The choice for dishwasher detergent is finally expanding. SOMAT has arrived. Coles, Big W and IGA will be stocking it. Woolies are too $$ to allow shelf space to an "unknown" brand!
Somat in Australia - Henkel grows the product lines
- Thread starter intuitive
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Powder Variety, Salt
I see they don’t have any powder version detergent listed. Loved that Somat product in my Bosch.
Also, no softener salt. Are machines with water softeners uncommon there?
Bob
I see they don’t have any powder version detergent listed. Loved that Somat product in my Bosch.
Also, no softener salt. Are machines with water softeners uncommon there?
Bob
You can buy the Somat Classic powder on Amazon. I wonder if Henkels will launch the line here in North America. Somat detergents do quite well and I have been buying on Amazon.
Somat
I would love to get the powder (Dishdrawer) and won't use capsules. As far as I know Aust doesn't have too many areas with hard water, salt is a rarity. It is available from Miele or Electrolux.
I would love to get the powder (Dishdrawer) and won't use capsules. As far as I know Aust doesn't have too many areas with hard water, salt is a rarity. It is available from Miele or Electrolux.
The two Bosch dishwashers I have just made into one working one both have salt dispensing systems. They are both around 10 years old. These are the first dishwashers with a salt system I have ever seen. (Not in use - no salt in the tank.)
We are on our own rainwater tanks in this area, so of course no-one uses salt in the dishwasher, whether it has a salt dispenser or not.
We are on our own rainwater tanks in this area, so of course no-one uses salt in the dishwasher, whether it has a salt dispenser or not.
rolls_rapide
Well-known member
Dishwasher salt in Australia
From Finishinfo.com.au:
"Most metropolitan areas in Australia have soft to medium water which means that adding dishwasher salt is not necessary. The most populated hard water areas are around Adelaide and parts of Brisbane. Other areas of Australia do suffer from hard water but this can be very localised, water source dependent and even seasonal."
I remember Finish UK used to have info on their products, saying that Finish Special Salt wasn't available in Australia.
From Finishinfo.com.au:
"Most metropolitan areas in Australia have soft to medium water which means that adding dishwasher salt is not necessary. The most populated hard water areas are around Adelaide and parts of Brisbane. Other areas of Australia do suffer from hard water but this can be very localised, water source dependent and even seasonal."
I remember Finish UK used to have info on their products, saying that Finish Special Salt wasn't available in Australia.
I'd love to see Henkel push into the Irish market for detergents. For whatever reason, they haven't really touched the laundry or dishwashing market here or in the UK. I don't know if perhaps Brexit might change that, as we're no longer seen as part of the same market as Britain, so we might start seeing a more Benelux mix of products, but to date it's been a duopoly.
Laundry products are all P&G or Unilever, other than store brands. Ariel and Persil dominate the market almost completely, with those companies' second tier brands: Bold and Daz (P&G) and Surf (Unilever) cleaning up most of the rest of it.
I find it a bit odd that Unilever and Henkel seem to avoid stepping on each other's toes, due to the licensing agreement where they share the Persil brand. You'd think Henkel might push in with their premium detergents under a different label.
Dishwashing is hugely dominated by Reckitt Benckiser (Finish) and P&G (Fairy). There's a little bit of Unilever stuff here in Ireland (but not in the UK) in the form of Sun (made in France) which is a pretty decent detergent range.
Historically here store brands weren't great, but since Aldi and Lidl have pushed the market towards private label products that actually work, things have changed a lot. So you're seeing quite a bit of market share go to some of those brands from various supermarkets.
I just find that the price of some of those kinds of products here isn't very competitive compared to markets where you've a lot of players like France (P&G, Henkel, Unlever and Colgate-Palmolive)
Laundry products are all P&G or Unilever, other than store brands. Ariel and Persil dominate the market almost completely, with those companies' second tier brands: Bold and Daz (P&G) and Surf (Unilever) cleaning up most of the rest of it.
I find it a bit odd that Unilever and Henkel seem to avoid stepping on each other's toes, due to the licensing agreement where they share the Persil brand. You'd think Henkel might push in with their premium detergents under a different label.
Dishwashing is hugely dominated by Reckitt Benckiser (Finish) and P&G (Fairy). There's a little bit of Unilever stuff here in Ireland (but not in the UK) in the form of Sun (made in France) which is a pretty decent detergent range.
Historically here store brands weren't great, but since Aldi and Lidl have pushed the market towards private label products that actually work, things have changed a lot. So you're seeing quite a bit of market share go to some of those brands from various supermarkets.
I just find that the price of some of those kinds of products here isn't very competitive compared to markets where you've a lot of players like France (P&G, Henkel, Unlever and Colgate-Palmolive)
rolls_rapide
Well-known member
Unilever dishwasher detergent
I came across a variant of the Unilever 'Sun' brand in a cheap shop... 'Sunlight All-in-1'.
It seems to be made for the Hungarian, Polish, Czech and Romanian sector, foreign languages printed on the box, and an English sticky label was stuck on. It caught my attention - I initially thought it was a generic store brand - because it said 'Recommended by Cif'. I looked closer and it seems to be manufactured in France.
I came across a variant of the Unilever 'Sun' brand in a cheap shop... 'Sunlight All-in-1'.
It seems to be made for the Hungarian, Polish, Czech and Romanian sector, foreign languages printed on the box, and an English sticky label was stuck on. It caught my attention - I initially thought it was a generic store brand - because it said 'Recommended by Cif'. I looked closer and it seems to be manufactured in France.
Probably a budget version of the same product line.
They’re called “Sun Expert” here and come in multiple versions - extra shine, extra power, eco and a gel.
Although, I’m sure we’re probably paying over the odds.
I’ve found it to be a good detergent though. Performs as well as Finish and better than Miele tablets.
It retails at about €10.00 - 12.00, so definitely not targeting budget ranges.
They’re called “Sun Expert” here and come in multiple versions - extra shine, extra power, eco and a gel.
Although, I’m sure we’re probably paying over the odds.
I’ve found it to be a good detergent though. Performs as well as Finish and better than Miele tablets.
It retails at about €10.00 - 12.00, so definitely not targeting budget ranges.
Henkel make some good products. Their TOL tab (I think it's Somat 12 at the moment) is usually #1 in cosumer magazine tests, with the lower versions rankig somewhere in the middle.
That being said, I have tried their newest product "4in1 Excellence Caps" and was very disappointed. Greasier loads ended up with a haze of grease all over and my glass casserole dish came out covered water spots - twice. And that's despite salt, rinse aid and a Zeolite dishwasher. Much like with many Henkel products here, the TOL version will give you great performance, while lesser versions are usually outdone by much cheaper store brands.
That being said, I have tried their newest product "4in1 Excellence Caps" and was very disappointed. Greasier loads ended up with a haze of grease all over and my glass casserole dish came out covered water spots - twice. And that's despite salt, rinse aid and a Zeolite dishwasher. Much like with many Henkel products here, the TOL version will give you great performance, while lesser versions are usually outdone by much cheaper store brands.
pierreandreply4
Well-known member
Intuitive
you have iga sobeys grocery stores in australia they must be internatinal just wondering?
you have iga sobeys grocery stores in australia they must be internatinal just wondering?
IGA Sobeys
Not that I am aware. IGA is Independent Grocers Australia....
www.iga.com.au
Not that I am aware. IGA is Independent Grocers Australia....
About IGA | IGA Supermarkets
Learn about IGA Independent Grocers of Australia and our chain of supermarkets. We proudly support the local community and source local products.
www.iga.com.au
I have been using the Sun tabs for a while now. Just like other tabs they are just not enough for a full really dirty load, but I had the same problem with Somat. When I lived in Groningen I used to go shopping in Germany once a month or so, so I was able to purchase Somat there, it was only available here in the 60's or 70's. Sun is a good alternative for Somat, I have a container with the regular powder too so I can add some to the tabs if necessary.
Sun is on sale next week, second box for free. That means 44 tabs for €8.99
Sun is on sale next week, second box for free. That means 44 tabs for €8.99
Yeah those pink ones are on sale here too. I think we basically get the same range as Benelux, especially post Brexit, as Irish supply chains have shifted away from being plugged into UK distribution.
The boxes are labelled in English, French and Dutch. Or sometimes English, French and German. So I'm assuming Unilever must be doing BE / IE / LU sometimes.
I've seen boxes with multiple Scandinavian langauges mentioned too.
I remember when Unilever did solid powder Persil laundry tablets, the Irish boxes were the same as the UK with UK and Irish contact numbers on them, but the tablets in the boxes here wer phosphate free French Skip ones, while the UK version still allowed phosphates.
At this stage, Persil and Skip are identical products.
It's remarkable that they still localise to some degree.
That Sun range is very good though. The only aspect of it I haven't liked is the gel, which is very highly scented. It's not a bad scent but I prefer unscented or very little scent in dishwasher products.
The boxes are labelled in English, French and Dutch. Or sometimes English, French and German. So I'm assuming Unilever must be doing BE / IE / LU sometimes.
I've seen boxes with multiple Scandinavian langauges mentioned too.
I remember when Unilever did solid powder Persil laundry tablets, the Irish boxes were the same as the UK with UK and Irish contact numbers on them, but the tablets in the boxes here wer phosphate free French Skip ones, while the UK version still allowed phosphates.
At this stage, Persil and Skip are identical products.
It's remarkable that they still localise to some degree.
That Sun range is very good though. The only aspect of it I haven't liked is the gel, which is very highly scented. It's not a bad scent but I prefer unscented or very little scent in dishwasher products.
"It's remarkable that they still localise to some degree"
I guess that's marketing. In the NL Dixan was sold until recently in supermarkets. It's now being phased out, but it was the number one detergent for a while overhere. I remember my mother using it in the 1965 Bosch frontloader. Skip however is totally unknown here. I have seen it in Germany though.
I guess that's marketing. In the NL Dixan was sold until recently in supermarkets. It's now being phased out, but it was the number one detergent for a while overhere. I remember my mother using it in the 1965 Bosch frontloader. Skip however is totally unknown here. I have seen it in Germany though.
rolls_rapide
Well-known member
Reply #12, photo #1
The 'Sunlight All-in-1' looks like the pink tablet, but is coloured a bluey-green instead. These tablets have soft, pliable dissolvable wrappers, packaged in polythene bags of 26 tablets; two such bags in a box of 52 tablets. Price was about £4.00.
The box depicts 'Sunlight' stamped on the tablet. In reality there is nothing stamped on the tablets.
I was back in the shop yesterday, but the Sunlight tablets have since sold out, replaced by Finish classic tablets. Obviously they were a job lot.
The 'Sunlight All-in-1' looks like the pink tablet, but is coloured a bluey-green instead. These tablets have soft, pliable dissolvable wrappers, packaged in polythene bags of 26 tablets; two such bags in a box of 52 tablets. Price was about £4.00.
The box depicts 'Sunlight' stamped on the tablet. In reality there is nothing stamped on the tablets.
I was back in the shop yesterday, but the Sunlight tablets have since sold out, replaced by Finish classic tablets. Obviously they were a job lot.
They come in a blueish green or pink tablet. There are different versions and the tablets aren’t stamped.
It’s quite possible they were a job lot / excess stock from somewhere.
Assuming it’s the same product, they perform better than Finish classic and are a higher end detergent with more functions.
It’s quite possible they were a job lot / excess stock from somewhere.
Assuming it’s the same product, they perform better than Finish classic and are a higher end detergent with more functions.
mielerod69
Well-known member
Somat Duo Power Gel
Hi,
I have recently tried the new line of Somat dishwasher detergents and I'm especially impressed by the Duo Power gel. I used it in my Miele and it cleaned my baked-on casserole dishes spotlessly clean and that was using the Gentle 45 degree program.
Hi,
I have recently tried the new line of Somat dishwasher detergents and I'm especially impressed by the Duo Power gel. I used it in my Miele and it cleaned my baked-on casserole dishes spotlessly clean and that was using the Gentle 45 degree program.
Be careful there Rod. Miele racks seem to rust easily these days and Miele only give you one free set unless they can confirm you're using Miele detergent. Finish is too detrimental apparently. The current unit, the racks were all rusty within 2 years. I have a spare set sitting in boxes waiting for these to fall apart, but at the 6 year mark, lots of bulges and rust spots aside, they're still going.
The previous dishwasher, they replaced them twice in 7 years. It'd be hilarious if the dishwasher didn't cost so much. Our 2xxx series had no rust spots at all when it was retired at the 10 year mark, the 5 and 6 thousand series arent as robust.
The previous dishwasher, they replaced them twice in 7 years. It'd be hilarious if the dishwasher didn't cost so much. Our 2xxx series had no rust spots at all when it was retired at the 10 year mark, the 5 and 6 thousand series arent as robust.
