Williams - I take it back...

[Rusty Jackknife]

With some of the on-going debate about the virtues of Williams shaving soap, I decided to try it again. Yes, I was one of many Williams bashers that previously had no success with this soap.

Locally, I can pick it up for 99 cents, so I figured it was not much of a risk to re-visit. I read several posts about soaking it, adding saffron infused glycerin, lather counter-clockwise on a full moon, using Uncle Petey's ferret hair shaving brush, and so forth. I am not this passionate about getting a soap to perform... but was willing to see if my traditional lathering technique was the issue.

I was so wrong. I am shocked at how heavy/rich of a lather Williams creates if you do not shake off excess water off your brush and continue to lather it until reaching a full blown lather. With the adjustment of increased water and patience, I can get Williams lather darn close to the likes of Tabac, Pens, or Harris. If you can get this soap to perform, it it easily the best shaving soap value on the market. (Not that "Value" has ever been a main motivator for me.)

This morning it was all about nostalgia. I whipped up some Williams, used my favourite Canadian made Gillette DE, applied Thayers, and splashed on some Bay Rum. What a great way to start the day.

This classic may be making its way into my rotation. I hereby apologize for any previous Williams bashing.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Yes, when you get Williams to perform it is a very nice soap. It's a shame so many here have given up on it. It really is a method problem and not a mystery variable from what I've seen. Because I've had the same problems they complain about, so it's not something with their water or their air or their brush. It's just trial and error until it works for you.

 

[Topgumby]

Looks like your mileage varied.

I'm a Williams guy, and there are days when I don't have my "A" game on when I hit that cheap puck and I can understand where the frustration comes from. Add in a new shaver who is comparing this result to what he can do with something more forgiving and it's a wonder anybody ever looks back and gives it a second chance.

Glad it's working for you. It's not for everybody, but if you can get it to click it's a lot of fun.

 

[ShaveAddict]

Williams is a great soap once you found out how to use it properly.
This morning my shave consisted in Williams shave soap and Aqua Velva, it was a damn good shave.

 

[rickboone1]

MWF is a beyotch to lather...I hear...I haven't tried it. But, Williams can be too. Yet, Williams gets flack because it is so cheap. MWF is not as cheap. Not that I'm comparing the two. I can't. I've only used the Williams out of those two.

But, I do like Williams. Aside from the stank. For me, I found using less water and more time on the brush produced a grand lather. But for stinky soaps and grand lather I prefer an Arko stick.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I think as long as your brush isn't super floppy MWF isn't a problem. That's what I've found at least. And there's a lot of soaps like that. Williams doesn't seem to care about floppiness very much (for me), it has some other variables that aren't quite as apparent. So I can see why people get frustrated and throw it out, particularly if the scent bothers you. I don't mind it.

Edit: please read both my posts in this thread carefully and have a good laugh at me. Man I misspoke. What I mean in post 1 is theres no environmental variables. And in post 2 I'm referring to variables in a persons method of lathering.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Used Williams with a few drops of Aqua Velva mixed in and got a wonderful lather this morning. Used an L type Schick injector for a really nice shave.

 

[Loner16]

I lathered up MWF this morning with a brand new, un-broken-in Semogue 830...
It made an obscene amount of lather.. enough for three guys to shave! I like mounds of lather, but there was so much MWF that I felt wasteful... like a kid that won't sit there and finish his dinner when there are people in the world starving.

Tomorrow, I expect to build a mountain of Williams!

 

[Fairchild86]

Apology accepted.

 

[Deltaboy]

My Williams worked better after I milled it unto the cup. I have not had the smell issue since I take them out of the box and let them air in the bath room

 

[osueng800]

I gotta say my first soap was Williams, and due to my lack of lathering knowledge ( and thereby lack of knowing B&B) and dismissed Williams as a waste. However, I have thought about going back, including it into my rotation and trying it again. After dealing with the current soap I am using now, anything would be better. Not going to name names, but its a higher-end soap that just doesn't work well for me. Or I don't work well for it. Something like that.

The adventure continues...

 

[mmack66]

I am using mine for hand soap. More power to all you folks with the Williams Sticktoitiveness.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I honestly don't mind the smell. It's in the same field as tabac. Functionally I like it enough I put up with a scent that isn't something I'd choose myself. It's different reasons though.

Williams gives great lather, honestly. When I get it just right, it's among the best lathers I've had the privilege of making. It just doesn't do it every time. But as a learning tool for what makes soaps tick, it's probably unmatched. Give a guy a puck of Williams, a room of pottery (scuttles, cups, bowls) water and a boiler, a collection of every type of brush imaginable, and a couple jugs of mg and ca. Leave him in a room for a week to lather, and he'll probably come out with a deeper understanding of lather building than a guy who's used Tabac daily for twenty years.

Tabac gives great lather every time. Not the best lather in the world. But it's good enough that a lot of people think it is. It's honestly very good lather, and the ability of Tabac to compensate for variables and user error is, of all the soaps I've tried, unmatched.

 

[Loner16]

I find that Williams smells like.....

Let me see... How to describe it???

Williams smells like........... SOAP!

And, I kinda like the smell of plain ole' soap...

 

[SliceOfLife]

It smells like soap and citronella to me. MWF smells like a mild detergent. Tabac smells like overperfumed hotel soap.

 

[Slivovitz]

Williams was the first soap that I used, and I always figure that if I could get it to work as a newbie, then it should work for everybody. No longer absolutely my favorite, but a reliable standby.

I rate the smell as "okay". Whatever the smell, as long as it's gone when I wash my face afterward, I can live with it. For me, Ogallala Bay Rum is absolutely the worst smelling soap so far, but at least the smell doesn't last. Col Conk's Almond and Erasmic smell nice, but I don't want to keep smelling those all day either.

 

[BlackBard]

I find that Williams smells like.....

Let me see... How to describe it???

Williams smells like........... SOAP!

And, I kinda like the smell of plain ole' soap...

Yes. It smells like soap. What a concept.!

 

[Chevyguy]

Williams is a great soap once you found out how to use it properly.
This morning my shave consisted in Williams shave soap and Aqua Velva, it was a damn good shave.

Since I've been relegated to the smaller hallway bathroom this has been my daily shave up until today when I switched soaps. Williams is a great soap and it's even better when you add a little bit of the velva to it before you whip up your lather. You end up with like a super lather. It's got to be the glycerine in the ice blue that makes it lather so well.

Clayton

 

[SliceOfLife]

It is.

It makes the lather more stable... stiffer. I actually prefer the lather without it, but it's much easier and faster to produce with it.

Unusually, every other Tallow soap I add glycerin to, it only improves the slip, doesn't seem to affect the stiffness. My guess is that Williams keeps costs low by extracting glycerin from the soap (which you are replacing with AV/Glycerin/Other soaps)... while with other Tallow soaps, you're just overloading it a little.

 

[Topgumby]

Since I've been relegated to the smaller hallway bathroom this has been my daily shave up until today when I switched soaps. Williams is a great soap and it's even better when you add a little bit of the velva to it before you whip up your lather. You end up with like a super lather. It's got to be the glycerine in the ice blue that makes it lather so well.

Clayton

Long Live Blue Willy!