The only noticeably different plant is the modern stuff made by Combe... it's pretty much junk. As far as the vintage Williams, it's all good. I've never tried the menthol, but from what I've read, it's so old that there is no longer any menthol effect from the soap. As to MWF, a suggestion I might make is to rub the puck directly on your wet/prepped face, just like you would do with a shave stick, then take a moderately wet brush to your face and face-lather. This method works great to get plenty of product, and with plenty of product, hitting a sweet spot is pretty easy, if you need more water, just dip the tips of the brush in a little water.
Might be a dumb question, but I really am trying to master the soap technique. I don't have a clue as to how to get a soap to stay in the mug where I want it to. Can I (without harming the soap) microwave it or something to make it more 'mug-compliant'? I put stuff into my mug (just an old coffee mug, hopefully no one is too offended by that), but it just swirls around. What can I do?
Couple of ways to go about it. 1 - Put a little bit of water in the mug, drop your puck in, let it soak and soften a bit, press down hard, let it sit over night. It'll stick just fine. 2 - If it's glycerine, melt it with short (8-10 seconds) burst in the microwave. Keep your finger on the STOP button and hit it as soon as you see it start to boil. If it's not all melted, let it sit for 20-30 seconds, then hit it with another 8-10 second burst. Let it sit and harden. 3 - If it's a hard soap (usually triple milled) or something with tallow or lanolin, like MWF, DO NOT MICROWAVE - IT DOESN'T WORK, grate it with a cheese grater, cover with wax paper, press/pack down with another bowl, a glass, what ever you have. And, hey, if the coffee mug works for you, go for it! The only "right" container is what works for you.
I'm fairly new to wet shaving but from my experiences thus far and from what I've researched the hardness of your water at home can have as big of an impact on how your soap lathers as the soap itself. I myself have pretty hard water so I do have to work it a fair amount when face lathering but you don't want a meringue consistency either, you can overdo the lather. I use Truefitt & Hill currently but I don't plan to use it again. It performs well and has a great fragrance but at $30 a puck I plan to experiment with other brands in the future. I don't see any reason to pay that much, it's soap after all and though it is nice it's not as if I'm having a spiritual experience while using it. Mostly it's like using soap. Good luck boys.
