Williams Soap

[66GilletteSlim]

I was in the store looking around while the wife was grocery shopping and I found a puck of Williams super cheap, just over a buck. I wasn't looking for a soap, too many other things to pay for this time of year. I hate taxes. It seems to be ok but pretty this on the lather end. Anyone else have an opinion on this soap?

[ShadowsDad]

Ah, the Williams thread...

On other forums whenever someone wanted to get things heated up someone (even if it was myself) would ask about Williams. It was always good for a laugh or 2. But unlike those folks who would post just to get things stirred up, I perceive you mean it sincerely.

I used to make excuses for it and explain that it was useable. OK, it is useable. But I no longer make excuses for it. Many years ago Williams was a good soap. Then "they" reformulated it and destroyed it into what it is today. It's simply not worth using IMO.

A very similarly scented soap and one that's less expensive with much better low end performance is ARKO stick. I haven't bought any in a long time, but at one time ARKO could be gotten in bulk for under or near $1 per stick. It worked MUCH better than Williams and still does today, but I no longer know how its priced in bulk. If Williams disappeared tomorrow it's no big deal. Near as I can figure that's what they wanted when they reformulated it and destroyed it's performance. Frankly, I can't understand why it's still being made. Maybe there are a core of gents in Dogpatch who haven't realized just how terrible a performer it is?

Williams is OK in the shower used with a washcloth just not so much with a brush and razor. There are much better shave soaps IMO that are much easier to use and find and with much better performance. VdH deluxe is one and KissMyFace is better than either Williams or VdH performance wise.

[Squire]

I used Williams a lot many years ago, I suspect most of us old timers did, and I could use it today if it were my only choice. It's cheap, I suggest you give it a try. Worst case you can always use it to practice making lather or as hand soap in the kitchen or bath.

[Pointer]

I used Williams for years. It is a good soap. The one thing I really like is that it is really good at softening the whiskers. I find it easy to use and get very close shaves with it. The scent can get tiresome when used on a daily basis and is the only real negative for me.

[brothers]

Williams is probably priced about right comparing what it does and what is costs. I can and have shaved with it. If any of us went to the local store and bought a cake of Williams and an anonymous bar of bath soap, each costing a dollar, we"d be able to shave with either one. You get what you pay for, don't you? Arko, Palmolive, etc., are a country mile ahead of Williams in terms of performance. The mistake that's commonly made where Williams is involved is an unrealistic expectation that Williams is supposed to perform equally as well as any and all other given shaving soaps regardless of price, and that is simply not the case. Interestingly enough, the opposite is also true. Another commonly made mistake is the unrealistic expectation that the highest priced shave soaps are going to perform better than any other soap regardless of cost. Again, that is simply not the case.

[ShadowsDad]

Yes, he definitely owes it to himself to try it. Heck, it's cheap enough.

Load the heck out of it!

[brothers]

Speaking of heavy loading, Williams is the cause of a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on brushes.

[Squire]

Gary I believe unnecessary wear and tear on brushes is caused by heavy handed usage. I don't find Williams to different from other shaving soaps in that regard.

[brothers]

Right. Heavy loading vs. heavy handed. These days, I'm hoping to avoid either!

[Squire]

Gentlemen, I've been moved to break out some Williams.

[dosco]

Gentlemen, I've been moved to break out some Williams.

Need a dose of self-flagellation, eh?

(lol)

[dosco]

I was in the store looking around while the wife was grocery shopping and I found a puck of Williams super cheap, just over a buck. I wasn't looking for a soap, too many other things to pay for this time of year. I hate taxes. It seems to be ok but pretty this on the lather end. Anyone else have an opinion on this soap?

66:
Why don't you give it a try and let us know what you think?

After you try the Williams, you may want to try the Van Der Hagen shave soap ... smells nice and has some stearic in it.

The, you might want to consider getting some Arko, Palmolive, or other affordable soap from an online retailer.

Lastly, you might want to think about making your own or maybe buying some from a soaper (there are some on this board).

YMMV. Let us know what you try and what you think.

Regards-
Dave

PS: in my experience Williams makes a nice shower soap but not a good shave soap (I used Williams for about 10 years before stumbling upon "wet shaving," this website, etc.).

PPS: I will also tell you that a good soap makes a significant difference with regards to the comfort, closeness, and overall "enjoy-ability" of shaving. You can buy or make some very nice soaps that (in my experience) will change how you think about shaving. It does make that big of a difference.

[ShadowsDad]

Gentlemen, I've been moved to break out some Williams.

For use in the shower, or for shaving?

[marsos52]

yea I been thru enough pucks of Williams in my past.
If its good enough for the Presidents to use it..doesn't mean it's good enough for me...

marc

[Araner]

Williams made my face feel tight and dry after shaving; very uncomfortable. I didn't care much for the smell either. And, like a fool I tried it several times thinking that maybe I wasn't doing something right.

Regards,
Mike

[brothers]

There's another drawback associated with the use of Williams. If we look down at the lowest common denominator, we find brushless canned and tubed shaving creams. The difference is that it's impossible to actually use Williams without a brush. There's an unavoidable penalty step involved for the guy who chooses Williams over a brushless product. He's got to have a brush.

[bernards66]

Ah yes...Williams....it hasn't come up in awhile. As Squire mentioned, almost anyone who's been shaving this way a long time has at least tried it at some point...how could one not? Myself, I was already more or less spoiled by the time I even got around to trying it. I started traditional shaving in the earlier '80s with the C&E hard shave soap. This was a high end product made in England ( not the same product that C&E sell today, take note ). From there I went straight to Trumpers. So, when I finally gave the Williams a shot I was...er....underwhelmed? I could get by with using it, but just barely. I never could get a really rich lather out of it like I could with the C&E or Trumpers and as someone already mentioned my skin was not left feeling as good either. So, I experimented with adding a dab of the old Palmolive shave cream ( also inexpensive but now gone, sadly ) to the top of the Williams soap and that worked considerably better. So, that is what I used to recommend to new members who had to watch their pennies back when these forums were young. There really isn't anything that's currently sold in US stores that is comparable to the old Palmolive cream in terms of performance for that kind of low price....which is a shame.
Regards,
Gordon

[ThePossum]

I used Williams back in the 60's while I was in college and then for a couple years after that. Got the stuff for free from my uncle who was a barber and could make it work really well. Then my shaving well all to heck as I got into the canned stuff and jells and those god awful cartridge and disposable razors. So in 2008 when I came back to traditional wet shaving I gave it a try. Poor results compared to the Tabac and MWF that I was using then. My wife loves it but not for shaving but for getting stains out of clothes without having to use bleach. So at least it is good for something.

[Squire]

Hadn't thought about the laundry aspects, may give that a try.

[LookingGlass]

This soap works good for me and I love the scent.