Williams Mug Soap - Item of the Week 5/6/13

[goh2499]

This is the first soap I can't get to stay consistent through out the shave. Started as a nice looking thick lather then went to an airy foam and stayed that way. Did just over a 1 min load and then slowly add water til it look like a soft meringue. It provided plenty of glide for each pass it just wasn't a pleasure to use.

Is it one where I need to load the brush and face lather and add more from the puck between passes? Since I bowl lather should I add some glycerine? I bowl lather because I am able to get a more consistent result regardless of soap or cream.

I plan on using this all week if only to see if I can get it to behave like a proper soap!

 

[OldSaw]

I have a quick question I often times had glycerin to my soaps to get an even better lather is that allowed during the week with the Willaims?

If that's what you need to do to make it work for you, then by all means go for it. The whole point is to simply use the item for the week and discuss it. The discussion allows us to exchange tips and help each other get the maximum benefit from the featured item.

So is this supposed to be vintage Williams week or grocery store Williams week?

Very good question Turtle.

Whichever one you have on hand will be fine. I prefer the vintage, but also have a modern one, so I may use both.

 

[OldSaw]

This is the first soap I can't get to stay consistent through out the shave. Started as a nice looking thick lather then went to an airy foam and stayed that way. Did just over a 1 min load and then slowly add water til it look like a soft meringue. It provided plenty of glide for each pass it just wasn't a pleasure to use.

Is it one where I need to load the brush and face lather and add more from the puck between passes? Since I bowl lather should I add some glycerine? I bowl lather because I am able to get a more consistent result regardless of soap or cream.

I plan on using this all week if only to see if I can get it to behave like a proper soap!

Good man!

When I use Williams I lather right on top of the puck. Even when I get a very nice looking lather it does dissipate during the shave, so I touch it up throughout the shave. Just leave the brush sitting in the mug. Whenever you feel it is necessary, just brush on a little more.

 

[wrinkles2]

This Is the thread we discuss it in Right?

 

[Mick]

This Is the thread we discuss it in Right?

Starting tomorrow

today, anything goes

 

[eblau]

Sorry, but I'm out this time. I finished a modern Williams puck at the end of January. I was getting pretty good lather with it actually, but I have so many other soaps to try that I don't want to buy another puck of modern Williams now. If I had a puck of vintage Williams sitting around, that would be another story...

 

[Jayk]

Just picked up a puck of modern williams, must have been a run on it because the first place I went was out of it. I think I'll make a test lather tonight because it sounds like a tricky soap.

 

[OldSaw]

Sorry, but I'm out this time. I finished a modern Williams puck at the end of January. I was getting pretty good lather with it actually, but I have so many other soaps to try that I don't want to buy another puck of modern Williams now. If I had a puck of vintage Williams sitting around, that would be another story...

That's OK, we'll look for you next week.

 

[cpacamper]

I'm definitely in. Modern Williams has been my main soap for the majority of my DE shaving (2 month) life and I love it.

 

[Taproot]

Did a couple test lathers- same performance as I had recalled. Looks good at first and then collapses into itself like a citronella scented black hole.
The intersection of using williams exclusively (item of the week) and my Straight Razor exclusively (SR May) will truly be an interesting one.

 

[oldbluelight]

Well I didn't have any Arko when it was the item of the week but some came in Saturday and I picked up a Williams puck Sunday. So, I thought why not see how well these bad boys, both roundly, frequently maligned for a variety of reasons, play together. If Van der Williams is possible why not Willarko? Soaked puck, stick and brush while I showered. Flogged the Williams into a lather and applied a primer coat of Arko before scrubbing the Williams on. Had to keep picking up a little more water from the basin with the brush because the initial mix quickly acquired the consistency of mortar. But when the water got added to the mix it worked quite well. Nice and slick and the GSB in my EJ DE89 gave me a DFS+++ (chin wouldn't cooperate) in three passes. Took more than the usual amount of rinses to get down to my hide before I went to the witch hazel. I'll probably play with the bad boy mix again tomorrow and see if I can get the water right. I hope this counts for item of the week.

 

[cpacamper]

Modern Williams works well for me.

Bowl lathered using MArco's method and VDH Deluxe boar brush
lathered up, covered face with wet hot towel for 1:30
wipe, rinsed
3 passes with touch up using a Merkur 34c and Sharp blade (1), BBS on face, CCS on neck as usual
still enough lather left for a full fourth pass
Finished with AV Ice Blue

My face feels smooth and clean. Go Williams!

 

[jbo99]

I used it again this morning, I don't have a problem with it other than it seems to take longer to lather than other soaps. I like the smell of it and it works for me. CCS for a two pass shave this morning is fine with me. I do prefer a better shave but 'meh'. I'll take it.

 

[Col Wilburforce Buckshot]

Coming on the heels of Arko week (the remains of which I was still using) I found the Williams scent to be very understated. I soaked it for about 20 minutes then without any unusual prep to it, loaded a badger TGN Finest with it. I found it quite sufficient in density, slickness, and volume to complete 3 passes on cheek and chin and a fourth pass on my neck.

Following further instructions on the box I splashed on some Aqua Velva.

Tomorrow I'll try it with a boar brush.

 

[TonyJoe]

Had a pretty nice shave with modern Williams this morning. After seeing a video someone posted at the end of last year about lathering Williams, I decided to try out their method.

I soaked the puck and my Ever Ready 100T in a mug of hot-ish water while I showered. After the shower, I dumped most of the water and started whipping my brush on the puck (for quite a while) until I had a good amount of pretty soupy lather (I actually had to add a little more water during the process). You wouldn't think you would want to put it on your face at this stage, but that's what I did. As I face lathered, the Williams came together and thickened up into a decent lather that actually lasted long enough to shave with. It still had a bit of that typical fizzy quality that modern Williams always seems to have and was threatening to disappear, but it was very slick as many of the modern Williams enthusiasts will point out. After 3.5 passes, I had a DFS+ with my Gillette Old and an Astra SP on its 4th shave. Finished off with some Speick.

So it's totally useable, but it takes some work. My end result was very nice, but the process and experience weren't as enjoyable as with some other products.

 

[Jayk]

Well that was...different. The scent is pleasant in a standard soapy kind of way. I found the lather to be usable, but little more than that. It is a bit challenging to create and it took a few tries to get it started. I never really got it to the nice and creamy point that I usually like for my lather. It was slick enough, but not very protective. I used a balm after so I did not really notice whether or not it was drying. So far it, is substantially below all of my other products for performance. Even when I was struggling with PdP, I found that lather to be better. I will give it another go tomorrow.
equipment:
Gillette Tech w/ O'clock yellow
Semogue 1460
Williams mug soap
Alum
RR Evil eye wax
Old spice

 

[Col Wilburforce Buckshot]

If Van der Williams is possible why not Willarko? .

This was a bold move potentially arousing the ire of two disciplines of detractors in one swift manoeuvre.

BRAVO!

Double double toil and trouble
Arko reek and Williams bubble.

 

[blzrfn]

Preface: I have test lathered my vintage Williams twice over the weekend to see how it performs. I was able to get a nice thick, creamy lather but it had virtually no scent. To enhance my shaving experience I added a couple drops each of sweet orange and cedarwood essential oil on top of the puck. The oil had evaporated and/or absorbed by this morning's shave.

Day 1 of Williams week:

Vintage Williams
Semogue 2000 (not broken in yet
Sanguine CoolCut4
1/2 Personna Platinum Chrome (1)
Alum
Witch Hazel
Styptic Pencil (can kinda see how this shave went...)
Vintage Avon Spicy aftershave

I soaked the Semogue and Wiliams puck in warm water for about five minutes, drained both and loaded the brush from the mug. After I had what I thought was a decent amount of soap I worked the lather up on my face. The cedar and orange scent came through, mildly, and the lather worked up to a nice slick, thick and creamy consistence after a minute of work and a few small water additions. My first pass with the Sanguine (N to S) went fairly uneventful.

Working up the lather for the second pass was a fail so I went back to the puck to load more soap. Built up the lather again and went for a ear to nose pass. This too was fairly uneventful except that I got one slice along my jawline as I let my blade angle get away from me. It was a good wake up call and nothing that will leave a scar.

Looking at the brush before the third pass I just decided to go straight for the puck for another reload. I'm not sure if this need to constantly reload the brush is a function of the soap being finicky or the brush just not being broken in yet. I will be able to better judge this tomorrow when I switch to a badger brush. Finally get the face lathered up again for a S to N pass. This too goes pretty uneventful, except there is this mole on my neck that I happened to nick, not too bad, but a little weeper none the less.

I know I just mentioned in last weeks IotW thread that I don't see myself using alum as a post shave. Well, with my face feeling a bit raw I decided to give it everything I had to try and accelerate the healing process. After shave routine went in this order: cold water, alum (1 minute dwell), cold water, witch hazel (let dry), Avon Spicy splash. Even though I abused my face with my poor out-of-practice shavette technique, this post shave ritual seemed to calm down all the irritation and other than a few red spots I look and feel good. I am skeptical about the cushion and lather stability but am not going to rush to judge at this point.

 

[michiganlover]

I have used Modern Williams the last two days. Just barely passable shaves both days. I have tried to make no fewer than a half a dozen pucks of Modern Williams lather, and my opinion remains unchanged: Modern Williams Sucks!!

Any "shaving soap" that can't be made to generate a usable lather by lathering on the puck, is mislabeled!! Soap? Yes. Shaving Soap? Far from it!!

I don't have any vintage Williams at the moment, since I pared down my den about 6-7 months ago, but Vintage Williams was a stellar product.

 

[oldbluelight]

This was a bold move potentially arousing the ire of two disciplines of detractors in one swift manoeuvre.

BRAVO!

Double double toil and trouble
Arko reek and Williams bubble.

I thank you kindly Colonel and please forgive this my poor attempt to complete your quatrain:

Double double toil and trouble
Arko reek and Williams bubble
By the nicking of my chin
Let the caterwauling begin