I don't know what it is about this stuff that doesn't connect! I love the scent, and heaven knows it's as cheap as can be, but every time I buy it, I wind up scraping it out of the bowl and using it as shower soap. I just can't get it to lather up right no matter what I do.

Jeff

Ken, Randy, I'll agree on that with you, for a small amont of money like that, you can't expect the world. The scent is very pleasant as well, Ken, you're right, it does have a resemblance to Arlington. For myself, ever since I discovered Arko soap, Mama Bear, Cella, and some other soaps, Williams falls short in quality of lather and efficacy. On the other hand, I can take a good shower with it, and come out smelling nice.

Jeff

I agree with Jeff. Absolutely cheap - 99cent. But, I will not classify this a shaving soap. I know, some people loves it. I had no luck. It does produce good amount of lather - but, it lacks moist and slickness. I tried several times to confirm that I am doing it right - it always dries so quick on my face. I had to relather my face half-way shaving. It leaves a soapy-feeling on my skin even after washing my face throughly. My skin felt dry after the shave.



- Z

Well, from time to time I break out the Omega boar brush and my Williams soap and give it a go. I still get a good shave with Williams, and maybe I am partial to it because it was about all I used for my first 3 months of using a DE. I do like the scent, I can build a good lather, and it does a good job. When you are paying a buck a puck, you can't expect the world on a platter. Williams does what it is supposed to do. If you aren't achieving a good shave with it, I would suggest that you have yet to master this low end soap.



Randy

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"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." J. B. Books
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Remember Alex Brown

Williams seems to take significantly more water than other hard-milled soaps, but it shaves just fine (not great, but fine). I'm not a big fan of the scent which is strange since it's somewhat similar to my beloved D. R. Harris Arlington, but the scent is probably the biggest reason I don't use it more.

Jeff,



I've been using Williams as my choice of shaving soap for approx. 8yrs or more. It was the first alternative to canned shaving cream that I ever tried and, perhaps, that is why I still like it so much. I have not tried any other products so, again, my opinion is somewhat limited and biased; however, I find it to be a very good shaving soap at a very good price.



I find the soap to moisturize my face better than canned shaving creams; however, it does leave a soapy residue after rinsing. This I take care of with a little aftershave lotion / balm. I also find the lather takes a bit more effort to achieve and it does not cover as best as I would like. However, again -- for the price, this is a very good, reliable product that I would recommend to anyone who was looking for an affordable and readily available alternative to canned chaving cream. Plus, I really like the scent of this product... it reminds me of an old, traditional barbershop.



That said -- if anyone would like to provide me with samples of other creams / soap, I would be happy to compare them. I am new to wet shaving and eager to expand my experience here; however, it is difficult for me to justify any 'better' shaving products to SWMBO.



Cheers,

Ken

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- Ken -

GoTeeGuy's Entry into the B&B Hall of Fame

Father Ted Crilly: Uh... Dougal... there's uh... some shaving cream there.
Father Dougal McGuire: Here?
Father Ted Crilly: Yes and there's... uh... there's a bit more...
Father Dougal McGuire: Gone?
Father Ted Crilly: No, there's still just a tiny... Dougal, its all over the place!
Father Dougal McGuire: How on Earth did that get there?... I didn't even shave this morning!

A good standard. It lathers well enough for me.

Sometimes I melt some glycerine-based soap like Surrey or Col Conk and use it to seat the Williams in the mug. The combination seems to work well.

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Howard

Seems to me that it is what it is, SOAP. It may be slightly different from Ivory or Dial or what-have-you, but it is soap. Without moisturizers and such soap will dry your skin. It does not claim to be conditioning or smell like lavender. For a buck I'll keep it around for times when I might run out of something else. I won't be in my regular rotation, but it will be in the cabinet!

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Happy Shaving!

-Tom-

av8or234's Hall of Fame Entry

I used this soap for 26 years, all I can say good about it is that it did not kill me.

This soap is such an attraction because its available locally and the price is low, I am afraid many men assume that all soaps have the same attributes and end up missing out on some of the great soaps available.

Williams has very little in the way of lubrication, beard hydration or cushion and this is a recipe for razor burn,dry skin and a cycle of poor shaves.

There are many soaps that are low cost, the Sues, Col Conk,QED are just a few that can provide an exceptional experience.

Don't settle for a sub par shave.

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Jim

As long as we can find BBQ, we'll be happy- Special K.

Thinking of Sue

Μολών λαβέ!

I, too, used this for years -- ever since Old Spice got out of the mug soap business in the early '90s. It's never quite measured up, but is adequate. The fragrance is pleasant, but dissapears after the puck is used a bit. I'm able to get quite a good lather, as long as I lather it up on my face, not in the mug (in the mug it just seems to get bubbly). But it doesn't lubricate all that well. I always avoided higher-end soaps as being "hoidy toidy", but recently decided to experiment. Classicshaving.com's house brand beats Williams hands-down, but a puck doesn't last as long (gets sort of gummy, too). Will probably experiment with some other brands as soon as I overcome the sticker shock -- been paying a buck a puck for a looong time!

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Zach

I like this soap. It is not the best but not the worst that I have tried. I find that it is easy to lather if you use less water. I know that sounds strange. I just wet my brush with hottest tap water I can get, and shake it once. I then swirl my pure badger brush until I get the slightest lather. Next, I make the lather an my face. I tried to make lather in a bowl once and got nowhere. For me this soap reminds me of a simpler time, and that is it's most enduring properity.

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John

I too tried this shaving soap with less than stellar performance. I really don't like adding anything to it to make it work the way it's supposed to so as others mentioned in this thread I use it as a shower soap. I LOVE the scent though, too bad it doesn't work for me because the price is right. I can pick it up at Walmart for .99 cents a puck, but someone must be using it because when I go to get some, they either have a full shelf of it or it's all gone.



I will still buy it as a shower soap but it's days as a shave soap to me are over.

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Art - AACJ at badgerandblade dot com

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Wow... Smells so good you'll wish you could eat it. It's a really cheap soap. I got it for a $1.65 a puck, which is about $1.50 American. Lathers really well, but the lather doesn't last long after it gets on the face. It fells good on the face with no burning when it's being used. It does however leave your face felling a bit dry, but some aftershave will fix that. My puck of pre de provence does leave the skin felling better, but doesn't smell nearly as nice as the williams.

good stuff for a buck



i like the smell (im a weirdo i know)



but i say throw down some more money for the good stuff



nice to start with easy to get.........

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-Will

It's interesting that Williams so often appears in the shave den pictures on this forum.



This is the first soap that I used many years ago when I tried lathering with a pure badger Ever-Ready K40 brush that was beside it in the drug store. As far as I'm concerned, Williams has the best scent of all shave creams and soaps and I wish that someone else would reproduce it.



Williams might not be the best soap to learn how to use for a beginner because lathering takes more effort than the high end creams or glycerin soaps. What works for me is to wet it first, I run some water into the mug on top of the puck and immediately pour it out and let it sit before I fill the sink. The shave brush doesn't get the water shaken out of it either, I simply let it drain after soaking it and then get busy creating the lather. There's probably a good spoonful of water in the brush that leaks out onto the soap during this process. It takes a little longer to build up a lather in the mug with Williams than the higher priced spread, but it does do the job on the face.



As cheap as it is, it lasts me for months of daily use, way longer than more expensive brands. If keeping the cost of shaving down is the issue, the Williams in combination with double edged blades can't be beat.

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~Jon~
BBS Challenged

Member of the B&B 2011 Rudy Vey custom Brush Buy
I gave to Soap For Hope
I survived the 2011 B&B Upgrade

Used Williams soap for the first time today. I love the smell I got lots of lather......but different from what I am accustomed to. Not as thick....but effective non the less. I managed one the my best shaves to date. Everyone has different opinions.....but for what it is worth....I will continue to use Williams Mug Soap in my rotation.



Brian

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Brian