#1

iLather.com
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[font='Segoe UI Light', 'Segoe UI Web Light', 'Segoe UI Web Regular', 'Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Symbol', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif]Case# 538851 – A Reply Regarding Your Williams Mug Soap Inquiry
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Dear Mr. Bailey:

Thank you for your email to Combe Incorporated. We sincerely apologize for the delay in responding to your request.

[font=Arial][font=Times New Roman] We are sorry to inform you that at this time Williams Mug Soap is on its way to being discontinued. 

Again, we apologize for the delay and want to thank you for taking the time to contact us and appreciate your patience.[/font]
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Sincerely,
[font=Script]Tamara

Tamara
Consumer Resources Consultant[/font]

Case #538851

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Comment:
I have been hearing rumors that Williams Mug Soap has been discontinued and I wanted to know whether this is true or not?
iLather.com
#2

Super Moderator
San Diego, Cal., USA
It wasn't very good but it was an institution. It sold for next to nothing and was one of the very few shaving soaps one might find in a bricks and mortar store. Therefore, I'm ambivalent about its passing.
#3

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
first soap I ever used. I even remember which mug I was lathering it in - an old flintstones mug from mcdonalds.
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#4
(07-02-2015, 06:33 PM)Freddy Wrote: It wasn't very good but it was an institution. It sold for next to nothing and was one of the very few shaving soaps one might find in a bricks and mortar store. Therefore, I'm ambivalent  about its passing.

Same here.  Sad to see it go, even if I wasn't a big fan.  I know a lot of people love it, but it just dried my skin out far too much and took a lot more work to lather than my other Tallow soaps.  And the more I used it the more it smelled like a citronella candle.

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Garrett, The Shaving Disciple - Christian, Husband, Father, Writer, YouTuber, Head Shaver
2024 Software Restraint
#5

Member
Central Maine
If todays Williams was a good soap I'd feel something. It was good years ago but it had been destroyed in reformulation and was no longer worth the price, as inexpensive as it was. The reformulation wasn't an accident, but was done deliberately, so Williams did this to itself. The suicide just took awhile for the carcass to bleed out. Maybe they misplaced the formula from years past when it was good and have no one who can make a new and better soap formula today? That's a pretty bad company if that's the case.

I was going to write that ARKO is a substitute, but ARKO is much better than present day Williams. I see Williams as being a substitute for ARKO and a poor one at that. Arko is extremely inexpensive in bulk, or it was.

For inexpensive US made soaps there is Van derHagen and it's much better than present day Williams. Getting Williams off of the shelves will make room for other soaps and I can't think of any replacement that would be worse than Williams. Even Clearly Natural bar soap is a better shave soap than present day Williams. That's a sad fact.

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Brian. Lover of SE razors.
#6

Administrator
Philadelphia, PA
(07-02-2015, 10:07 PM)ShadowsDad Wrote: If todays Williams was a good soap I'd feel something. It was good years ago but it had been destroyed in reformulation and was no longer worth the price, as inexpensive as it was. The reformulation wasn't an accident, but was done deliberately, so Williams did this to itself. The suicide just took awhile for the carcass to bleed out.  Maybe they misplaced the formula from years past when it was good and have no one who can make a new and better soap formula today? That's a pretty bad company if that's the case.

I was going to write that ARKO is a substitute, but ARKO is much better than present day Williams. I see Williams as being a substitute for ARKO and a poor one at that. Arko is extremely inexpensive in bulk, or it was.

For inexpensive US made soaps there is Van derHagen and it's much better than present day Williams. Getting Williams off of the shelves will make room for other soaps and I can't think of any replacement that would be worse than Williams. Even Clearly Natural bar soap is a better shave soap than present day Williams. That's a sad fact.

arko can still be had on amazon for dirt cheap.
Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito.
#7
Me too sad, but not surprised. Wasn't a very good soap for me, but it was an institution. An era has come to its end.
#8

Member
Winchester VA
Way back when I started shaving - I had a cheap boar brush and an Old Spice mug - when the Shulton puck ran out.....it became impossible to find.....I switched to Williams for the next 20 yrs.that and an occasional Colgate puck......until a few yrs. ago when I discovered the web & the artisans on Youtube & Ebay.......never looked back!
I'm 55 this month and only used canned foam for a few years of my life......although Williams is no MWF,LPL,Tiki,etc. - It did provide me with some great shaves - better than the canned goo!
Sad to hear of the demise of a once great company-
#9
My dad and grandfather used Williams. I came across an old puck of Williams at my mom's place, along with a couple shave sticks. The Shave sticks are older than me, I'm sure. For me, it takes a little work but I can get a decent lather out of it. I'd buy it and continue to use it if it was available. Too bad really. Its the first soap I used when I started to wet shave.
#10
When I was first getting into wet shaving, it was actually the first puck I ever picked up. At the time they were selling it at Wal-Mart. My father had an old Wilkinson Sword synthetic shaving brush laying around so I figured why not. The soap was dirt cheap, about $2. I'll chalk it up to lack of experience or maybe it was the williams mug formulation but that was an awful shave and mind you my wilkinson synthetic absolutely sucked as it was an old brush and I think all 3 factors contributed to the bad lather. Never got it again but it was my first soap so it does still hold a place.

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