Thread: Is Williams a lost cause?

+1 BobH

I did a pre-lather with Williams this morning. I formed the lather as if it would be used to shave.

It took a bit (well, a lot longer than VDH) but it did lather well. I let it sit for a while and the Williams did not start to dry until minute 4. Plenty of time to shave.

Probably a detailed thread here but I went and bought some this morning. I am not sure if it's the water, brush, or technique but I had NO problem lathering up in less than a minute and it was a GREAT shave. No drying out or disappearing. I just don't know the difference in what I do but its never been a problem for me. I'll take it though.

Keep going with it, it's bubblier on the surface, just like a bar of ivory bath soap. It will get a little smoother on the surface and tired over time. But, I'm one of the people in the camp that it lathers for me as well as anything else, unless I wash my brush out, and then I think it really boils down to being a matter of the soap not transferring to a brush very efficiently (so it's an issue not of the soap not being able to lather, but an issue of not enough soap because it doesn't come loose from the cake that easily).

Of course, the lather is a bit dry feeling, but it's perfectly serviceable, and if someone is getting a rough shave, it's because shaving with williams is like playing guitar without reverb. it's still soap, but it offers no extra assist.

Originally Posted by rolodave

+1 BobH

I did a pre-lather with Williams this morning. I formed the lather as if it would be used to shave.

It took a bit (well, a lot longer than VDH) but it did lather well. I let it sit for a while and the Williams did not start to dry until minute 4. Plenty of time to shave.

That's the problem: 4 minutes may be fine for a DE pass, but is not sufficient to complete a proper straight pass.

Neither am I going to rush a straight shave pass just for the sake of using Williams, nor do I believe that I should have to lather up again when ½-way through a pass.


B.

Originally Posted by beluga

That's the problem: 4 minutes may be fine for a DE pass, but is not sufficient to complete a proper straight pass.

Neither am I going to rush a straight shave pass just for the sake of using Williams, nor do I believe that I should have to lather up again when ½-way through a pass.


B.

That is a very good point. How long does a SR shave need to be?

So, I timed myself this morning. Big Surprise!

2:45 from lather finish to a one pass DFS.

I was shocked and saddened. Shocked that the time was so short and saddened that all this time, effort and money is spent on something lasting less than 3 minutes.

OTOH, I have a smooth face with no burn or irritation. The wife is happy which is all that matters.

I neither praise nor condemn Williams. Of the 3 dozen soaps I own it would be second from last in shaving comfort and results. Well, I guess I do condemn the soap.

Enough about Williams.

My two pass daily shave is about five minutes. The first pass is stock removal, and the second is light blade buffing (so it could be faster if I wasn't trying to get a very close result).

I've never had a problem with any soap drying out except soap that I've made (as in from lye and oils).

I still like williams fine for what it is. It's about a penny a shave.

I really like MDC for what it is (and someone willing to navigate the french site to get to english and register can get it shipped for less than $60 again), and I'll make a comment that will horrify some. When I use MDC, I don't wash my brush (just like anything else), and I can literally shave two days in a row with the same brush - on the second day I don't add any additional MDC, I just dampen the brush and work up a lather again. The first day I am sparing on how much I use in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised to get 3 years worth of daily shaves out of one tub, it was probably dumb of me to buy another one yesterday because I've barely made a dent in the first one (admittedly, I do usually put a little extra on the brush each day). The second day no-added-soap shave with MDC is still better than most soaps are with a heavily loaded brush. It feels like a cream, I think ...well, because it's pretty much just a hard cream.

And I do like cella, that was mentioned earlier as a good soap for what it costs. It's fabulous. My wife uses it to shave her legs, I don't use it as much because I can only keep two soaps at a time in my cabinet upstairs, but the cella has stopped us from buying bottle after bottle of "skintimate" shave cream.