and thought maybe I was onto something. This evening I soaked my Omega Silvertip and showered. I squeezed out all the water I could and started to load the brush, nothing but foam, are you kidding me, how did I get so much foam when the brush had very little water left in it. So I began at least a 2 minute load time, stopped and shook out a little of the foam into the sink and proceeded to load another 1-2 minutes. I moved to the lather bowl and started working it for another 2-3 minutes and I am not getting anywhere near a usable lather, just this foamy stuff with tiny little bubble. I put the lather bowl down and moved back to the cup with the soap in it and loaded for another 1-2 minutes, the soap in the lather bowl all but vanished, wow! My arm and wrist are getting tired with all this loading on the soap so still a little foamy I move from the cup with the soap straight to my face. I managed to get a little bit of a usable lather but it was drying up by the time I finished the first pass and it appeared to be gumming up my razor. Even though I squeezed out as much of the water I could I have no clue where the water came from that made it so foamy. Usually any other soap I use if it is a little foamy like this I had too much water in my brush. The only thing I could due is use my synthetic and load with a dry brush and go from there. Since it took me well over twice as long, at least 20 minutes, just to shave I will have to do an evening shave middle of the week and will give another report then. I don't want to give up without a good effort put in. Which reminds me I need to go put the soap in a bag and seal it up.
- Thread starter
- #238
Your experience with Williams is what I experience when I try using it. It takes forever to hydrate if you do not use it daily. With my better soaps 10-15 seconds is plenty. Williams takes a couple of minutes of loading time when my better soaps take 10 seconds or less. Williams is so foamy that it takes several minutes of lathering time to develop a lather without large bubbles. With my better soaps that takes 30-45 seconds. Even after all the work it takes to lather Williams, you still do not have a lather that will give a great shave. There are some inexpensive soaps that perform above their price point, but Williams is not one of them. That is why I hate it.
My best use of Williams is to just run the puck on my face and face lather. It is so easy. I'm just way too easily bored to make a merange type of lather.
But I doubt I'll buy any more Williams. Arko rules!
My thoughts exactly. Only reason I am trying this is because it was what my Dad used but granted he had the old formula that is supposed to be so much better. Hard to imagine he still used this when canned stuff was so readily available in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Other thing hard to imagine is that this was about the only option for soap at the drugstore then, but then now I see maybe 3 options, at our drugstore, VDH Deluxe, WMS and Grandma's soap of some sort in a square block(might pick it up just to try it). As far as inexpensive soaps VDH Luxury would be my inexpensive choice or even Palmolive cream for that matter.
This soap will only be a once a year thing. I have way too many other soaps that this will not be a regular thing since it is so hard to get good results from.
Similar threads
