Williams Mug Soap - Better than expected

[salman]

I was ready for the worst after watching reviews of some YouTube shavers. But it cost less than $2, so i took the plunge.

I let the puck soak in water for what must have been about 30 mins minutes. Not on purpose though. I was only planning ondoing so for 5 odd minutes but then i got occupied in a few things and forgot about it. It probably worked out for the best since i was able to get a pretty good lather going after draining the water out.

I never lather inside the bowl, and prefer to do it directly on my face after getting enough soap on my brush, and did the same here too

3 pass shave, without the need to use anymore soap or water, so not sure what all the fuss about Williams not lathering well are. I assume all these youtube shavers dont like it soak long enough in the water initially.

It did leave my skin a tad dry after the shave, but nothing that a decent aftershave can’t help with.

All in all, a decent shave. You get what you pay for, and while Williams might not be as slick and thick as other soaps and creams, it gets the job done. Definitely not a bad option to have around every now and then.

I don’t like experimenting with soaps and stick to my trusted Proraso Green on a daily basis, but i’m glad I tried Williams. Probably my go to on days off work simply due to the prep time it takes.




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[ackvil]

For many, they complain about the lather disappearing from their face in a few minutes.

 

[sarimento1]

Welcome to B&B, Sir Salman!!

Good report on Williams, as well as Proraso Green!!

Enjoy your explorations!!

 

[Leverspro]

For many, they complain about the lather disappearing from their face in a few minutes.

This is an Arko is like for me. But with Williams I don't have any trouble.

 

[Big Rick]

I find the lather perfectly stable once I get it whipped up. The problem is getting it whipped up because it takes so much effort.

Rick

 

[salman]

For many, they complain about the lather disappearing from their face in a few minutes.

Didn’t happen with me, not even a bit. Then again, i have the habit of being quick with the shave once the lather is ready so I might not be the best judge.


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[salman]

Welcome to B&B, Sir Salman!!

Good report on Williams, as well as Proraso Green!!

Enjoy your explorations!!

[emoji120]


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[sugardaddy]

Didn’t happen with me, not even a bit. Then again, i have the habit of being quick with the shave once the lather is ready so I might not be the best judge.


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I also soak my Williams Puck for several minutes while I prep my other gear. That seems to be pretty important to have a load time of maybe 20 to 30 seconds instead of something much longer on and unsoaked puck.

Also one of the most important things about Williams is to keep mixing past the point where it's a light, bubbly, airy looking lather. If you spend the time, you will be rewarded with a sweet creamy lather that doesn't dissipate ever, and is as slick as anything out there… And I mean that seriously.

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[BigJ]

Williams is a classic!! Tough to beat at double/triple the price point (unless you are an Arko fan)!!

 

[lancre]

I was ready for the worst after watching reviews of some YouTube shavers. But it cost less than $2, so i took the plunge.

I let the puck soak in water for what must have been about 30 mins minutes. Not on purpose though. I was only planning ondoing so for 5 odd minutes but then i got occupied in a few things and forgot about it. It probably worked out for the best since i was able to get a pretty good lather going after draining the water out.

I never lather inside the bowl, and prefer to do it directly on my face after getting enough soap on my brush, and did the same here too

3 pass shave, without the need to use anymore soap or water, so not sure what all the fuss about Williams not lathering well are. I assume all these youtube shavers dont like it soak long enough in the water initially.

It did leave my skin a tad dry after the shave, but nothing that a decent aftershave can’t help with.

All in all, a decent shave. You get what you pay for, and while Williams might not be as slick and thick as other soaps and creams, it gets the job done. Definitely not a bad option to have around every now and then.

I don’t like experimenting with soaps and stick to my trusted Proraso Green on a daily basis, but i’m glad I tried Williams. Probably my go to on days off work simply due to the prep time it takes.

First off, Welcome aboard!

A lot of the complaints seem to be from guys who rotate through a bunch of soaps, so they use it on the dry side. You started with a well hydrated puck. It's a soap that's meant to be thrown into a mug (hence the name) and used straight through, so it never has a chance to dry out. Those of us who shave with it for several days or weeks at a time have experiences more like yours. Check out the "3017 a puck of Williams" threads.

We like to make the Arko users jealous.

 

[mawashi]

Williams is a classic!! Tough to beat at double/triple the price point (unless you are an Arko fan)!!

I'm an Arko fan and I love WMS too. It certainly smells better lol.

Mawashi

 

[Frankie0210]

For many, they complain about the lather disappearing from their face in a few minutes.

It does lather easily for me, but dissipates quickly.

 

[John Rose]

All in all, a decent shave. You get what you pay for, and while Williams might not be as slick and thick as other soaps and creams, it gets the job done. Definitely not a bad option to have around every now and then.

I find it to be more slick that most soaps, and even thin frothy lather works well.
It does need to stay damp. The best way is to "stickify" it and face-lather with it:

Stickified Williams Mug Soap

• John Rose
• Dec 7, 2016

Williams Mug Soap mashed into an empty glue stick container.

or...

Stickified "Brutus Vilius" - Stuffing the Container

• John Rose
• Jan 10, 2017

I got 82 g of mixed Brut aftershave and Williams Mug Shaving soap mashed into an empty Speed...

The capped plastic tube keeps it from drying out.

 

[sugardaddy]

It does lather easily for me, but dissipates quickly.

Mine doesn't dissipate, even over a 30 minute shave. You probably need more soap and water... or often just more mix time. gotta mix past the thin stuff.

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[Guitar10]

For me I reserve that soap for straight shaving, I get more then good results whit moder William. The lather is stable, very slick and good cushion.

 

[RayClem]

Williams is a classic!! Tough to beat at double/triple the price point (unless you are an Arko fan)!!

Williams Mug Soap certainly is a classic name in the shaving world, dating back to 1840. The company was controlled by Williams family members until 1957, but the company has changed hands a few times since then. Combe Inc. has owned the brand since 2002.

Some folks who have compared the original product to modern day production say the vintage product is far better. Although I may have used the original Williams product as a young man, I have no recollection of its performance. I have used the modern product, but am not impressed. I can get just as good a shave from Yardley of London Facial Bar Bath Bar with Cocao Butter at a similar price.

 

[Slivovitz]

...All in all, a decent shave...




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As others said, welcome to the forums. Even if I waited 11 days to say that.

I've been inactive in the shaving forums for some years, I think. B&B helped me find better ways to shave some ten years ago, and I still use them, but after a few years, there was nothing more to say about razors or soaps; I just shaved with them. My activity here has mostly been on the Nib forum the past several years. Fountain pens, now, you can use them all day long.

But for some reason, I thought about the shaving forums today, and wondered if there were still threads saying how horrible modern Williams is. Came here, and sure enough...well, no, the thread is mostly positive. But I guess there's still a group of Williams haters.

I'm so far out of the shaving as a hobby mindset that I keep just one soap out at a time, plus a stick for travel. I use my one soap until it's gone, wash out the mug (and possibly grab another one) and start a new puck. I just finished my last puck of Cyril Salter a few days ago, and grabbed one of my large stock of Williams.

It works great, just as I recall, and when it's gone, I'll probably use more of the same, since I have a pretty good stock of it. Although I noticed the other day that the local supermarket that used to sell it no longer has any.

It probably did require a bit more water out of the box, but that's not exactly technical difficulties. I gave up on bowl lathering anything years ago; it's always face lathering.

I'll come back in another ten years and see if there's still a Williams thread. I expect there will be. Some things don't change.

 

[EricSki]

For many, they complain about the lather disappearing from their face in a few minutes.

That’s because they have too much water (In my opinion). I’m against soaking the puck and get as much of the water out of the brush as I can before I load.

For those struggling with it it’s worth trying.

 

[EricSki]

I find it to be more slick that most soaps, and even thin frothy lather works well.
It does need to stay damp. The best way is to "stickify" it and face-lather with it:

Stickified Williams Mug Soap

• John Rose
• Dec 7, 2016

Williams Mug Soap mashed into an empty glue stick container.

or...

Stickified "Brutus Vilius" - Stuffing the Container

• John Rose
• Jan 10, 2017

I got 82 g of mixed Brut aftershave and Williams Mug Shaving soap mashed into an empty Speed...

The capped plastic tube keeps it from drying out.

So you grate a puck then press it into a deodorant container?

I think I’m going to try that when I run out of deodorant

 

[John Rose]

So you grate a puck then press it into a deodorant container?

Yes.
Use a fairly fine grater, like the rotary graters for hard cheese...

In my last batch I used 56 g grated Williams (a whole puck) and 30 g (= 30 ml = approx. 3 Tbsp) water.
Stir it and let it sit overnight in a covered dish. It ends up about as stiff as a Proraso croap.
When you go to fill the tube, screw it so that the piston is at the top, then twist it back down as you add the soap a spoonful at a time. This makes sure you don't get much in the way of air gaps.
You may have a bit left over, depending on the size of the deodorant tube.

I think I’m going to try that when I run out of deodorant.

I just went out and bought the cheapest stick I could find at Walmart (Mennen SpeedStick) and just tossed the contents and peeled off the label.
It was cheaper than paying for the shipping on a single new empty tube from Amazon or wherever.
If you buy a deodorant stick or jumbo glue stick purposely for stickified Williams, look for a tube that has a plastic label that can be peeled off.
In my LePage's glue stick example it's printed right on the tube, so I'm stuck with it.