Curious as to who is still using Williams Shaving Soap regularly or as part of a rotation thanks to having reserve stock? For those that used to regularly shave with Williams and exhausted available supplies what have you settled on as a replacement soap? If you still have some how have your usage patterns changed due to limited availability? Great time to hear how folks adjusted now that we are 2+ years out from when Williams was discontinued. How do the soaps you use now compare to Williams?
I'll go first. I'm currently using a custom blend with roughly 30% Williams soap as part of my primary rotation. Prior to Williams being discontinued I rotated between straight Williams and my latest custom blend with occasional use of a few othe commercial soaps (Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF, original tallow version), Van Der Hagen Luxury and Proraso Red). Once Williams was discontinued I began to test other budget soaps including Razorock What-The-Puck (WTP) and Arko and found that both are excellent alternatives to Williams for a similar price per ounce of soap.
Later in 2022, when the British Pound collapsed, I acquired a number of other commercial soaps including Tabac (new formula), D.R. Harris Windsor and Cyril R. Salter and extra MWF tallow pucks. Also some LEA and Cyril R. Salter shaving creams. Now I enjoy the variety in my soap rotation with three primary soaps in open mugs (currently custom blend, Tabac and What-The-Puck) and the balance in sealed containers that are chosen from once or twice a week. Once I 3017 something to free up a container I plan to add straight Williams shaving soap back to my mix. Also have enough blended pucks for at least two years use at current consumption rates.
Suspect that the Williams discontinuation just accelerated a commercial soap exploration that was starting to happen anyway. For me the most enjoyable aspect of DE shaving is crafting my lather. My overall conclusions from my exploration to date are:
How have you adapted to the discontinuation of Williams? Are you just working through your inventory or have you found one or more replacements? Those of you across the pond feel free to chime in regarding the discontinued Palmolive shave sticks or any other mainstay product that is no longer available?
P.S. While on this topic I've found that Cyril R. Salter shaving soap is the best alternative to the now discontinued MWF. Same base as D.R. Harris at a great price.
I'll go first. I'm currently using a custom blend with roughly 30% Williams soap as part of my primary rotation. Prior to Williams being discontinued I rotated between straight Williams and my latest custom blend with occasional use of a few othe commercial soaps (Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF, original tallow version), Van Der Hagen Luxury and Proraso Red). Once Williams was discontinued I began to test other budget soaps including Razorock What-The-Puck (WTP) and Arko and found that both are excellent alternatives to Williams for a similar price per ounce of soap.
Later in 2022, when the British Pound collapsed, I acquired a number of other commercial soaps including Tabac (new formula), D.R. Harris Windsor and Cyril R. Salter and extra MWF tallow pucks. Also some LEA and Cyril R. Salter shaving creams. Now I enjoy the variety in my soap rotation with three primary soaps in open mugs (currently custom blend, Tabac and What-The-Puck) and the balance in sealed containers that are chosen from once or twice a week. Once I 3017 something to free up a container I plan to add straight Williams shaving soap back to my mix. Also have enough blended pucks for at least two years use at current consumption rates.
Suspect that the Williams discontinuation just accelerated a commercial soap exploration that was starting to happen anyway. For me the most enjoyable aspect of DE shaving is crafting my lather. My overall conclusions from my exploration to date are:
- Arko is the best overall substitute for Williams from a lathering ease and quality perspective at a similar price point when purchased in bulk (12 sticks)
- Razorock What-The-Puck it the best Williams substitute for those who don't like the Arko scent for just a little more money when purchased on sale.
- My other commercial soaps such as MWF, Tabac, D.R. Harris, Cyril R. Salter deliver similar quality core shaving performance (to Williams, my custom blend, Arko and WTP) with the added benefits (varies somewhat by product) of enhanced scent, a more luxurious creamy lather, and post shave feel offering reasonable value for the added costs if you prefer those benefits. Definitely well worth it for me as I was able to land these soaps at great prices such as under $6 for MWF.
- The two brands of shaving cream also deliver similar quality lather to my best soaps though they need to be dialed in differently with a thicker lather with less relative water added. They are a bit more convenient as there is minimal loading time, just apply the cream dollop to my face and/or brush and face lather. Start with a dryer brush and add bits of water until my ideal lather is developed. The main benefit of my Cyril R. Salter Luxury Creams over the more budget priced LEA Professional are the added scents (Wild Rose and French Vetiver). Both creams deliver excellent core shaving performance.
How have you adapted to the discontinuation of Williams? Are you just working through your inventory or have you found one or more replacements? Those of you across the pond feel free to chime in regarding the discontinued Palmolive shave sticks or any other mainstay product that is no longer available?
P.S. While on this topic I've found that Cyril R. Salter shaving soap is the best alternative to the now discontinued MWF. Same base as D.R. Harris at a great price.
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