Has anybody used Williams Mug?

I was out running errands this afternoon and spotted this next to the VDH soap in a HyVee grocery store.

I'm a doofus when it comes to lather. There's something of a mystery there that I just haven't been able to figure out. I know some guys have said they use VDH without a problem, so I'm not giving up on it. But this Williams Mug stuff was pretty cheap (cheaper than the VDH on the shelf next to it...but smaller too), so I thought I'd pick some up.

Has anybody used it? Any tips, opinions, love/hate relationships?

Thanks guys!

If you use cold water, work for it, and don't mind the citronella scent, it makes a passable lather.

Williams works good but is much harder to lather IMO then VDH Select or Deluxe. What I do with williams which makes it allitle easier to build lather with is grate it with a cheese grater then repack it in a mug. A nice stiff brush with alot of backbone will help also.

Every Day! It's the "working man's" soap! I like it! Heeeere :soapbox:we go!
(It's the perfect soap for F1/Park Lane guys! I am a Model A pickup/Sunbeam Tiger guy!)

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Originally Posted by BigJim

I was out running errands this afternoon and spotted this next to the VDH soap in a HyVee grocery store.

I'm a doofus when it comes to lather. There's something of a mystery there that I just haven't been able to figure out. I know some guys have said they use VDH without a problem, so I'm not giving up on it. But this Williams Mug stuff was pretty cheap (cheaper than the VDH on the shelf next to it...but smaller too), so I thought I'd pick some up.

Has anybody used it? Any tips, opinions, love/hate relationships?

Thanks guys!

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Yes there is a long love hate relationship with this classic product.
Some say that the old formulation was better (I cannot tell). There
are threads and threads on this soap.

Williams works...

It excels when uberlathered.
It excels in breaking in budget boar bristle brushes.
It excels in teaching "how to lather".
It excels in the cleaning and lathering of strop leather and canvas.

There are better soaps but for the price
it is hard to ignore.

Toss it in a clean empty cottage cheese tub
and use it.

I'm one of the guys that really enjoys the scent of Williams. I own much better soaps, but I use Williams as much, if not more than most of them.
I build a lather that's on the watery side and let it settle a bit before applying it. As Bkratchmer mentioned, it works even better when it's cold. (I don't like cold shaves, so the watery lather with settle time is the way I go).

If you do a search, you'll find quite a few threads about people that like Williams.
It's by no means the best soap out there, but for me, it's enjoyable enough that I never leave a puck sitting on the shelf at the drug store. (they usually only have 2-3 pucks at a time on the shelf)

I'd never seen the stuff before, but then again, six weeks ago shave soap was not on my radar at all. I might have walked right past it and not noticed. (Then again, I don't shop at the place I picked this up very often, especially not for shave stuff...it's a grocery store).

I openly admit that I SUCK at making lather. I can't seem to build a lather that has any staying power AND lube. Maybe I don't really know what I'm going for in the way of feel, but I'm going to keep playing around until I figure it out. Might have better luck with Willy's soap, than the VDH I've been trying. We'll see what tonight's experience brings.

I'm not taking the bait this time, guys :rolleyes:

So, I just shaved with William's Mug Soap. I re-iterate, I'm a doofus when it comes to making Lather. But here's my experience tonight:

First off, the smell. It DOES smell like citronella. You might hate it. To me it smells like summer. Big bonus this time of year. +1 BTW I love the light almond scent of the VDH too.

For the sake of comparing my process with VDH and WMS I heated up a small mug with hot water, set it in a hot water bath and put the WMS in it, with a little hot water on top. This is exactly what I do with my VDH. I heat a second mug and set it in the hot water bath with my brush in it while I scrub my face and hot towel it. Dumped the water from the brush mug and shook out the VDH brush like I always do. Ran 10 circles over the WMS. Put the brush in the lather mug and lathered up. AMAZING! A nice foamy lather like seen and described in the lather vids/threads. Small bubbles, soft peaks. +1

Brushed the lather on my cheek. Poof! It's gone. -1

Hmm, rubbed in what residue was there, pumped the brush in the lather mug again and more great lather. Lather up...it stays. +0 (I can't get the VDH to lather like this, but I've never had it disappear)

Shave, feels good. Used a Gillette Fat Boy DE I picked up today b/c I don't have my straights back from honing. First DE shave, so not a lot I can say by way of comparison, but it seemed to provide a good lube for my shave.

I DID have to keep pumping the brush, but lather kept coming up. I didn't have to continually go back to the WMS like I've had to the VDH soap. +1

Did a 3 pass shave and right now feel good. We'll see how it feels after a few hours, but I won't blame WMS (and wouldn't blame the VDH) for that, as being my first DE shave I'll blame me first.

Right now though the WMS is up several points from the VDH. But I'll try the VDH again tomorrow and see if it was just me figuring out lather.

Thanks for the input guys.

Congrats Jim! I'm glad you got an enjoyable shave.

If I have time later I will make a video showing how I get decent lather from Williams.

Definately a love hate thing. It took me awhile to get it, but once I did it was poof and I knew how to do it. I prefer VDH over williams though. There are plenty of videos for making lather from soap.

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Originally Posted by Psicko

There are plenty of videos for making lather from soap.

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Believe me...I've watched many. I'll watch more though until I get consistently satisfying results. Tonight was the first happy experience, but I make no wagers on tomorrow's events.

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Originally Posted by HNSB

Congrats Jim! I'm glad you got an enjoyable shave.

If I have time later I will make a video showing how I get decent lather from Williams.

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Thanks.

I'd be happy to watch your vid.

Yep! the secret to shavin with it is to have a bit of warm water to dip the brush into. it does dry out, but not with luke water. Good lubricity, for sure!

Here is a video I made of lathering Williams. I have used it for quite a long time and I like it, but have been thinking of picking up something else to try.

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5zNL5lETgo

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

I'm not taking the bait this time, guys :rolleyes:

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Oh but you did.
We just need a sharper hook.

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Originally Posted by BigJim

....snip...
I openly admit that I SUCK at making lather.
...snip...

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Well you can practice making a lather anytime.
Shaving is mostly a once a day only thing.

One of the best things I did years ago was
spend an hour with Williams and a $7 boar brush.
Too much water, too little. Hot water, cold water
all at once add water bit by bit. Too much
soap, too little.... lather in a mug or on the palm
of a hand....

By the time you work through half a puck of
Williams you will have learned a lot.

The one hint that some miss is time.
Take a full 3 min building a lather. A common
egg timer helps.

So play and practice.

Tom's advice above is rock solid,,, if you take the time to learn to lather Williams basically everything else comes easy...


+1

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Tom's advice above is rock solid,,, if you take the time to learn to lather Williams basically everything else comes easy...


+1

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Okay, I tried to multi-quote but for some reason it isn't working for me. Thanks for the lather vid. I don't think I've gotten quite that nice of lather, but I think I'm getting close.

The thing about lathering is, while it can be done any time, the only time I have been able to find time to do it is right before a shave.

That said, I think I had a breakthrough.

I went through the process with the VDH tonight instead of the WMS as I mentioned (I think) that I would do yesterday. Very good lather today (compared to past VDH attempts), I lost it at one point but was able to get it back (dried out, then got too much water).

I'd tried circles, back and forth, and pumping. Each did what it said it would do, but each seemed to negate what was done before. Circles created a low yield foam. Pumping built up the foam but it lost any staying power. I'm struggling to describe this in a way I think makes sense, but it seemed like I'd get one leg up and try another motion to get the other leg up and lose the first.

Tonight I used a circular motion/pumping hybrid down at about 3 o'clock and up at about 9 o'clock. I could do this repetitively and it seemed to build a better foam. This is what I started doing toward the end of last night, and I had to work for the lather much less.

My shave tonight was not as enjoyable as last night and I think it might have to do with the quality of the blade I was using (same blade and edge as yesterday).

Thanks for the help and input guys.

Big Jim, just a thought... I read in your post that you swirled 10 times on the soap then went to the mug to make the lather. Maybe it's just my opinion but 10 swirls is not going to get enough soap loaded in the brush to make any lasting lather. Try taking your brush out from soaking in water, gently shake just the excess water out but not too much, then go to work on the soap puck for as long as it takes to really get some soap loaded in the bristles, you may even have a semi- lather going on top of the soap. THEN, take it to the mug to build your lather and add small amounts of water as needed. I hope this helps some. Happy shaves!

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Originally Posted by cessnabird

Big Jim, just a thought... I read in your post that you swirled 10 times on the soap then went to the mug to make the lather. Maybe it's just my opinion but 10 swirls is not going to get enough soap loaded in the brush to make any lasting lather. Try taking your brush out from soaking in water, gently shake just the excess water out but not too much, then go to work on the soap puck for as long as it takes to really get some soap loaded in the bristles, you may even have a semi- lather going on top of the soap. THEN, take it to the mug to build your lather and add small amounts of water as needed. I hope this helps some. Happy shaves!

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I have found that I have to go back to the puck, but not so much these last couple of days. The WMS did seem to be getting some lather as I loaded it up. 10 swirls was an upgrade from 8, which was an upgrade from "a count of four" I picked up from another lathering vid. Trying not to be wasteful and measure my brush loading off the vids, maybe I'm erring on the side of conservation. For the cost of the soap I'd just as soon err on the side of waste (a little) if it meant I was able to do what the soap is meant to do. I just assummed it was my lather building technique that was poor, and I think at least in part, that was the case.

I'll play around with this some more tonight.

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Originally Posted by BigJim

....snip...
For the cost of the soap I'd just as soon
.....snip....
I'll play around with this some more tonight.

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Different brushes work differently...

Another trick is to lather in the palm of
the other hand. Some days I find that the fingers
give the brush better action and build a lather
quicker and better than smooth mug or face lathering.

Also some hard soaps like to be given a splash
and then let the soap soften. i.e. they give up
their soap sparingly. If I use a hard soap
three days in a row the third days lather
seems easier. I think it is because the puck
is wet when I put it up and over night it softens....

To that end I dampen my Mitchell's Wool fat
today if I want to use it tomorrow. It is not
necessary but it works for me when I remember.
i.e. There must be a reason that soap bowels have covers.

So, as promised, I went back to Williams Mug Soap tonight. I doubled up my swirling over the puck and got a much thicker lather, but it did seem to dissappear at first. I tried adding some water, later spilling from my cup into the sink, but it seemed to stick around longer. I think I'm getting there. I also think I'll hit the Williams the rest of the week to see how it responds after repeated use. Thanks Tom.

That's great to hear!! Keep it up!

FWIW: I've been using the WMS consistently over the past few days, and tonight it definitely lathered up easier. I haven't gone back to the VDH yet, but will try using it consistently and see how it does lathering. Everyone claims VDH is easier to lather than WMS, but I'm enjoying the WMS so far (makes me wish it was warmer out though!).

Peace,

If you like Williams, you are in for a treat when you dive into premium soaps! Williams is a decent everyday soap but it really is not the greatest out there. I am using a puck of Haslinger Sandlewood right now that I am really loving, the wife enjoys the sandlewood scent on me after a shave too which is a plus! Keep practicing and enjoy many different soaps and creams, that is part of the enjoyment of wetshaving!

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Originally Posted by cessnabird

If you like Williams, you are in for a treat when you dive into premium soaps! Keep practicing and enjoy many different soaps and creams, that is part of the enjoyment of wetshaving!

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This is true, no doubt! A good time for guys to recommend soaps and especially where to get samples? It could get expensive to order, buy and try them all, but would be nice to try them out as samples to determine candidates for use.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cessnabird

If you like Williams, you are in for a treat when you dive into premium soaps! Williams is a decent everyday soap but it really is not the greatest out there. I am using a puck of Haslinger Sandlewood right now that I am really loving, the wife enjoys the sandlewood scent on me after a shave too which is a plus! Keep practicing and enjoy many different soaps and creams, that is part of the enjoyment of wetshaving!

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Yeah, the diving in to premium soaps might be a ways off, but it gives my wife/mom/mom-in-law something to consider for Christmas/Father's Day/Birthday. Though I'll have to resource them with vendors or I'll end up with a TON of VDH and WMS! They're always complaining that I'm too hard to shop for...I think it's just that car parts are so expensive. This should be more up their ally.

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

This is true, no doubt! A good time for guys to recommend soaps and especially where to get samples? It could get expensive to order, buy and try them all, but would be nice to try them out as samples to determine candidates for use.

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Samples can be hard to find but if you sample the refills
you can often save half over the fancy wood or ceramic bowel.

If you like the soap then get the fancy container.

I was in CVS in Fredericksburg, VA this evening and found WMS and VDH boar brush sitting next to each other on the shelf in the same cubby. The plastic handled VDH boar brush was priced at about $9, the WMS was priced at a $1 and some change. Since I'm new I thought I'd wait to see what I could find for both of these products.

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Originally Posted by FurryFacedFella

I was in CVS in Fredericksburg, VA this evening and found WMS and VDH boar brush sitting next to each other on the shelf in the same cubby. The plastic handled VDH boar brush was priced at about $9, the WMS was priced at a $1 and some change. Since I'm new I thought I'd wait to see what I could find for both of these products.

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You can pick up a VDH kit with bowl, soap, and brush in most pharmacy sections for around $12, and it's a good kit to start out with. The brush will lose a few hairs for the first several shaves, but it's what a lot of guys use (myself included), especially to start out. The bowl is great for holding your soap and building lather. The soap is pretty mild too.

You can also dig around antique stores, flea markets, and swap meets to find razors, cups, brushes, and other odds and ends, though Buyer Beware; some of these vendors think that because it's old, it's gold!

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Originally Posted by FurryFacedFella

I was in CVS in Fredericksburg, VA this evening and found WMS and VDH boar brush sitting next to each other on the shelf in the same cubby. The plastic handled VDH boar brush was priced at about $9, the WMS was priced at a $1 and some change. Since I'm new I thought I'd wait to see what I could find for both of these products.

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I had (and still have but don't use) a VDH brush. I had a hard time getting decent lather out of it even with a couple weeks worth of use and breaking it in. Even creams that I know give a good lather had a hard time with it. If you're in F-Burg and happen to find yourself headed towards Charlottesville you can pick up an Omega brush from Old Dominion in Madison (right off rte 29) for about $12. Stinks like wet dog for the first three shaves but after that it lathers beautifully.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like a noce ride on the shovelhead when the weather turns fairer!

A member in the forum sent me a care package while I was in Iraq and it had plenty of williams in it. I fell in love with it. I had no issue with build a later the first time alot of guys who walked by and smelled it were like what is that and i ended up sharing it since i had about 10 disk of it. its great for shavign your head.

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Originally Posted by SMCsaenz07

A member in the forum sent me a care package while I was in Iraq and it had plenty of williams in it. I fell in love with it. I had no issue with build a later the first time alot of guys who walked by and smelled it were like what is that and i ended up sharing it since i had about 10 disk of it. its great for shavign your head.

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Thanks for your service. And I'm still using the WMS and really enjoying it. I keep telling myself I need to give the VDH a fair shake, but I keep grabbing the WMS anyway. I just like it.

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Originally Posted by HNSB

Congrats Jim! I'm glad you got an enjoyable shave.

If I have time later I will make a video showing how I get decent lather from Williams.

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+1, please make a video.
i can make pretty good lathers from vdh soap and proraso cream. but with william's i can't get it to last more than 5 minutes on my face. in the bowl it look thick and moist and has good peaks. but it never lasts for the whole pass.

Well, it's been about a month since my last post and I switched to VDH and also got a horsehair brush #7 from bestshave.net.

The horse hair brush lathers like a dream. I was going to take it back to WMS to see how it did there, but I just got in some Colonel Conk Lime, and some basic CC soap in a travel kit that are soaking for me to try them in the morning.

That said, I struggled with the same problems you've listed HC. The biggest help for me was doubling my brush loading time. It seems to take a lot more WMS to get a good lather...or maybe just more work to get the WMS from the puck. Soaking it for 24hrs helped a lot too.

I've got a webcam...I'll see if I can make a vid...been thinking about it anyway.

Peace,