Williams no-go, alternatives?

[chuck81]

It really doesn't need any more focus. It is the worst soap in the history of mankind.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I don't quite understand the hate toward Williams. I once read somewhere on B&B that most of the disdain for it is because the old version was really great, and the modern version is not as good. If that's true, I understand. But I think that most people denigrate Williams because it's fashionable. Here is the easy equation for working with Williams: More water=better lather. I've had many a great shave with Williams, it's not rocket science.
Of course, trying new products is part of the fun, so by all means OP, keep experimenting.
You can pick up a puck of Col. Conk in a watertight plastic container, with a nice graphic on the cover, for about $5 on Amazon. The only downside is that you can't pick the scent. I ordered one and received Amber, which was my last choice, but I ended up loving the scent and will order it again. So, you know, don't let that deter you. If nothing else, the container is good for travel and is worth the $5 alone.

 

[michiganlover]

I disagree wholeheartedly. I don't quite understand the hate toward Williams. I once read somewhere on B&B that most of the disdain for it is because the old version was really great, and the modern version is not as good.

I don't think it's accurate to say the new version is "not as good". In my hands the new version is fully useless: I can't get it to produce a lather that I would consider remotely usable.

The better comparison would be to say that the old version is like a beloved Cadillac, while the new version is a Yugo that no longer runs.

The company took what used to be a fine shaving soap, able to compete with the best on the market today, and reduced it to a product that most say is average, or "usable". Who wants to settle for average, (or worst yet) just usable when there is such a huge selection of other products to choose from on the market?

I am of the opinion, that life is too short to settle for shaves with a product that is barely usable. Most of us want something more out of our shaves than just the level of mediocre.

 

[Captain H]

Try Van Der Hagan Delux. Its good stuff.

My first non goo was Williams and I didnt like it. I moved on to other soaps, some costing much much more.
after two years I decided to try Williams again since I think it smells the best out of all shave soaps I have tried. It works great now. I just did not know how to get a good lather back them. Back then I had watched Mantic59s video and simply did what he did and didn't get good results (drying lather, suddie lather...etc). On his vid he states to swirl the brush on the soap about 8 times and start face lathering (really need to load the brush more, like 10 seconds worth of swirling). Also I slinged too much water out of my brush and got too dry of a lather. Now it is my goto soap every morning. I have 20 pucks of it in my stash. I believe it is one of the slicker soaps which i like.

My advice is to use the Van Der Hagan soap for six months or so and then revisit Williams. Van Der Hagan is real good soap