I am on vacation in Scotland and I cannot believe how many shaving soaps and creams I can get in High Street shops here (and, I assume, the rest of the UK) compared to back home in the USA. Some examples: a tube of Erasmic shave cream for 99p, a tallow based Erasmic shave stick for 65p, a tub of TOBS shave cream for £3.99, Boots shave cream for 85p, Kent (MWF) shave soap for £4.00, a French shave soap called l'Ome for £2.50, and more. Do I need all of this? :think002 Do I want all of this?

So far my only disappointment has been that I cannot seem to find UK made Wilkinson Sword blades. They all seem to be made in Germany and those seem to be all that are sold in shops in Scotland.

If I figure GB£1.00=US$1.63, it's still less expensive than going on line back home. I am soooooooo jealous! :mad:

Has anyone else found bargains (or what he or she thought were bargains) while traveling?

Freddy

Those are some great prices!

Grab me a few of those tallow-based Erasmic sticks if you have room in the luggage. I'll pay ya for your time.

Move to Europe Freddy!!!.I know Im gonna miss all of that stuff when I move to Utah by the end of the year,but one of my suitcases Its gonna be full of shaving goodies...and you should do the same if you could when you get back home!!!
Get Palmolive,Erasmic and Wilkinson sticks since theyre quiet small and easy to carry and storage in the luggage and hey beat the most expensive soaps.
Have fun man.

It is my understanding that Enigizer Holdings has moved Wilkinson production to Germany and as such you will not find any brittish Wilkinsons. This information provided to me by Giovanni Abarte I make no representations that it is correct or acurate, this is simply all of the information that I have on the subject.

Jason, Believe it or not, I found that Erasmic stick in a £-Shop in a small Scottish town called Cowdenbeath. I went back two days later to buy more but they only had two left and both of those were the new formulation without tallow.

Hi Teiste, Half of my American friends think I already live in Scotland. :happy102 I have purchased so much already and I still have two more weeks here, not to mention three days in Amsterdam beginning tomorrow. Will you kindly stop encouraging my AD's! :happy001

JB, I was afraid it might be something like that. :ashamed001 I shall keep looking, though. Sometimes I think the hunt is half the fun.

For what I have heard from another british member you can still find some NOS UK Wilkinson blades at some chemist.Have a look,its worthy to find them.
Im sorry,Im still encouraging your ADs..heheheheheheh

Yeah I figured the tallow ones were getting pretty scarce. Still, I bet someone somewhere is sitting on a small stash of them... remember the Coates creams that turned up a year or so ago (Lime, Sandalwood, Almond)? Keep your fingers crossed!

Freddy,

I lived in Germany for aperiod of time, and loved being able to get some of the products locally (e.g., Speick, Florena, Nivea) for really cheap compared to the U.S. Remember too that the Europeans have to shell out much more than we do for something like Aqua Velva. I say stock up, as you may not get another opportunity like this again.

Jason, As I said to JB, sometimes the hunt is half the fun. I shall keep looking as long as I'm here.

Chris, I'm still hoping to find those UK Wilkinson blades. Perhaps, as Teiste says, I may just be lucky enough to find some NOS at a small chemist shop. That's how I was able to get the tallow based Erasmic shave stick. As for stocking up, I now have enough to last for the rest of my life (and that's assuming I live to be at least 106 ). It's funny but I never looked at the price of Aqua Velva, Brut, or Old Spice AS's because I don't use them. I, therefore, had no way to compare prices. I shall have to pay more attention the next time I'm in a Boots or other place that sells AS's.

Freddy

Don't know how to tell you this.

Just sold 50 British manufactured WS blades for £10 Inc p+p.

About a quarter a blade?

They are like hens teeth.

Russell

Russell, It's the luck of the draw. I'll just keep looking. Maybe I'll get lucky the way I did with the Erasmic shave stick.

I wonder if I'll find anything interesting in Amsterdam?

I'll also be back in Glasgow a few more times before I head back to the States. I've been pretty lucky there.

Freddy

Maybe you can get a marihuana shave stick in Holland...happy102
I havent tried them but I think that theyre from Australia anyways....

Freddy get the bus to the Fort shopping centre, 10 mins.

TOBS shave creams in tube 75g, £3.99. A STEAL!!!

Cheers

Yeah and USA is a super power! More like the rich new kid on the block that doesn't have a clue how yet to survive. We're almost 250 years old and have already done away with products for the skilled. It's a good thing we have mail order. I suppose next you'll tell me that there are European stores that you can just walk in and buy a straight razor off the shelf.

But I'm not bitter.....

Hi Russell, I didn't have to take the bus to the Fort. I was able to get the TOBS tub for the £3.99 you mentioned at the TK Maxx in Sauchiehall Street. I also picked up a tube of something called Cliven shave cream from the same TK Maxx. It is made in Italy, though I have never heard of it. I was at the Fort some time ago (not this holiday) but I was driven there. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Kernel, I haven't noticed any straights for sale but I wasn't looking for them. I was mainly looking for soaps, creams, and blades. As for your general comments, I don't necessarily disagree but almost all super powers (a term I dislike), be they the USA, the UK, France, Germany, etc., are going through the very same problems you describe. Read the Glasgow Herald and the stories about the Scottish economy or Scottish education or UK political scandals are the same that I read about in the Los Angeles Times about the California economy, or California education, or USA political scandals. When my friend from Scotland visits me she is always impressed at the things she can buy in the States and at what she considers such reasonable prices. I suppose if I lived here in Scotland I would take all of my shaving purchases for granted. When I titled this thread as "I'm Jealous" it was stated with a wink. At least we do have the internet. Take care.

Hi Teiste, I'm back in Scotland after a fantastic three days in Amsterdam. I don't have to worry about ever trying a "funny tobacco" shave stick. I cannot stand the sickeningly sweet smell of the stuff. :sick007 While in Amsterdam, though, I did pick up a Williams cream, Weleda cream, a VDH shave stick, a Proraso soap, and a Wilkinson soap. Back in Glasgow I found an Italian shave cream called Cliven but I know nothing about it.

I may be wrong, but didn't you mention that you have used a Weleda product? If so, what did you think of it?

I have purchased so much but I plan to have a lot of fun when I get home. I shall use a different soap or cream every day or two just to compare them.

Have you, or anyone else reading this, ever heard of Gillette Super Silver blades? When my friend and I flew to Amsterdam we carried on our bags so I had to leave behind my Derby blades. The first thing I purchased were these blades to use. They give me a very nice shave and I find them quite forgiving. They could easily end up a favorite (after Red Pack IP's and Derbys). They shave much like a Derby and, interestingly, they have the same 1 and 2 on one side of the blade and 3 and 4 on the other side. I didn't think Gillette had anything to do with Derby blades but now I wonder. Anyway, we had to check bags flying back to Edinburgh so I got to take the blades with me. Again, any thoughts on these blades from those of you reading this would be appreciated.

Erasmic cream is 99p in Wales also. Fantastic stuff. Love the smell.

Hi Freddy!Im glad to know that you are having fun in good old Europe!Thats a good haul youve got so far.I cant belive that you founded Cliven.I havent seen here for at least,6 or 7 years.Its a good cream,I like its scent.
I use the Weleda After Shave Balm(its my favorite).Weleda shaving cream is a regular cream,dont produce a lot of lather but its protective enough to get a close shave.I like its scent too(fresh and crispy)
The Gillette Super Silver Ones are good blades but expensive.Did you get the ones that came on "paper"(not dispenser)I have used them a couple times and theyre close to the Gillette Swedes in sharpness but I dont find them as smooth as the Swedes.
I havent heard about the VDH shaving stick.Tell us how good is it.I should have told you to get me one(you know how crazy I am for shaving sticks)
Enjoy your time and have fun!!!!

Teiste,

The Gillette Super Silvers came on a paper hanger for display but are definitely in a plastic dispenser. I believe I paid €3.50 for ten blades. The only other blades I saw in Amsterdam were from the HEMA and they were about €1.50 for either five or ten blades. I cannot remember. I bought the Super Silvers because they were the first ones I saw and I needed blades. I don't regret it because I like them.

As for the Dutch VDH stick, I thought you had every shave stick known on Earth. :happy102 Had I known ahead of time, I happily would have picked up one for you. It was quite inexpensive at €1.50 considering it comes in a complete plastic holder with cover that makes it perfect for travel.

With all the stuff I'm taking back to the States, one of my bags already weighs almost 17 kg! :shocked003

I havent tried HEMA,you have to tell me how they work for you my friend.Also I wish I would have all the shaving sticks in the world.That VDH stick,what are its ingredients?I would like to know man.
17 kg?its not too bad..well see what its reaches your extra package..heheheheheh,but you can stay here in Europe with us.