Aqua Velva! In a Glass? Where?!

[Hippie Kai Yay]

Finally decided to give up (a bit) of my snobbery and purchased a bottle of Aqua Velva. I'm pleasantly surprised that is was good, factoring price in to the equation. Plus, SWMBO likes the smell on me and I like the fact that it's cheap and the plastic bottle makes it easy for the days when I spend the night somewhere when traveling. But, factoring in my snobbery is the fact that it's plastic, and there used to be glass bottles. Love to have a vintage bottle of blue American goodness sitting in my small shave den, so I ask for the advice of fellow AV users: are there still any places that have glass AV bottles for sale? Ebay usually has full bottles (I'd prefer empty, but whatever), and prices them at extraordinary levels . I figure my next plan of action is to start calling places of possible glass AV bottles and starting that awkward question of "Do you guys carry any expired Aqua Velva in a bottle?" A little guidance might save me some dignity (maybe...)!

[HoosierTrooper]

Might start checking the very back of the shelves, especially in smaller stores. Some glass bottles were found that way early on when they started switching over to plastic.

[TonyH]

I didn't have any luck finding glass anywhere, so I went hunting on eBay and found a really cool old AV decanter for $5. A quick bit of cleanup, and it was good as new!

[The Nid Hog]

Vintage bottles are a great idea. I got one from another member a couple of years ago and decant the new AV into it whenever I run out. I bought a couple of old Pinaud bottles from eBay for the same purpose.

[sp514]

I know it's not quite 'vintage' but I did find that AV comes in plastic for 100ml bottles but for 200ml, it comes in glass. So maybe you can look for that.

(At least in Canada, and last time I've picked up AV was last year for my dad so I can't confirm current availability)

[michiganlover]

Hasn't it been close to two years since Aqua Velva switched to plastic?? I would have to think at this point, finding glass AV in the wild is going to be a huge rarity. Some way off the beaten path, mom and pop store is probably your only real option.

[noelekal]

When I was a young banker with an office down on the "peon" end of the loan officer line we used to have an old fellow who would come in just to sit on the couches of the waiting area of the lending department most mornings. He usually showed up just after opening time and sat for an hour or so. Looked really old but was well kept and well-dressed in a suit of current (1979) style. He would occasionally duck down, take a nip of something he kept in the inside pocket of his suit coat, a bottle of Aqua Velva. We derisively called him the "Aqua-Velva man." He was a fixture for a couple of years perhaps. Stuff ultimately killed him. Was sad really, him lonely and no where to go. We never bothered to find out anything about him or his history but only noted an occasional glimpse of the Aqua-Velva bottle and the scent that lingered after he left.

Don't know if I could do Aqua-Velva or not after that experience.

[Bellac]

I know it's not quite 'vintage' but I did find that AV comes in plastic for 100ml bottles but for 200ml, it comes in glass. So maybe you can look for that.

(At least in Canada, and last time I've picked up AV was last year for my dad so I can't confirm current availability)

I believe it is only in Canada. I bought my 200ml AV in the US and it's in a plastic bottle.

If you really need that glass bottle, what I did was just by a glass bottle and decanted all of the AV in there. Obviously it isn't the AV glass bottle, but its glass and my experience with AV is still the same.

[michiganlover]

He would occasionally duck down, take a nip of something he kept in the inside pocket of his suit coat, a bottle of Aqua Velva. We derisively called him the "Aqua-Velva man." He was a fixture for a couple of years perhaps. Stuff ultimately killed him.

Hard to believe anyone is that desperate for booze. Aqua Velva (and all aftershave for that matter) is made with denatured alcohol: a process that either makes the alcohol poisonous to drink, or turns it so bitter as to be totally unpalatable (or perhaps both); this process is needed to free the final product from being taxed as alcohol.

[Hippie Kai Yay]

Well, I did some intense searching yesterday, with traveling to a few markets, multiple drugstores, and several gas stations (can't believe I tried some fill 'er up stations). Those were fruitless efforts and tiring, along with a single Goodwill visit. Then I figured I'd try an Internet search. Easiest would be eBay, but the prices are ridiculous. Then I realized: how often do people really buy a $5 dollar bottle of cheap aftershave via the Internet? So, when't to amazon.com, typed Aqua Velva in the search bar, and sent out around 20 emails (until it restricted me!) to all sellers of AV seeing if they still had glass ones. Finally got one seller who says they have some, so I ordered one. Hopefully will have it by Thursday and I can post my opinion on it. I know it won't be an old timey glass (maybe), but hey; at least it's something!

[mftoms59]

The important part is having the Glass Bottle, if it turns out to be Vintage it's icing on the cake. I picked up three 7oz Bottles of Mennen Skin Bracer; Original, Cool Spice & Cooling Blue, and just refill them from the plastic containers. They're nothing special to look at, but they are Glass

[Hippie Kai Yay]

Agreed.

The important part is having the Glass Bottle, if it turns out to be Vintage it's icing on the cake. I picked up three 7oz Bottles of Mennen Skin Bracer; Original, Cool Spice & Cooling Blue, and just refill them from the plastic containers. They're nothing special to look at, but they are Glass

[OkieStubble]

Definitely search the antique stores and flea markets where they are selling alot of glass bottles. I picked up a vintage 3.5 oz 'Williams' Ice Blue Aqua Velva glass bottle a few months ago for $8. I think the AV that I decanted in it from the plastic bottle smells stronger and better now for some reason.

[Azarius]

Definitely search the antique stores and flea markets where they are selling alot of glass bottles. I picked up a vintage 3.5 oz 'Williams' Ice Blue Aqua Velva glass bottle a few months ago for $8. I think the AV that I decanted in it from the plastic bottle smells stronger and better now for some reason.

+1I have even found full glass bottles at my local flea market for $4.00, one regular vendor has tons of AS, although mostly Avon stuff in glass.I have picked up an old witch hazel and canoe bottle from same vendor as well.

[Hippie Kai Yay]

I need to find this vendor! You could make a killing buy his and selling them to B&Bers!

+1I have even found full glass bottles at my local flea market for $4.00, one regular vendor has tons of AS, although mostly Avon stuff in glass.I have picked up an old witch hazel and canoe bottle from same vendor as well.

[masonjarjar]

from all reports, the juice did not change with the move to plastic. I haven't seen glass in the stores now for over a year.. I believe the AV turn over is pretty quick in most stores.. I got a 7oz glass bottle I found in a Target, so I'm set for life, basically, just need to refill it every few years..

[Dave_D]

The prices on eBay for vintage AV are beyond ridiculous, best bet is probably checking out private stores off the main track or overstock places.
If I had known the cost for vintage bottles was going this route I would have saved some empty ones for PIFs instead of throwing them out.

[Hippie Kai Yay]

Agreed. I'm awaiting a glass bottle now, but I don't think it'll be quite what I'm looking for. I'm most interested in bottles with the blue cap on them. Best bet there is eBay, odd sales, or B/S/T.

The prices on eBay for vintage AV are beyond ridiculous, best bet is probably checking out private stores off the main track or overstock places.
If I had known the cost for vintage bottles was going this route I would have saved some empty ones for PIFs instead of throwing them out.

[Doc4]

I know it's not quite 'vintage' but I did find that AV comes in plastic for 100ml bottles but for 200ml, it comes in glass. So maybe you can look for that.

(At least in Canada, and last time I've picked up AV was last year for my dad so I can't confirm current availability)

I believe it is only in Canada. I bought my 200ml AV in the US and it's in a plastic bottle.

It's all plastic in Canada too. (Bonus part is that the old 200ml bottle is the same size on the outside but bigger on the inside (glass bottles needing to be thicker-walled than plastic) ... so you get about 260ml.


... of course, in Canada we get the green "sport" AV ... which is better than the regular blue, IMHO.

[Hippie Kai Yay]

Recently, every order I received has been awful. Ordered a FS synthetic brush, and its knot is crudely set. Receive a replacement, and the exact same problem is at hand. So, imagine if you will, my frustration that when my Aqua Velva arrives 2 days late, in a box that is 30 times the size of a AQ bottle and the darn bottle is PLASTIC!!! I sent numerous emails to this supplier, saying they have glass ones still, then speak via telephone to a representative, stating I want a glass one and having the woman say they'll send a glass one, paying $10 for a product than can be found almost anywhere for half the price, and they send me the wrong thing!

I'm sending it back and going to have a discussion with the supplier.