Williams shaving soap. oppinions?

I dont know if there is such a thread pertaining to this product, but if there is please refer it to me. i am curious if any members here have any experience with williams shaving soap? Williams Mug Soap

Do a search, there are several threads about Williams that I've seen.

There is indeed a great deal of discussion here about Williams.

I used it long ago, before I began shaving with a straight razor. Williams seems to be somewhat difficult to create a lather with, but it does deliver a good shave. In fact, I've read here that if you can create a lather with Williams, you shouldn't have difficulty creating a lather with any other shaving soap on the market.

IMHO, there are other equally good or better shaving soaps on the market such as Van der Hagan, Mitchell's Wool Fat, Pre de Provence and Tabac.

thanks guys, i will delve the forum further. I can get a pretty good lather out of it, though i found that it quickly dries out, no matter how much water i use. So i apply it in patches when i use it

I love the scent of williams mug soap but your right it dries super fast and flakes. This was the first soap I ever used that wasent in a foam bottle. I realized this didn't happen with other soapes when I switched to prorasso which rocks and is in my opnion miles ahead of williams for comfort.

It is a great soap, until you you branch out and try others..

You can see my thread in the soaps forum. I used to hate it, tried and tried again to use it for years and never got a lather that was worth it. Was always foaming and thin, faded..etc.

Then I unlocked a method...

It's the soap most of us started with and then most moved on to greener pastures.

It's in the category of cheap and gets the job done.

Williams is a good soap, I have much love for it because it was my first soap love. Soak the top with water to soften the puck, load bristles
generously and give it a good whipping for a good lather.

i may waste an entire puck trying to learn how to lather it.. so far no luck.. i'm not a huge fan of the smell.. its not offensive, just soapy. maybe a badger brush would help, i dont know.. i do know that i prefer proraso and mitchells wool fat over williams at the moment. even if they cost twice as much, they are much less hassle and thats okay with me. proraso and mwf are both still quite affordable.
by the sound of it if i want an inexpensive shaving soap i should use the other pucks of WMS i have as hand/shower soap and buy some arko instead.. folks say if the smell is too strong just leave it unwrapped for a bit and it mellows out.
kinda hijacked the thread, but oh well.

I think that there are more Williams thread than any other wet shaving product. That said, Williams is one of the more difficult soaps to get a good lather out of, but can perform decently if you get it working. The usual method is to use a *LOT* of water ( like 2-3 times as much as you'd expect) or to superlather it ( load the brush with Williams then add an inexpensive cream ( I had good results with derby).

YMMV applies to Williams more than almost anything else. it is cheap enough to try, so no reason not to, IMO.

I have no complaints about Williams. For 1.88 it is cost effective. I only use it now adays to break in boar brushes. Rarely I will shave with it. No problems just when you have Proraso, arko, mikes naturals, C&E and mammabears laying around why use Williams?

It was my first soap, love the scent. Never liked the lather it produces so I switched to Proraso.

I mainly now just face lather with it. However I do add a little shave cream to it. Good hot water in the brush to help load the soap and it lather great. For me on face anyway.

From what I've noticed over the last little while that other than practice, another trick is just adding a few drops of glycerine to help make the lather, and give it more staying power. I haven't tried it myself as I have enough soaps to last until the Shavepocalypse, but it's what I've heard. I haven't found it drying on my skin personally, and I tend to keep whipping it up with a couple of drops of water before every pass anyway, so that may be my accidental solution to the problem.

Granted I'm a noob, but the Williams was the first soap I tried. Even when I seemed to get the lather "right" it still seemed to dry on my face really fast. I have tried VDH next and do not have that problem. Now I want to try Proraso or Mamma's Bear.

I like it and still use it on occasion. As compiled from other recommendations, I fill my cup with hot water and let the puck and brush soak in it while I prep and strop. I then dump it, leave the brush loaded with water, and work it vigorously, I also "pump" the brush, vertically moving it up and down in the lather (which seems to pull air into it to me). The lather is a little less stiff than cool whip - not quite stiff but not runny.

I personally enjoy Williams with a dollop of prorasso for its menthol

I like Modern Williams - I've had an easy time lathering it and all of my shaves with it have been wonderful.

I will only use vintage williams. The new stuff just can't compete with the others. It is a good soap and will get the job done but with lots of work. So to me, there is not much point. To each is own though

I've bashed Williams soap in the past , but I tried "Disburden's" method , and it works great . I got a nice lather , and a great shave , from it . However , I still prefer Mama Bear soap .