Who Still Uses Williams Shaving Soap? What Have you Settled on as a Replacement? Thoughts on other Commercial Shaving Soaps as Alternatives?

[Lane101]

Nobody really thinks it's worth $50, because nobody's buying it at that price.

The Amazon pricing logic for items that go out of production makes no sense. I've seen this effect on other products. We had four pucks of Williams (including two vintage) offered on the BST a few months ago for $35 by a fellow B&B member. No takers at what was a reasonable price for the product.

@Dog Whiskerer , you should try a puck of your Williams inventory as you may be pleasantly surprised at how well it works with what you have learned over the years. I recently did the same and am generating great lather with both my synthetic and boar brushes. In the past only the boar worked. Key is treating it like the mug soap it's intended to be by starting with a really wet brush. See my earlier post above (#114 on this thread) for details on this if interested.

 

[Njguy1977]

The Amazon pricing logic for items that go out of production makes no sense. I've seen this effect on other products. We had four pucks of Williams (including two vintage) offered on the BST a few months ago for $35 by a fellow B&B member. No takers at what was a reasonable price for the product.

@Dog Whiskerer , you should try a puck of your Williams inventory as you may be pleasantly surprised at how well it works with what you have learned over the years. I recently did the same and am generating great lather with both my synthetic and boar brushes. In the past only the boar worked. Key is treating it like the mug soap it's intended to be by starting with a really wet brush. See my earlier post above (#114 on this thread) for details on this if interested.

I would also like to add, Williams worked great not only with a dripping wet brush but also you needed the drippy lather to build on and kept going and reusing as much of the lather left in the mug or container to build on and it would thicken up. I have used that method on a lot of hard soaps, even P-D-P #63 and it has worked great with synthetic and natural bristles. Just keep holding as much lather in the brush as possible, even the lather that has spilled over and keep loading.

Larry

 

[steveclarkus]

I have been a devout ARKO user for years but bought a carton of Jikoryen a few months ago and let it set for a few months to let the scent dissipate. I started using it a couple of weeks ago as a stick then pressed a stick into a bowl. The lather is thick and slick and it it gives a very good smooth shave with little work. I'll never give up on ARKO so I will alternate them. All I can say is that the Turks have got this shave soap thing down! The beat the tar out of the Western stuff.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

@Dog Whiskerer , you should try a puck of your Williams inventory as you may be pleasantly surprised at how well it works with what you have learned over the years. I recently did the same and am generating great lather with both my synthetic and boar brushes. In the past only the boar worked. Key is treating it like the mug soap it's intended to be by starting with a really wet brush. See my earlier post above (#114 on this thread) for details on this if interested.

I will probably put Williams into rotation and will discover new things about it. But that's the case with any soap or shaving cream. Here's my current soap crop:

All performed better than the previous time I used them, as will Williams. But it's still a mid-tier soap.

 

[Honedright]

When I learned that Williams had been discontinued (because I was trying to restock my supply) I had two remaining pucks, one unused, and one in a mug used just a few times. Both went into storage. I proceed to look for a substitute and decided that Marvy Deluxe would do since it was the only cheap barbershop type mug soap still available. And then, of course, I discovered that Marvy soap had also been discontinued! So I hunted down every 12 puck tube of Marvy’s that I could find. Fortunately I found several at local beauty supply stores at regular retail prices. At first I was somewhat disappointed with the Marvy’s since it didn’t seem near as good as the Williams. A year or so later, after experimenting with the Marvy’s quite a bit, I’ve found it to be an acceptable replacement for the Williams. Still not as good, but not bad.

 

[johnnydee]

Arko and VDH Luxury, very good soaps, easily available, both at a great price.

 

[Steve56]

They’re sold out at present, but a kilo of Tcneon Fung Sing at $11.99 at Pasteur’s is going to be hard to beat.

 

[Lane101]

They’re sold out at present, but a kilo of Tcneon Fung Sing at $11.99 at Pasteur’s is going to be hard to beat.

TFS is a great soap and good value, the kilo is the same product that they sell in the 125ml tub of Ciotola Rosa or "Red Bowl". Interesting that one size is sold by weight and the other by volume.

 

[Gecko45]

Im still using up my little stash of vintage and not so vintage williams.

the vintage is my last puck that comes wrapped in a sheet advertising aqua velva products.. takes a very long time soaking to get it usable. has no detectable smell when lathered.

Not so vintage doesnt lahter well but works well for face lathering. If i get my face wet, and get a damp stirling unscented bath bar on, then get that residue slimy with my hand, then rub the wet williams puck on my face and go to lather town with a very soppy wet boar brush. Makes a wonderful curdle like lather, that really really shaves well.

Just dont like the smells.

i have allergies and erasmic was the best performer of the modern world. i can use the soap bases from taylors and trumper before 2017. But just dont tolerte the smells well.

I cant tolerate Cella original in red bowl anymore. Its too much to me.

Its hell trying to find a good tallow replacement. Id consider vegan if its hard as a rock. SUre stirling makes some good unscented choices but i need something I can store in a dark closet and not have to worry about it going bad in a month.

My last soap is a package of colgate barber soap that i believe in the 1950s, doesnt rehydrate well, but im thinking grind it down and mix it with warm water and a good loading of glycering. bougth the glycerin today at store, but cant find it. SO its on hold.

 

[Lane101]

Im still using up my little stash of vintage and not so vintage williams.

the vintage is my last puck that comes wrapped in a sheet advertising aqua velva products.. takes a very long time soaking to get it usable. has no detectable smell when lathered.

Not so vintage doesnt lahter well but works well for face lathering. If i get my face wet, and get a damp stirling unscented bath bar on, then get that residue slimy with my hand, then rub the wet williams puck on my face and go to lather town with a very soppy wet boar brush. Makes a wonderful curdle like lather, that really really shaves well.

Just dont like the smells.

i have allergies and erasmic was the best performer of the modern world. i can use the soap bases from taylors and trumper before 2017. But just dont tolerte the smells well.

I cant tolerate Cella original in red bowl anymore. Its too much to me.

Its hell trying to find a good tallow replacement. Id consider vegan if its hard as a rock. SUre stirling makes some good unscented choices but i need something I can store in a dark closet and not have to worry about it going bad in a month.

My last soap is a package of colgate barber soap that i believe in the 1950s, doesnt rehydrate well, but im thinking grind it down and mix it with warm water and a good loading of glycering. bougth the glycerin today at store, but cant find it. SO its on hold.

Hi, Welcome to B&B! I see you just joined us yesterday. First I'm also currently using a puck of Williams from inventory. I've been able to get it to lather well by treating it as intended like a "mug" soap. Have a look at my post #114 above for details.

Your are right that there are few good direct tallow replacements for a soap like Williams. The main option now is Arko at $15 for twelve 75 gram sticks on Amazon. Given that Williams pucks are 50 grams/1.75 oz. Arko is actually cheaper per ounce. Unsure, based on your post, if the scent will work for you. Note that if left in an open container most of it dissipates in a few weeks.

There is a good vegan option offered by Italian Barber. Their hard "What-the-Puck" shaving soaps (on sale right now for $2.99 per 100 gram puck or $2.49 for a 75 gram stick) are excellent and part of my rotation. Again these are scented in various aromas so you would need to determine if you would like them.

I see that you've looked at @Hawkeye_90 's thread on cheap tallow soaps that lists a number of additional alternatives so hopefully one of the suggestions works out for you.

Best of luck with your search.

 

[Gecko45]

Hi, Welcome to B&B! I see you just joined us yesterday. First I'm also currently using a puck of Williams from inventory. I've been able to get it to lather well by treating it as intended like a "mug" soap. Have a look at my post #114 above for details.

Your are right that there are few good direct tallow replacements for a soap like Williams. The main option now is Arko at $15 for twelve 75 gram sticks on Amazon. Given that Williams pucks are 50 grams/1.75 oz. Arko is actually cheaper per ounce. Unsure, based on your post, if the scent will work for you. Note that if left in an open container most of it dissipates in a few weeks.

There is a good vegan option offered by Italian Barber. Their hard "What-the-Puck" shaving soaps (on sale right now for $2.99 per 100 gram puck or $2.49 for a 75 gram stick) are excellent and part of my rotation. Again these are scented in various aromas so you would need to determine if you would like them.

I see that you've looked at @Hawkeye_90 's thread on cheap tallow soaps that lists a number of additional alternatives so hopefully one of the suggestions works out for you.

Best of luck with your search.

Cant use Arko, gives me a horrid burning sensation. Just from lathering it on me. Cant take the smell either.

I have been dual lathering the youngest puck of williams, i think its 1970-1990. Get face wet, rub a stirling usncented bath bar, rub it around with my hand. Then get the puck of williams wet and rub on face till i have a layer of soap on me, then lather with a sopping wet boar brush.

Tonight I put a drop of glycerin on the puck before i rubbed it on me. The lather was completely different. It was like lathering TOBS coconut cream.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

Shave Factory Shave Soap

I got this years ago. Not sure where or why. Perhaps, to bring an order up to the free shipping. Made in Turkey. Comparable to many of the soaps that comes from that region, like the more familiar Arko and Derby.

Lathers easier than Williams. Smells like soap. I looked and you can still buy it. But why? Cause it's tallow? Better soaps are out there.

 

[Lane101]

@Dog Whiskerer , Interesting, the ingredients appear to be a similar (not exact) knock-off of Williams Mug Shave Soap. At 1.75 oz./50 grams the puck is the same exact size. Shave Factory still offers a shaving soap for $3.45 per puck in a different box design.

It does not list the weight or ingredients so we don't know if it's the same soap or a new formulation.

Link to a prior thread on this shaving soap:

Shaving factory shaving soap.........anyone know anything about it or have an opinion on it

So I was cruising the deep bowels of the internet and came across a brand of shaving soap called Shave Factory, I have never heard of it and or seen it available near me and or at any store, however the ingredient list looks good, and there is no information really out there on it, I was hoping...

www.badgerandblade.com