Erasmic shaving soap, what a bargain!

**Dio** · 06-01-2012, 11:37 AM

Bought a tub of this soap on a whim today. It cost £2.19 in our local Lloyds Pharmacy, but can be had online for under 2 quid.

I thought it would be hopeless, but it's marvellous, a complete bargain. Sure, the tub is cheap plastic, but the soap is great. It smells brilliant, old barber shop type smell, clean and fresh, doesn't last long enough for me. Very easy to lather using my cheap Kent bristle brush, it was foaming all over within seconds.

I did buy a Kent soap in a wooden bowl at the same time as that's what I was actually after trying, and only picked up the Erasmic to try as it was so cheap. Not really feeling an urge to open the box of Kent now. :)

Give it a try if you haven't already, I'm stunned at what it gives you for pocket change.

**Alejandro1969** · 06-01-2012, 11:43 AM

Is it any good? I got the stick and it's hard to lather even though I love the smell from it. I'm waiting to get my hands on the cream in a tube!

**Cheapogit** · 06-01-2012, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by Dio

I did buy a Kent soap in a wooden bowl

You may know it already, but if you don't Kent's soap is Mitchell's Wool-fat (MWF) soap, just repackaged, MWF comes in a ceramic bowl and (as you know) Kent's is in a wooden bowl.

**Dio** · 06-01-2012, 12:11 PM

Yes, aware it is the same as MWF, cheers. I quite like the wooden bowl, and will get around to trying it sometime. :)

Alejandro, I found it lathered up very quickly and easily, better than my James Bronnley cream did.

**Shave A Buck** · 06-01-2012, 12:24 PM

There are many great items out there that have been replaced or forgotten about. I suggest you expierement with as many as you can.

**Oblique Human** · 06-01-2012, 02:57 PM

Ahhhh.. the wonders of cheap!

**FL shaver** · 06-01-2012, 08:11 PM

Figured this would be a post about the tub and not the stick.

**Dio** · 06-02-2012, 06:05 AM

I haven't tried the stick.

**FL shaver** · 06-02-2012, 09:17 PM

I have tried the stick and cream. The cream is excellent. Love it for its no nonsense lanolin lather. As good as the cream is, the stick without tallow is awful. Worst lathering product I have tried, bar none. I don't think mileage varies much on that one, either!

**Dio** · 06-03-2012, 07:45 AM

I'll know to avoid it, cheers.

I tried the Kent soap last night, also marvellous, creamier than creamy lather!

**Mandina** · 06-03-2012, 08:10 AM

I, too, really like the Erasmic soap--works great, no-nonsense barber shop scent, and inexpensive. I've read that the cream is even better.

I have the new-version Erasmic stick, which I find difficult to lather but which nonetheless provides a very comfortable shave. Given the lathering difficulty, though, it doesn't compete, IMO, with the budget-level Arko, Palmolive, or new Wilkinson-Sword sticks.

**Toddy** · 06-03-2012, 04:16 PM

The stick in the plastic container (non-tallow) was called Erasmic Supreme and was only around for a brief period about 18 months ago. It was discontinued after poor ratings. You can still find it in some discount shops for 99p. The original tallow stick in the card wrapper was re-introduced last year.

IMO the erasmic in the bowl is OK but doesn't lather well or make a slick shave. The tallow sticks are far better.

**Jasontheperson** · 06-03-2012, 11:25 PM

Man, I really wish we could find cool shaving supplies for cheap here in the US. I guess the marketing departments for lots of cream and soap companies like to come across as "luxury" products.

**Hogwash** · 06-04-2012, 10:01 AM

I went to a local pharmacy today, looking out for Erasmic. They didn't have any glycerin bowls but there was one shaving stick left (God knows how long it has been there, the whole shaving section is in a dusty corner of the basement and the stock is a bit ramshackle). I checked to make sure the ingredients listed tallow, and bought it for the low sum of 70 pence. I'm wondering if this is the old tallow formulation or the re-reformulation. It was wrapped in wax paper, although foil would be much better. I really like the soapy, lemony scent and if it performs well I'll see if they can get more in stock.

**mblakele** · 06-04-2012, 05:57 PM

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...-Erasmic-stick might help you sort that out. Or maybe not - it looks confusing. If the stick performs well, maybe that is enough.

**FL shaver** · 06-04-2012, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Hogwash

I went to a local pharmacy today, looking out for Erasmic. They didn't have any glycerin bowls but there was one shaving stick left (God knows how long it has been there, the whole shaving section is in a dusty corner of the basement and the stock is a bit ramshackle). I checked to make sure the ingredients listed tallow, and bought it for the low sum of 70 pence. I'm wondering if this is the old tallow formulation or the re-reformulation. It was wrapped in wax paper, although foil would be much better. I really like the soapy, lemony scent and if it performs well I'll see if they can get more in stock.

Sounds like you got something useable!

**Toddy** · 06-05-2012, 11:35 AM

Man, I really wish we could find cool shaving supplies for cheap here in the US. I guess the marketing departments for lots of cream and soap companies like to come across as "luxury" products.

In reality we only have 7 "cheap" soap products widely available in the UK - Palmolive, Erasmic and Boots shaving sticks, Wilkinson, Culmak Erasmic and Boots shaving pucks. That's pretty much it.

I haven't actually seen the version on the right (however Erasmic isn't on my rotation), just the short lived "supreme" version.

I purchased a stick from a supermarket (new stock) a month ago to send to a B&B member and it definitely had tallow listed.

**Mandina** · 06-06-2012, 08:58 PM

I've had the opposite experience of Toddy--YMMV. The new-version Erasmic stick is difficult for me to lather, despite the addition of tallow. On the positive side, I find that its lather is slick and moisturizing and that the scent is good, but for me the Erasmic stick can't compete with the Wilkinson Sword stick (or Arko; I haven't tried Palmolive or other budget sticks). By contrast, Erasmic soap performs really well for me.