Williams Institute for Shaving Excellence (WISE)

[Lane101]

If I didn't already have four pucks of modern Williams I got a few years back, I was thinking of putting in a bid on that one.

~doug~

I love Williams but don't believe is is worth that price. We can buy much larger Mitchell's Wool Fat pucks for $12 on sale here in the U.S. or for around $7 (6.25 GBP) from Connaught Shaving with free air shipping for a large enough order.

Also happy to have a number of formerly 99 cent Williams pucks in inventory.

 

[Rosseforp]

I love Williams but don't believe is is worth that price. We can buy much larger Mitchell's Wool Fat pucks for $12 on sale here in the U.S. or for around $7 (6.25 GBP) from Connaught Shaving with free air shipping for a large enough order.

Also happy to have a number of formerly 99 cent Williams pucks in inventory.

Can't argue that at all, got my WMS when it was $1.49 and don't think it's worth more than that, but for the auction it is a little different. Besides, WMS mixed with half a bar of Dove shea butter bath soap lathers better than Mitchell's, and I have enough soap to last me a few decades.

~doug~

 

[Lane101]

Can't argue that at all, got my WMS when it was $1.49 and don't think it's worth more than that, but for the auction it is a little different. Besides, WMS mixed with half a bar of Dove shea butter bath soap lathers better than Mitchell's, and I have enough soap to last me a few decades.

~doug~

Funny, I also use a lot of my Williams in blends. To-date the best residual slickness of all my soaps is from a Van Der Williams blend that also includes some Dove. My latest blend includes:

• 2 pucks of Williams
• 2 oz. Arko (3/4 stick)
• 2 pucks Van Der Hagen Deluxe
• 2 oz Ivory Soap
• 1 oz Proraso Red Croap
• 2 oz Dove Men + Care

I grate the Williams, Arko, Ivory and Dove, add a scoop of Proraso and blend. Melt the Van Der Hagen, pour in and knead the mix until well blended. Make 5 roughly 3 oz pucks. Van Der Hagen acts like a binder to hold everything together as it coats the other soaps. Full benefit of the blend starting on the second shave as the Van Der Hagen coating dominates the first use. Blend is hard but malleable and easily produces lots of great lather. Ivory if for additional slickness while the Proraso and Dove are great superlathering agents.


Link to post on earlier blend experimentation:

Ivan Der Williams Shave Soap Blend for Ideal Lather and Slickness

Hi everyone. First a little about my shaving experience then will cover experiments with low cost shave soap blends that led to a preferred mix of Williams, Van Der Hagen Deluxe and Ivory soap I've called Ivan Der Williams (IDW) blend #3 below. I started as a DE shaver in college using a...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Rosseforp]

Funny, I also use a lot of my Williams in blends. To-date the best residual slickness of all my soaps is from a Van Der Williams blend that also includes some Dove. My latest blend includes:

My latest blend is half a puck of RR Black Label Fougere-half a puck of MWS-and a Maggards sample size of MdC Rose.
I find the Fougere mutes the Rose nicely scent wise, the MdC boosts the lathering, and the MWS rounds it all out.

~doug~

 

[Lane101]

My latest blend is half a puck of RR Black Label Fougere-half a puck of MWS-and a Maggards sample size of MdC Rose.
I find the Fougere mutes the Rose nicely scent wise, the MdC boosts the lathering, and the MWS rounds it all out.

~doug~

RR Black Label Fougere What the Puck is great soap. Currently using it as part of my primary rotation in an apothecary mug. Found that while very hard it is malleable so fit it to the mug with some minor trimming and then was able to press the trimmings onto the center of the puck.

By MWS do you mean WMS (Williams)?

 

[Rosseforp]

RR Black Label Fougere What the Puck is great soap. Currently using it as part of my primary rotation in an apothecary mug. Found that while very hard it is malleable so fit it to the mug with some minor trimming and then was able to press the trimmings onto the center of the puck.

By MWS do you mean WMS (Williams)?

Oops, Mitchell's Wool Fat. RR Black Label/MWF/MdC is what I meant. I suppose you could use WMS instead.

What the Puck is underrated.

~doug~

 

[Lane101]

Oops, Mitchell's Wool Fat. RR Black Label/MWF/MdC is what I meant. I suppose you could use WMS instead.

What the Puck is underrated.

~doug~

Agreed on What the Puck. See my evaluation in post #62 and #68 in thread linked below.

razorock what the puck triple milled shave soaps

I have all 4. Excellent soaps! I get great face lathers with badger, boar and synths with them. I ended up grating them and pressing each into standard size empty soap containers. Stacks nice.

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Tanuki]

for the auction it is a little different

Charity auction, just nice to get something useful. Price is no object.

What the Puck is underrated.

True. Seriously, that name and label?!?
RazoRock - "I do what I want!!"

 

[Rosseforp]

Charity auction, just nice to get something useful. Price is no object.



True. Seriously, that name and label?!?
RazoRock - "I do what I want!!"

Said Grace Slick, after first insulting the crowd with an expletive.

~doug~

 

[Lane101]

Shaved with one of my Van Der Williams custom blends today. Similar version to my latest blend in post #2783 above but without the Arko in it. Excellent 10/10 shave. Used a Weishi long handle razor with a Dorco Prime blade on shave #12 and Razorock Monster brush.

 

[Captainjonny]

Does anyone know of a shave soap or cream that has a similar scent as the Williams puck? I purchased the last Connecticut Yankee soap from Razor Emporium last month, which is nearly the same as the Williams puck. It is a very good soap, but as far as I know, there is nothing else on the market like it...and it will not last forever. I love the Williams unique soapy scent, and hope someone knows of a similar replacement product. I have both Derby and Arko, but their scent profile is much stronger than the Williams.

 

[Rosseforp]

Does anyone know of a shave soap or cream that has a similar scent as the Williams puck? I purchased the last Connecticut Yankee soap from Razor Emporium last month, which is nearly the same as the Williams puck. It is a very good soap, but as far as I know, there is nothing else on the market like it...and it will not last forever. I love the Williams unique soapy scent, and hope someone knows of a similar replacement product. I have both Derby and Arko, but their scent profile is much stronger than the Williams.

Mitchell's Wool Fat

 

[dionesius3]

What is wrong with buying Williams? It’s still being made and is sold in several stores and drugstores around the USA.

 

[Lane101]

What is wrong with buying Williams? It’s still being made and is sold in several stores and drugstores around the USA.

It was discontinued early last year. See the email from manufacturer Combe via the link below. It disappeared from all the local stores in my area that had carried it for years at the same time. If you see some in your local area it is old left over stock and you should stock up while it's still available.

Post #657 Combe Email Confirming Williams Mug Shave Soap Discontinued

Yikes! My 93yo grandfather has been using Williams for pretty well his whole life. Glad we ordered him a few pucks not long ago! my moms father still uses it today at 88 years old buys it locally i buy sometimes locally as well

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[Lane101]

Mitchell's Wool Fat

Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF) does have similar core shaving characteristics to Williams with a milder soap scent that many consider pleasant. Top 3 ingredients are the same as Williams.

I've found that it is a little easier to lather than Williams and it delivers a better post-shave feel that may be due to the added lanolin. I enjoy it as part of my rotation. The MWF lather, when done right, has a nice luxurious feel to it.

@Captainjonny , from a scent perspective Arko is the closest I have from a scent type perspective though its scent is much stronger that that of Williams. If you like the Williams scent give Arko a try. You can rapidly mellow out the scent if you leave it in an open mug. The Arko sticks are malleable enough to be pressed into a puck shape within a mug. Arko is much easier to lather than Williams.

 

[Lane101]

Curious as to how many WISE people we have here who are still shaving regularly with Williams or a blend with Williams. By regularly at least once per week in your rotation. In my case I've a Van Der Williams blend that is around 30% Willams that I use for about half my shaves or about three times per week. Did have a Williams only puck that I used up a few months back. The other three shaves rotate between MWF, Arko, What-The-Puck, Tabac and my Cyril R. Salter and LEA creams.

Also how long will do you think your Williams stash will hold out? Estimate that mine could last for 4-5 years of exclusive use but more likely a 2-4x multiple of that given my rotation with other soaps and the use of blends that are only around 1/3 Williams. No rush as Williams is by far my hardest soap with an almost unlimited shelf life.

Hopefully we will have a number of WISE folks here for many years in the future.

 

[Tanuki]

Williams is prominent in my rotation. I have a couple pucks stacked in an Old Spice mug, but primarily use the puck I grated into a twist up shave stick. Plus three or so pucks in reserve.

I have far too many soap sticks, so weekly Williams use is unlikely. It was my main soap, nearly my only soap, for about 40 years. That's my reason for following WISE. What I have in reserve will last for the years I have left.

 

[bright09]

Williams is prominent in my rotation. I have a couple pucks stacked in an Old Spice mug, but primarily use the puck I grated into a twist up shave stick. Plus three or so pucks in reserve.

I have far too many soap sticks, so weekly Williams use is unlikely. It was my main soap, nearly my only soap, for about 40 years. That's my reason for following WISE. What I have in reserve will last for the years I have left.

i have about 20 pucks left i switched over to arko for my os mug do have other soaps ended up getting some vdh deluxe too for rotation still i stack up every time im at my local grocery store dont know what ill do about my grandfather that is about 90 is been using mostly Williams all his life

 

[GaryTha]

Curious as to how many WISE people we have here who are still shaving regularly with Williams or a blend with Williams. By regularly at least once per week in your rotation. In my case I've a Van Der Williams blend that is around 30% Willams that I use for about half my shaves or about three times per week. Did have a Williams only puck that I used up a few months back. The other three shaves rotate between MWF, Arko, What-The-Puck, Tabac and my Cyril R. Salter and LEA creams.

Also how long will do you think your Williams stash will hold out? Estimate that mine could last for 4-5 years of exclusive use but more likely a 2-4x multiple of that given my rotation with other soaps and the use of blends that are only around 1/3 Williams. No rush as Williams is by far my hardest soap with an almost unlimited shelf life.

Hopefully we will have a number of WISE folks here for many years in the future.

I used ARKO almost exclusively in 2022. This year, I'm using Williams. I'm down to 26 pucks of Williams and 24 sticks of ARKO. I prefer the one I'm using.

 

[Sicilian]

I have been using Proraso Green and Van Der Hagen Deluxe shave soaps.