First shave ever with Williams Mug Soap.....WOW!!

Tonight I shaved with Williams for the first time ever....dont ask me how I have not tried it before but I haven't. Surprisingly for such a cheap shave soap I had a pretty rediculously smooth shave.....it wouldnt lather up for me in the mug so I tried to face lather and it whipped right up for me......I love the nice suttle scent it has.....its actually perfect....it kinda took me backin time while I was shaving and if a $2 soap can make me feel like I took a ride in a time machine.....thats the stuff right there!!! I think I might have a new favorite.....for now!

 

Actually, that is the new and less improved version of Williams. The scent is Citronella based, like the outdoor bug begone torches.
That version was the first shaving soap I used when I got into wet shaving. It is not the greatest soap, but it is not as bad as many make it out to be. It is effective if you put some patience into it. It really works better with a Boar Brush for lathering. I started with a cheap Burma Shave brush and I got an acceptable and usable lather on the first try.

The vintage Williams of 40 years ago was much better and it can still be found from time to time up on e-Bay for a price.

Personally, I think everyone should start out with puck of current Williams and a cheap boar brush to learn how to properly whip up lather before moving up to the "better stuff!"

Glad you enjoyed it!

 

Yea I have some higher end creams and soaps but for some reason.... Williams im more fond of than most the others. I will have to look into the vintage williams.

 

I love Williams! It and Colgate were the only soaps I used when I first started using a mug and brush in the early '90's. I wonder when the current formulation began to be used?

Darn it...now I'm going to have to buy some just to have it around again...LOL!

 

Lol man I love the stuff....new formula or not....its a great shave for me! Im definately gonna go buy a few more picks fornback stock hahaha.

 

Wow qthat got messed up lol....pucks for back stock!

 

I was given a puck at a secret Santa last year at work. I really like the scent...but I haven't tried it yet. Looks like I will have to.

 

Sorry, can't stand the skeeter-be-gone scent.
I find it to be rather finicky, as well. One day it will whip up a super fantastic lather, the next day not so hot. And, yes, I suffered through a full week of this during our theme week of Williams Week. I find TSD M Bomb to mask the scent, so I was somewhat liberal with it during that week!
Let us know how you like it after using it for about 10-12 shaves. I really hope you do. It's just not a favorite of mine.

 

Used Williams for over 15 years doing one pass shaves with my black handle Gillette adjustable and store bought blades. Never knew there was anything better, until getting into serious wet shaving a few years ago. Once I discovered the larger and finer universe of wet shaving, I struggled to use up my Williams inventory (I hate to waste anything). I recall getting a tip from someone here to boost the Williams by adding a drop of glycerin to the puck before each use. That single tip enabled my Williams to reasonably stand up to the the better soaps (TSD, Tabac, etc), which helped me use up the Williams inventory honorably. I may revisit a Williams puck sometime in the future for nostalgia, but I will make sure I have a cheap bottle of glycerin handy when I do.

 

I've got about 10 pucks in reserve, but I haven't used the Williams in about a year now. I'll have to revisit it next Saturday, as that's the day I rotate the soaps I don't keep in constant weekly rotation.

 

I'm in agreement with Steve about the new stuff. The vintage Williams OTOH... simply amazing stuff. The vintage soap looses the scent, if it had the citronella to begin with. It lathers faster and more consistently. Of course, it costs a little more than the $1.09 I pay locally for the new stuff.

 

If you like the scent of Williams, like cheap soaps, and want a thick, STABLE lather that almost forms itself, give Arko a try. If you were impressed with Williams, you should flip over Arko.

 

Congratulations to all you guys who have had good lather from any of the Williams soap versions, because I NEVER was even able to get any success with this stuff. If the lather was good for the first half a pass, it was lousy during the 2nd half, and I had to work like a horse to get it just acceptable for my following pass or passes. I sent some Williams to friends of mine in Europe, and they liked it

 

I tried it years ago..ugh!...too weird and got me too annoyed..to the bin it went.

 

this spring i found a barber's roll of vintage williams and could never find the shop again to make a purchase as we were just passing thru. i did leave with 6 old spice mugs loaded with unused soap. so my visit wasn't a complete waste. i had to make a choice and old spice i like better

 

Anyone that can get a satisfying shave out of the modern Williams is doing something right in my book. I do enjoy a vintage Williams shave, but I have had the toughest luck getting modern Williams to work for me. I did finally figure out that Williams takes more water than I would normally use and that really helped me with it.

But again, if you are enjoying it, then good for you and keep it up!

 

What was weird?

 

I wouldn't call the lather "good, " as that might be a little too generous. All those years I just thought Williams lather was normal. It wasn't until I joined the Shave Den and kept hearing about guys easily making mountains of thick, creamy lather, that I realized something was wrong....very wrong. Fortunately, it wasn't me. If one can make useable lather with Williams, they can make it with anything. There is "good" in that.

 

I

Have wanted to try arko....i may have to break and buy some!

 

Yep I had to use more water than normal but once I started face lathering......it was all easy as pie from there....dont know why but this stuff gave me a better shave than most iv tried....good thing its cheap too hahaha.....its a win win situation!