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Will the real "Old Spice" please stand up

linux_author

linux_author

hey folks: long-time shaver here; first started in 1969, when my housemaster at the Philadelphia orphanage i grew up in took a look at me one day, called me into his office, opened a drawer, and handed me a box containing a small ball-end Gillette, and said, 'Use it.' of course, i tore my face up, and boy howdy, in those days of Aqua Velva and Hai Karate, there was a sting!

i have to say that i was both surprised and disappointed to recently learn of the demise of Old Spice through Proctor and God's reformulation, so i had to find out for myself; just came back from Wally World, where i picked up a bottle of the 'Classic' aftershave (made in Canada), and...

it ain't Old Spice - dunno what it is, but that ain't it...

so i took the advice of other folks in this great thread, and swung by a Family Dollar and picked up a couple bottles of its Vijon-made 'Spice' - close, but not bad in this 'ol geezer's opinion... i then did, also as suggested here, a 50/50 mix of the two brands, and...

very, very close... not quite, but close enough for me... the wife unit likes it, and she remembers the original quite well

so there ya go, my $0.02 opinion - and kudos to the OP for the effort on the chromatograhpic analysis - very interesting!

willie
on the sunny and warm Gulf of Mexico
 
Penknight

Penknight

I suggest you pick up a bottle of Old Spice Original aftershave from India. It is exactly as I remember my father using in the 80's when I was growing up, and is one I now use regularly. It is wonderful to have that around again!
 
Penknight

Penknight

Maxime D. said:
Do they still sell the Old Spice clone at Dollar General ?
Click to expand...

When I was there a few months ago, it was in stock. I even picked up a bottle of it to compare against the new version by P&G, and preferred the one from the Family Dollar.

The best is still by far the version of Old Spice Original from India if you can get some of that. I still have four bottles of it stored away safely for when I use up my current bottle. ;-)
 
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Maxime D.

Maxime D.

Penknight said:
When I was there a few months ago, it was in stock. I even picked up a bottle of it to compare against the new version by P&G, and preferred the one from the Family Dollar.

The best is still by far the version of Old Spice Original from India if you can get some of that. I still have four bottles of it stored away safely for when I use up my current bottle. ;-)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I'm crossing the border, next monday, I'll pass by the dollar general and snag a few bottles. :D
 
Penknight

Penknight

Maxime D. said:
Thanks for the info. I'm crossing the border, next monday, I'll pass by the dollar general and snag a few bottles. :D
Click to expand...

Just remember that there is a difference between Dollar General and Family Dollar. Family Dollar is where I found the best price for the Vi-Jon Spice. Meijer, Walgreens, CVS, and other places tend to have it, but marked up in price.

Please let me know where you pick yours up from next week, and good luck to you!
 
FireDragon76

FireDragon76

I've tried all of them. I could detect a subtle difference between the new and old stuff, but for me it is not a big enough difference to matter. I believe what happened is that one of the ingredients changed supplier. Some fragrances components are like that- technically they are the same sort of smell but there are subtle differences. Most of the fragrances now days are synthetic, whether it is because of health reasons (You wouldn't want skin cancer would you?) or because the natural ingredients is too expensive (ambergris, sandalwood, agarwood, etc.)

The Vijon aftershave is good stuff, it smells almost identical to Old Spice, and you'ld be hard pressed to tell the difference.
 
jcs266

jcs266

Where is the India version currently available? I've only seen WCS mentioned here as a source for it, but a search i just did of their site doesn't show it.

Thanks!
 
luvmysuper

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
jcs266 said:
Where is the India version currently available? I've only seen WCS mentioned here as a source for it, but a search i just did of their site doesn't show it.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you are close to an Indian Grocers, they sometimes carry it. Ebay is another source.
 
jcs266

jcs266

Well just out of curiosity today I picked up a bottle of Old Spice Original aftershave...

I don't like the smell of it at all! This is NOT what I remember OS to be! I'm 51 yrs old, so I remember it from years ago.
I do have a bottle that I've had for about 20 yrs or close to it. That smells right, but not this stuff. I'll be returning this as I don't care for it at all.

I'm going to try CVS' generic "Old Spicey" and see how that is, since some here say it's more accurate to the original than this current blend. Can anyone else confirm if they've tried the one from CVS?

I'll also be looking for a bottle made in India to try that.
 
Musikmann

Musikmann

jcs266 said:
I'm going to try CVS' generic "Old Spicey" and see how that is, since some here say it's more accurate to the original than this current blend. Can anyone else confirm if they've tried the one from CVS?
Click to expand...

I have not tried the CVS version but I can almost guarantee you'll pay more for their OS ($5.99 the last time I looked) than you will for the Family Dollar one ($2.00 7 days a week). The bottles are identical except for the labels and both are made by Vi-Jon, not a bad thing at all, and they just happen to be in India.

But in their defense I like their version of Mennen Skin Bracer better than the real deal (more menthol kick).
 
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jcs266

jcs266

Musikmann said:
I have not tried the CVS version but I can almost guarantee you'll pay more for their OS ($5.99 the last time I looked) than you will for the Family Dollar one ($2.00 7 days a week). The bottles are identical except for the labels and both are made by Vi-Jon, not a bad thing at all, and they just happen to be in India.

But in their defense I like their version of Mennen Skin Bracer better than the real deal (more menthol kick).
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll find a Family Dollar Store in my area and check it out. I'd sure love to find something more similar to the original OS that's for sure.
 
jcs266

jcs266

proxy.php


OK I found it at the Family Dollar store for $2. Let's see how it stacks up to the modern Old Spice of today. As I said in another post I had bought a bottle of Old Spice original at Walmart and didnt like it at all. Tips here on B&B said to try this. So here I'll let you know how it compares.

I'll use it in the morning after my shave. Today I used Aqua Velva so dont want to mix the two. Sniffing the bottle it's definitely very close to the Old Spice I remember in the 60's-80's.
 
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jcs266

jcs266

proxy.php


OK, I did end up splashing some on yesterday afternoon - I couldn't wait! It's much, MUCH closer to the old "original" Old Spice of yesteryear than this new modern attempt at Old Spice I just bought the other day.

Last night before bed I transferred it into an empty 1980's Old Spice bottle I have. It was easily done - the plastic Family Dollar bottle has a needle hole for a spout, so I just turned it verticle over my old bottle and dispensed it right in... Didn't spill a drop.

This morning I had a fantastic shave with the Kronos H1 and splashed this "Old Spice" on. It's great! Wow am I pleased to have found this, so thanks to all above for the info! I'm a happy camper to say the least! I've been carefully using the Old Spice I do have (an early 90's bottle I've had for 20 yrs or more). Now I can splash it on with reckless abandon :thumbup:
 
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