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What's so bad about Wilkinson Sword shaving soap?

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
You'll notice people who have high end lust worthy soaps by the truck load sometimes still use the humble oldschool software like Wilkinson, Arko, Williams, Palmolive, Cella, Proraso, Tabac etc. There's pleasure in paying respect to the tradition and the working man ritual we saw our fathers and grandfathers practice before us.

After a time you can get desensitized by using only higher quality stuff, so you lose your ground reference and it's good to come back to your beginnings and close the circle, contemplate your journey.

To some people it's all about getting a good shave, it's not a hobby, there's no chasing an ideal BBS, or post shave feel, or collecting things. The basic kit will get you good shaves without the CNC milled titanium handles or shea butters. Good technique and practice is the most important variable. To quote the Stallion, "Everything works".

I will have to admit that this is a philosophy that holds little interest for me. I loved my father and grandfather. But they both enjoyed as much progress as life had to offer. When central heating came around they embraced it. When computers came around they stopped doing a lot of spreadsheets by hand.

I will be forever grateful for the gifts they gave me: a quest for excellence, pride in a job well done, love of family and God. I am fully aware that I stand on their shoulders.

For me it is too far a stretch to imagine that I would honor them by using some mediocre soap. But it's a romantic notion and I appreciate romance - so if it floats your boat I'm with you 100%.

For me it's the Wolfman and daily BBS - which I don't chase, I just do it.
 
I like a bit of nostalgia, if I'm honest. Enveloping the mundane with some kind of a narrative. :)

Enjoy your Sunday, Keith.
Cheers
 
Schick is Wilkinson
Yes, but it's not marketed and sold in stores in the US. It's not even an afterthought for the big 3 men's personal care companies. Short of going to a specialty shop, the only traditional shaving products I can get are from smaller companies, Van der Hagen, Pacific, Williams, etc.
 
Poor Wilkie Sword.
Maybe if they raised the price the percpetions would improve commensurate.
:)

Exactly! I use it at least twice a week and it always impresses me. Sometimes better than some pricier soaps. I guess it is growing on me, as I can now get a thick, 4 pass lather out of one load.
 
I used some Wilkie two nights ago. I added a few drops of glycerin and I think it helped.
Of course it did nothing for the scent.
Something I've started doing with tubs of soap (including Wilkie) and croap is to leave the lid on and float them in the sink of hot water while I take my prep shower. It seems to soften it a bit for easier loading without blooming them.
 
And if its the scent you're going to damn Wilk Sword with it lasts, what, 5 minutes ? and even less if you use AS.

I'm not a huge fan of the scent myself, but I think it's probably the least offensive scent possible because it's so generic. It's pretty much just a familiar floral-citrus that you get in a lot of hygiene products, but, of course, so might find the generic smell not to their liking because it is lacks character and depth.
 
I used this soap today.

Easy to load and lather. It has a wide hydration range and is well able to hold the moisture (a thiner lather), giving you a close shave.
Is reasonably slick on a pass of the razor, but that thin lather won't leave any slickness behind for buffing.
Rinses well.
I like the bowl. For the money you pay, its great. Other soap companies should provide thier pucks in basic bowls as well. Great idea.
I like the smell. Very manish.

Palmolive is a slightly better shave but WS has it for presentation and scent.
One of the better workman soaps.
 
It has dimethicone and is hard to lather.
Dimethicone is a silicone polymer that is used in many cosmetic products. However, one of the properties of this chemical is that it acts as an antifoam, that is, it inhibits the production of foam. In some applications, reducing the tendency to foam is desired, but lathering a shaving soap is not one of them.
 
Overall, this is a decent shaving soap for the price. It isn't my favorite soap in the world. In fact I may end up PIFing this thing. I just really wanted to try it. And I hope this short review can help someone decide whether to pick up a tub.

I liked the smell - I just couldn't get the tub to lather that much. Maybe I'll go for another tub. Certainly is a bargain.
 
Been over year since ...cracked a new bowl earlier tonight. This is a solid if unglamorous performer. If I could only use one lather for the rest of my days I'd have no problem with this.
 
Love the smell, hate the lather and I don't find it that slick. That having been said, it's been a while since I have used it, might have to. Revisit it to get a new feel for it with better technique.
 
Hauled it out this morning to give it a try and it's not for me. For the price I'd get Derby instead. Much better and easier lather, and I don't mind the scent.
 
Anyone tried the black bowl? It's only 4.47$cad at Walmart and it's available in store.
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I have the black bowl and think it performs well for the price. Very slick, very strong cologne smell.

I've never used the blue bowl though so cant comment if it's the same or different.
 
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