Vim & Ajax? Still as good as used to be? And what TYPE of Vim variant is best?

APennySaved

Am looking to buy an old mother's favourite: Vim scouring powder. Or Ajax, the same type of scourer powder. Way better in so many ways than the liquid "Jif" - sorry, "Cif", LOL! :rotfl:

[BTW re availability - in case this helps anyone else:]
ª I expected to see Vim at Wilko, as they sold this only a year or so ago (www.wilko.com/multi-purpose-cleaners/vim-classic-scourer-extra-whitening-750g/invt/0341246). Sadly Wilko no longer sell this. I should have bought it when I could - hurumph!
ª BTW Robert Dyas online charge rather a lot for P&P - £3.95 - that makes the cost of the actual Vim product (750g bottle) - just £1.79 - rather pointless. And R.D. don't have a store anywhere near us so we can't pop in to a shop.
ª So it was more Net shopping/Googling all the way! And thus found Vim at various online sellers. Ditto Ajax. Although it's mainly the usual big online marketplaces.
ª Interestingly, Ajax is way harder to locate/buy online than Vim (at least, here in the UK).
ª I am also fairly sure I saw Vim at a real B&Q shop a few nmonths back. I'll have to check again, though; or their website. In shop though should always be cheaper as it avoids a P&P cost.

I was hoping to find out more about the actual products. But I can't find anything much online about the powders or the current manufacturers, except a long string of cited takeovers by one company aftr another since each of these products was first made yonks ago: e.g. re Vim - Henkel bought up Spotless Group who bought up... & so it goes on. :wall:

Any advice on availability/manufacturers' website info on either product? as it might help with my next questions:

1. Are they as good a product as they used to be?

2. And re Vim: what I'm wondering is: is there any difference between the TWO types of Vim that I have seen online:
(i) "Classic"
(ii) "Extra Whitening"

I can't seen any real difference stated online. All I can see is that there are 2 different names & sizes (500g or 750g) of Vim available .

Is there any real difference between the 2 'types'? Or is it just a marketing variety e.g. named/branded/sized for different countries/markets?

If there is any differerence, then what's the purpose of each product & which if any is the best?

BTW: I normally root for the original when manufacturers changetheir product etc., as IMHO the new one is NOT really "new & improved", it's just a cost-saving exercise/Euro-standardisation/advertising gimmick by the manufactiurer. Etc. Etc. Blah Blah!
(And don't start me on pointless rebranding e.g. "Cif" versus "Jif" - LOL!)

The only improvement I can see is that the old cardboard container of Vim that my mother used (& hoarded like gold dust! LOL!) - that was always at risk of going soggy after a while in the bathroom - has been replaced. Or was that her can of Ajax powder?! (Oops - can't remember!) Anyway, roll on the PLASTIC sprinkler container that Vim now make! :T

jk0

I'm a recent convert to Vim. It's the only thing that gets tea stains off my sink plughole. I ordered the 'extra whitening' from Amazon, but was sent the normal Vim, which I am perfectly happy with.

Yup, definitely better than Cif.

APennySaved

HTHOP [hey, have I invented an acronym?!]:

A good find: just bought a pack of 2 x 750ml bottles at that infamous eB marketplace: yay!

Needless to say there were loads of different multibuy options - & a confusing mix of the 500g & 750g bottles too - but (for once! running out of space!) I don't want to stockpile too many so a set of 3-plus bottles was not an option. A 2-for deal is fine: will store one in the kitchen & one in the bathroom:

TWO PACKS of Vim Original Classic Scourer 750g: cost £4.95 + FREEP&P = bargain! :T

(And way cheaper in total than Robert Dyas online for their offer of just one bottle.)

You have to watch out for the size (grammes) of the container: The other well-known marketplace ,-) has what appears to be a similar deal (listing B009Q3VQDC) but is for 2 of the smaller 500g containers. So is in fact not the same VFM.

Had already had a look online at B&Q to check if I was right re seeing it there a while back, and indeed they do sell it. What's even better is that it's currently on S.O. at: £1.25 (was £1.98; you save £0.73) [£2.50 per KG]
(www.diy.com/departments/vim-classic-scouring-powder-bottle/258684_BQ.prd).

Obviously that B&Q price would have been a cheaper option than eB. (Although rather oddly the B&Q website doesn't bother stating the number of grammes in the bottle.) HOWEVER! . . . the only problem was that all 5 of the stores located near us were cited by the website (for the past 2 days) as either being Out Of Stock of this product or that it was simply Not Stocked at all! Plus Home Delivery was cited as Out Of Stock. And Click & Collect was simply cited as Unavailable. LOL! :rotfl:

So I took the eB route!

As I said, Hope This Helps Other People!

APennySaved

jk0 wrote: »

I ordered the 'extra whitening' from Amazon, but was sent the normal Vim, which I am perfectly happy with.

Yup, definitely better than Cif.

Thanks jk0.

Maybe there is no real difference between the 2 'types', then. Probably is just the "marketing ploy" I suspected!

In the end I had to opt for the best deal I could find: any type will do the job, I hope. And like you I might not get the variant I ordered anyway!


BTW, I noticed that Vim seem to sell a cream cleaner, too. Is this as weak as the ddreaded Cif, I wonder?! :eek: Ah well, hopefully the Vim company won't go that way instead of continuing the old-style scouring powder . . . !

APennySaved

More findings of Ajax, this time in a PLASTIC shaker/dispenser bottle:

APennySaved wrote: »

The only improvement I can see is that the old cardboard container of Vim [...] has been replaced. [...] Anyway, roll on the PLASTIC sprinkler container that Vim now make!

Yay! Ajax have abandoned the cardboard can, too . . . in some listings anyway.

Most containers of Ajax scourer powder are still the old-style cardboard-canister of shaker. The new plastic shaker bottle is hard to find still. Such listings are limited, & there is only 1 seller who sells just 1 bottle. (All the other listings are mulyibuys.) It's only available in a lemon scent. (But that works for us!) And it is the same seller who sells the item at both eB & at A:

Ajax scourer powder: £4.99 + FREE P&P
Amzn listing no. B076SZBLL3
eB listing no. 272901326716
:T

Interestingly, the language on said bottle is French! So that probably tells us all we need to know aboutt the the marketplace for this new shaker bottle, or for Ajax overall! Maybe it'll be introduced to the UK soon . . .

shaun_from_Africa

I'm a recent convert to this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bar-Keepers-Friend-Cleanser-Polish/dp/B000QYLEBE/ref=pd_sim_201_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XTENQSEEGMSR8F00GRNN
Personally, I've found it to be far better than Vim or Ajax

Helebore

I don’t know why you are paying so much, you can get one or the other in Home Bargains I think. There is no way it was £4.95 for it, whether one or two containers. Yes it is in a plastic container, similar shape to how it used to be when made of card.

cheerfulness4

I get mine from Home Bargains for 99p and it lasts ages.
Have bought it before from Poundstretchers I believe for 99p, too.

Wonderful stuff my mum always used and the smell is lovely in the room after use.

System

I can't tell the difference between Vim and Ajax. I usually buy one or other of them from an independent hardware store.

YorksLass

Just checked my cleaning box and I have a 500g plastic container of Ajax (lemon) scouring powder. Had it for ages (it lasts a long time) and not sure where I got it from, but imagine it would have been one of the £ shops. Not many sms seem to stock "old fashioned" items nowadays. :mad:

Tolkny

I used Vim this morning - it still works fine - I am seeking to check whether VIM has any chemicals in it that make it dangerous to use simultaneously with Domestos  Bleach - purchased recently in a 750ml plastic bottle from Unilever.

The Vim I have had for longer - that is also in a plastic container with shaking holes in the cap and came in a container sized 500gm. from a company called Henkel.
I cannot find information on the Henkel website and am a little curious - if you can advise dear reader - thank you in anticipation of a reply