Thread: Williams re-visited.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

You get both a like and a thanks from a dual SRP/B&B member for saying that! That subject has been run into the ground over there.

The threads come and go on Williams, but Williams has been trending in positive reviews by some very opinionated people. Shave snobs may riot, but Williams is good AND cheap. Yes it's tricky to lather when you first start, but failure is in the hands of the shaver. It's a testiment to your lathering ability. For a long time the blame was placed on the product (I'm guilty as well).

I want to like Williams, but I don't. No matter what I do, the lather is just middling at best (unless I Superlather it). I just don't see the point when there are better soaps available for just as cheap like Arko and VDH. of coruse my water is rediclously hard, so that may be my issue with it.

Originally Posted by Sargon

I want to like Williams, but I don't. No matter what I do, the lather is just middling at best (unless I Superlather it). I just don't see the point when there are better soaps available for just as cheap like Arko and VDH. of coruse my water is rediclously hard, so that may be my issue with it.

Hardness is a major factor, as I've recently noticed. Even though Williams adds chelating agents to sequester hardness, they don't seem to work particularly well.

Getting to the point, I recently traveled to a far away land with soft water. My Williams exploded into lather with that soft water in a way that really surprised me. Since that day I have stopped using tap water, and started using purified water from my reverse osmosis unit. The difference is night and day.

That explains why I never had a problem with it. The water is soft where I live.

I recast a puck of Williams with a puck of VDH glycerin and get a great lather out of it quite easily

Originally Posted by seshmarls

I recast a puck of Williams with a puck of VDH glycerin and get a great lather out of it quite easily

I can see where that would make a difference. Some Williams detractors liked Williams before around 2005 and equate past performance to popular soaps like Tabac. They have noticed that in recent years that tallow is now listed as the second ingredient on the box whereas it was previously listed as the Number One ingredient. Therefore they think Combe reduced the tallow content when they acquired the soap. Adding VDH adds its properties to the mix.

I picked up a new puck of Williams two days ago. This puck is slightly different than the last one. Its anybodys guess as to how old he last one was, but I noticed the new one has a new ingredient on the list. Its a palm oil something or another (cant remember, and threw away the box like an idiot). The formula is definitely different, and much better in my opinion.

First time using it, I used the purified water as I usually do. I ended up with way too much lather. It was super thick, and I had to keep adding water to thin it out or it dried on my face.

Today I used plain old tap water. No problems with lathering. It was great. It still seems to be drying a little fast on the face compared to the previous formula, but it was nice slick lather with good cushion. Absolutely no irritation with today's shave (that is a testament in itself, I have super sensitive skin).

The box I got a few days ago says "May also contain sodium palm kernelate."

That could mean a couple of things. Maybe the shave soap is actually produced at more than one location (the box says "Combe Incorporated, Dist., White Plains, NY 10610."). It could also mean one of the machines making this stuff also makes another product with palm kernelate and there may be some left over product when the soap is made.