Saw this stuff at the drug store and wanted to try it out. pretty good stuff and less than a buck. makes a nice creamy good smelling lather. Lubricates pretty well too and if you dont want to spend alot of money on some shaving soap id say go with this. Williams Mug Shaving Soap. Good Stuff
As far as I knew, Williams was the only shave soap still available...so I used it for 20-30 years. Before I discovered wetshaving forums and found that it was not alone. Still use it from time to time. However... For not much more $$, do yourself a favor and pick up a few of JoAnna's TSD soaps. You won't be sorry. :happy088
I still keep Williams in my rotation, and yes do try TSD, they are wonderful (thanks JoAnna), you might also try Van Der Hagen. It is available at Rite-aid, CVS and Wal-Mart.
I love the TSD soaps very much, to me they're REAL shave soaps, but the Williams and I just don't get along.
It's pretty good stuff (actually, they both are). I just became a Williams convert myself. I struggled with it for a while, then used it as a super lather and shave stick. Bingo. It found a home in my rotation!
Look, here's the problem with Williams. It was GREAT when it was my only soap. I never had any problems getting enough lather, it was always thick and slick and just fine. One thing I noticed about it though. Whenever I would start a new puck, I wouldn't get very good lather for a few days, then it would "loosen up" and I would start to get better lather. This is my WILLIAMS theory. Hardly ANYONE (well, any of YOU shaving freaks) uses it daily as their only soap. This is why guys have so much trouble with it. Williams works better when the puck is moist. And yes, soaking the puck while you're in the shower helps, but I don't think it's enough. Williams performs best when it's slightly mushy. (Not squishy, but just so that you could make a fingerprint in it...) It sticks better to the hairs on the brush, and just seems to lather better for me. Say you only use it once a week or once a month even. Well then your puck is going to be DRY and you'll get the "new puck syndrome" that I described above. Yes, soaking the puck and beating the crap out of it with your brush can almost make up for it, but for me, its never as good as it used to be when I used it EVERY DAY. Sadly this is the price we pay using our Tabacs, C&E's, and Three T's... I guess it's not that bad of a price... -Mason
That Williams... its quite a good shaving soap, i think better than Burma Shave. Hard to get here in Germany a Friend from Dallas send me a few bars. I like it very much, its thick, creamy and clean smelling leather. its not my favorite for daily use but its welcome from time to time.
I used Williams for several years after Old Spice soap was discontinued in the early '90s. Then I came across the various shaving forums and the amazing variety of soaps available, and never looked back. Compared to any soap by any of the Sues, Williams is dry and lacks lubricity. Now, in fairness, I used Williams with a Mach 3 all those years, whereas every other soap (except the aforementioned OS) has been with a DE, but it's hard to imagine that a DE would make this stuff any better. Don't get me wrong -- I am glad that somebody is still making a soap for the brick-and-mortar market, but it's just hard to go back to this stuff when there's so much else available...
My local Walmart Neighborhood Market was clearancing their Williams supply. Each puck was marked down from 1.89 to .10 .. that's right, 10 cents. I bought all 20 pucks they had left. While I don't use them for shaving, I have been using them as a bar soap... --James
Harry, it'll be a big, big pleasure for me to send you some Williams soaps any time you want it! It's sold in every pharmacie here in Montreal.
The Williams is a nice soap. I like the soapy scent and the ease of lathering. Unfortunately, as Harry mentioned before, it's not available in Germany.
I liked it before I knew other alternatives existed - just like Michael. I still like the smell, but I find that it leaves my skin drier than the creams I'm using now. I am using it now just to lather up with my new brushes to get the funk smell out.
