Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Williams Mug Shaving Soap, 3 Count

Top positive review

Great value and an even "basics is better" product!

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2021

When I first began shaving, I used a mug and brush. For my 5+ decades of shaving I've owned various brushes and tried different shave soaps all the way from those "fru-fru fancy", to scented soaps to just plain blah. However, I have only had one ceramic & embossed, "Franklin Duck Designs" mug in all that time.
Due to several of our household moves (from a few miles to cross country), my shaving "accoutrements" remained safely packed up and stored away.
Then late in 2020, my old shaving gear was "discovered" by our youngest and the most curious grandson who became enthralled that grandpa had once used a brush and soap to lather his face to shave which resulted in me being put on point for a demo once I had gathered all of the necessary "components" needed to shave.
I cleaned up my old mug, but my old brush was of sub standard quality and was toast. So I ordered a brand new brush with a wooden handle, of good quality w/100% soft, natural Badger Hair and came with a stand & razor place holder Jn.
I then browsed Amazon for the shaving soap I needed and for no apparent reason, I decided to give Williams Shave Soap a try. I didn't go with the lowest price, fancy design, fragrance, aromatic quality or particular or ingredient. After all, I'm just looking to get a good, clean shave, right? I like most of us, am just looking for the product that's going to provide 8 Oia good, smooth shave.
The end result is I ordered this 3 pack of Williams Shave Soap just to give it a try and to be perfectly honest, I've been pleasantly surprised with my purchase! This Williams Shave Soap lathers great, the foam stays nice & thick (depending on water used) and it stays on my face softening my whiskers.
I don't recall the ingredients, but I'm quite certain there is some type of face balm or oil as my shave is smooth and slick with no hanging or catching. I also haven't had one nick since I began using Williams this past January, 2021.
There's also a nice subdued scent to the lather and for several hours after I shave, my face, jaws and upper neck and throat remain soft and smooth, or as some would say, supple, and you can't get that with creams or gels.
IMHO, Williams Shave Soap is an inexpensive, smooth and soothing slightly scented soap that will give you a really good shave without burning, catching, nicking and abrassion. I just shaved 3.5 - 4 hrs ago, I didn't use an after shave lotion or facial oil and every area that I shaved is still soft, smooth and "supple" after all of this time.
Yep, I know this is only my opinion, so you'll have to try it for yourself to find out if I speak truth, or if I've just made all I this this up just to enhance the manufacturers of Williams Shaving products bottom line; or maybe I just lied to piss everyone off!
Nah, I was just being honest, but everyone will have their own take.

One person found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Blue Water Brands

Does what it is supposed to do - but you get what you pay for...

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2016

Ok, I was debating on whether or not to write about this product (obviously you now know what my decision was). There are plusses and minuses to this soap. First, what I like:

- It works. The soap does what it is supposed to, it lathers up and provides a good lubrication for your blade.
- The cost. It is very inexpensive! In fact, the reason I purchased this was the price. However, just like most things in life, you get what you pay for.

Now for what I don't like:

- The lather. It is definitely more difficult to lather this product up than the more expensive soaps. Even when you have your lather, it is different. The lather itself is thinner and not as rich. I know, I know, there is probably some guy on here that will say I don't know what I'm talking about. I've been lathering up a shave for years and I am pretty accustomed to the process. The lather is different and that is just a fact.
- The scent. The scent SCREAMS Pledge Furniture Spray. When I first started using it, I knew the scent but couldn't place it. I took the lather to my wife and she immediately pegged it. The scent isn't unpleasant, just not my taste for shaving.

There, you have it. It is a decent product that does what it is supposed to do at a great price. Please do not expect to have the same experience you would have with the more expensive soaps - you won't. It doesn't mean this is a bad product, just not the same.

23 people found this helpful

4,783 total ratings, 1,166 with reviews

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From the United States

Atillathhon (DAD)

Great value and an even "basics is better" product!

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2021

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Carl C. Ferre-lang

A very inexpensive, but very nice tallow soap.

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2020

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

This soap is very simply made. It has no fancy smell other than clean. It has no special qualities other than its longevity and ability to make truly great lather almost instantly with just about any brush. Sometimes, making a product in a traditional way yields terrific value and this is a soap which I have to admit probably cannot be improved upon. I always have a few pucks of this style of soap lying around.. Col conk really never caught my fancy, though I quite one or two of them for their pleasing scents. The standard Van der Hagen soaps were my go to (not the ones that smell like mango but the plain ones- not sure if they in fact still make them) back when my local drugstore stocked them. Williams has now taken their place in my cabinet. Now let me explain why that, for me at least, is interesting.
Williams was actually the first shaving product I ever used as a teenager.. I bought a Rite-Aid boar brush and my grandfather gave me his gillette adjustable from the 60s (which I later plated in rhodium and still use regularly). I had a few good shaves, despite the fact that I never got good lather at age 15 or 16. As I went on and shaved more regularly, I started shredding my face up. I got blood everywhere. Surely I did something wrong. My first impulse was to blame the soap and I moved on to other products. All these years later, I pick up this soap again thinking: "how bad could it be?" The simple answer is that I guess in 25 years I learned to lather much better.. Looking at it now, I've never seen easier lather in a soap. The subtext behind my experience has to do with the fact that I used personna plats exclusively when I started... Now.. I like that blade still. In fact, i still use it in my adjustable almost exclusively. But back then nobody told me you have to CHANGE THE BLADES. (to this day, I am still a cheapskate which occasionally causes my neck some distress) and well.. the edge retention on israeli reds is not great though they are fine cutters for a few shaves. Five shaves in and i was ripping the hairs out of my neck. But back to Willams
The only thing I think might be improved for this soap is the scent. There is not a strong one to speak of, but I've heard this soap (and others: Arko, Palmalive etal) compared to Ivory. Maybe a hint of lemon. This turns some folks off. It smells fairly strong out of the package but there really is no scent to speak of lathering it up. I imagine this soap would be great for people who react poorly to strong scents or dyes though I have to say it makes this soap seem a bit institutional. But the merengue like lather more than makes up for it.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Alexander C. Zorach

Best Shaving Soap Ever, I'm Still Angry It Was Discontinued

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2023

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

This is the best shaving soap I've ever used. I have used it for over 25 years. I have no idea why it was discontinued. Several years back I stopped being able to find it in stores, stores like CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens all replaced it around the same time, with another brand that cost around 3 times as much and in my opinion was inferior both in smell and texture.

I kept ordering it online, getting it delivered to stores or my house. But then one day I went to restock and it was just out of stock everywhere. I couldn't even find an official notice from the company that owned it, Combe's, explaining that they discontinued it, or why. It was even still listed on their website. I called them and they told me it was discontinued. A stupid decision if you ask me, it was like the company bought the brand, then just shut it down, like they stopped marketing it even though I wanted to keep buying it.

Shame on people who do stuff like this, destroying good products. There is really no replacement. The best I've found is Scalpmaster, which you can get on Amazon, but even it is slightly more expensive and I'm not convinced it's any better. Colgate was a good alternative but it was discontinued years before Williams Mug was...so yeah, I'm still salty about this one.

5 star product though, I really hope someone launches a product that is just the same and at the same price point, it would be wonderful and I'd jump on it.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

David LeBlanc

For the price, it can't be beat.

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2021

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

I used this years ago and hated it. I thought it was terrible. I could never get what I considered a good lather with it, but this was the only soap readily available at a supermarket or drug store.

Actually this soap was one reason I grew a beard. I did like the scent, however.

Over the years when I shaved the beard off, I learned that there are other places to buy soap from other companies, some quite expensive. I learned how to lather fairly well with these soaps. Saw this on Amazon and on a whim bought some, just to see how bad it still was.

Wow, this stuff is excellent. Loads well on my brush, develops a slick, creamy, cushiony lather in my shave bowl and gets me through three passes and some touch up with plenty of lather to spare. The key, I learned is that it needs a little extra water. It's thirsty and if I give it the water it craves, I get superb lather.

The lemon verbena scent is simple and clean. Fades quickly after rinsing and I can use just about any aftershave with it.

Really, I can't find a thing to complain about with this soap now.

Is it the best soap out there? No, there are artisan shave soaps that are better, but not by much. It checks all of my must haves for a shave soap I want to use. Certainly for the price, I can't beat it.

Going to keep buying. Long live Williams Mug Shaving Soap.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Good stuff!

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2024

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

Love it.

Helpful

RayT

Truly Old School

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2019

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

After reading about Williams Mug Shave Soap over the years and then recently seeing it in a display in a historic site in Fredericksburg, TX, I decided to place an order. It has a "cleaning closet" scent that my wife immediately said "No" to, but I've grown used to it. As another reviewer stated, its scent is similar to citronella. However, a light splash of Clubman or any other after shave covers it well. I recommend a pre-shave as straight-up it's dry on the face. I'm still working on the proper level of water and shave soap, but I'm still getting a decent amount of lasting lather. It appears to be less dense than typical shave soaps, so it'll be interesting to see how long a 1.75oz puck lasts. At less than $6 for a 3 pack and free shipping, it's worth a shot. All in all, I really like Williams.
--Update 3/11/10---
I started the first cake around 10/8/19 and it's now about 2/3rds used, and I shave every day. As with all shave soaps/cremes, it's a learning process to work out the various parameters to end up with a good shave. What I've found to work for me- a pre-shave is necessary and I use a tin of shave soap that lathered well, but would immediately breakdown when applied to face and it was horrible. I was about to throw it out and on a whim decided to give it a try as a pre-shave. I dribble some water in the tin, then rub my fingers in the tin to gather some soap, then rub on face. I then gather soap on the brush by whipping on the soap cake for about 20 seconds, then whip up in old coffee mug. The cup is set aside, I rinse face, then apply a second coat of pre-shave soap, and then brush on lather. I find this process has decent slickness and a close shave results. I'm not a multiple-pass shaver, only 2 passes on upper lip and chin area, and the second pass, without any pre-shave, is drier and razor drags a bit more.

Helpful

erw_kearney_mo

Outstanding!!

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2020

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

Let me start by saying that I have not been compensated for this review. It's strictly my own opinion.

After many (40+) years of using an electric shaver, I decided to give a blade another go. After all, I'm retired and have nothing but time on my hands ... right? So, I went to my local pharmacy store and bought a supply of Gill+++++ shaving blades and shave foam/cream. It was OK, but the shaving foam made scum in my sink and made it slow to drain. So, trying out alternatives, got a shave set from Harry's. Loved everything but the shaving cream ... it was slippery and smooth, but I didn't need the build up on the razor when shaving.

I remembered my youth with a shaving soap puck, badger brush, and foamy shaves. I ordered this set of 3 shaving soap pucks. Wow!!! I'll never go back to the other two. This soap foams even in moderately hard water. The soap goes on easily, doesn't clog up the razor, and doesn't create a significant amount of scum in the sink. I don't yet have a mug or brush, but they are coming soon. I'm simply creating a foam with the soap and my hands. Working very well with minimal mess.

Others have commented on the smell of the soap. I don't smell the lemony odor, it's just 'clean.'

I ordered the 3 soap set. It should last for 4 - 6 months, possibly longer. Let's see ... Gill++++ or Harry's would last a month or two for 3 or 4 times the price of this shave soap. Savings are definitely in my favor. I'm a fan of Williams shaving soap!

Helpful

William

Makes A Good Lather (with a little more work)

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2021

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

Especially for those who complain Wiiliams Mug produces thin, quickly dissolving suds, there are two things to know:

I. Since Williams is a very hard and dense soap, a good method to easily load enough product on the brush (needed for a thick lather) is to pre-soften it (by first soaking the puck at least several hours or overnight) and to store it wet, just covered with water in a mug. I attached a bottle cap to the bottom of the mug with crazy glue gel (edges facing up) to keep the puck from spinning while loading the brush.

II. Even when pre-softened, Williams soap still takes a little more time to lather than creams (like Proraso in a tube), or croaps (like Cella). So, it's important not to mistake the initial suds that form for useable lather: You need to break down these large bubbles and continue mixing about a minute until peaks begin to form. A separate lathering bowl (especially ones that have bumps or ridges inside) makes this job easier, but other reviewers prefer to lather straight from the mug (although it's harder to control the amount of product used, as more soap is loaded while mixing), or directly on the face.

Williams provides adequate lubrication and is a terrific value. The strong citronella odor of the puck dissipates when lathered and, while other products I've used smell better, I still consider it to be a pleasant, vaguely lemon scent, like Ivory soap.

Helpful

Demaray

A shaving soap with a mild scent and good lather

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2019

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

In my quest to find a great shaving soap, I saw Mug shaving soap pop up on my suggested list, and in a marketplace where shaving soaps can cost upwards of $20 a puck, getting 3 for less than $7 seemed like an interesting deal. Honestly I wasn't expecting much from a brand that has been around since well before I was born, but I thought they must be around today for some reason, and why not try something nostalgic?

This is my impression: The box had a minimalist look to it; just white with simple graphics and a few lines of blue text. The soap felt brittle with little chips missing from the edges, and the scent was clean, but not especially strong. I read other reviews mention a "lemony" scent, but I didn't notice it here. The feel and smell of the soap was pretty much on par with a bar of Ivory pure soap.
Keeping true to fashion, I dropped the puck into an old coffee mug and began to lather it up. The first lather was hard going, but after the soap softened up a bit, future lathering became easier and thicker. The soap provided a good lubricating lather that effectively prevented razor burn, but it didn't seem to soften my facial hair any better than regular bar soap. To make a comparison, I grated some Ivory soap into a mug and lathered it up and used it for my next shave. The performance was almost on par with Williams Mug Shaving Soap, however the Williams did produce a thicker and slightly slicker lather.

After some experimenting, I found adding a little Cremo shave cream while making a lather really buffs the performance William's Shave soap, and it's mild smell doesn't interfere with added scents from aftershaves or cologne.

Overall there are better shaving soaps out there, but if you like to keep things simple, and you find the artisanal or "premium" shave soaps too expensive, then you really can't beat William's for price and performance.

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

B.E

Serviceable... but keep your expectations in check

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2021

Size: 1.75 Ounce (Pack of 3)Verified Purchase

The scent is definitely citronella infused so if you hate the smell of mosquito/bug repellent, this is not the shave soap for you. Once you lather it up, the scent becomes less obnoxious though. Personally it doesn't bother me, it's kinda charming and old timey soapy clean smelling. Unfortunately the complaints are true on the lathering part, it's really susceptible to foaming and dissipating quickly without good technique. With a bit of trial and error I was able to get a serviceable lather with slick performance, but still unimpressive and airy at that. My area has hard water, which I read can inhibit performance however I'm not exactly sure so YMMV. Not a shave bad soap, just doesn't perform well for me.

Update 24/5:
After some experimentation and research, I've finally found a way to get this shaving soap to lather correctly. In 2004 the company changed the formulation when bought out and made Potassium Stearate the primary ingredient over Sodium Tallowate (supposedly to reduce costs), however it made the soap much more difficult to lather properly. If you pre-saturate the puck ahead of time it will actually begin to produce usable lather instead of bubbles. You can also speed this process up by simply grating the puck down into flakes, pressing into a bowl, and mashing it down with a bit of water.

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