I shave with an old fashioned style, albeit rather new, safety razor. While its true I appreciate it for its aesthetics and old world charm, I do actually prefer the shave I get when using it. Despite the recent popularity, chiefly among the hipster crowd, of manly nineteenth century, whiskey and beard stuff, the blades have become increasingly hard to find. I know they can be had online, but I'm the kind of guy who doesn't think to buy razor blades until the last one has worn out, and can;t always wait for delivery.
Yesterday, I found them for sale in a local Rite Aid pharmacy, for $7.99 for 10 blades (?!?!?!). CVS pharmacy had them for $7.19 for 10 (again, ?!?!?!?!). So I made the trip out to Market Basket, a local grocery store chain that caters to poor people, you know, the kind of store where the prices are unbelievably low and the produce is always fresh because they go through so much of it. I love the place. Besides catering to lower income folks, they also cater to older people, and store brand blades there were 2/$3.00, packages of 10. They appear to be the same make as the store brand blades in both the other shops I visited. I managed to get 20 blades and a new cake of shaving soap for $4.24.
The two pharmacies are more convenient, but I have never seen the concept of paying a premium for convenience to be more blatantly true.
p.s. New stuff in the Shop. Check it out.
p.p.s. Attention size 38 short: crazy awesome bright red Harris Tweed jacket for sale. Do you dare?
I can recommend the Dorco brand blades, which can be found on ebay - $10 for 100 blades goes a long way.
ReplyDeleteanother options is ask in a barbershop, if they would sell some ou refer to their distributor. A box with 100 is worth, not to count the ammount of plastic you're saving from other shavers.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the straight razor shave as well; I've had a lot of luck at a local beauty supply shop; not quite as cheap as ebay, but the blades are good quality and about one half of CVS.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot come anywhere close to the shave you get with a Gillette sensor....those babies are like a Porsche of razors...
ReplyDeleteI clicked and its sold out already. Someone dared! We demand pictures of it in the field.
ReplyDeleteIan,
ReplyDeleteIt was gone within a half hour of this post
Main Line,
If the Gillette is the Porsche ( flashy and expensive), then my blades are the Oldsmobile ( sturdy and reliable). I wonder what Paul Fussel would say about it.
I love it. SOme confused soul actually thinks a gillette trumps a DE Safety razor? Wow. Ignorance is bliss I suppose. I get mine from an family run pharmacy. Feather Platinum.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds kind of strange. During my lunch break today, I've bought two boxes (à 10 blades) Wilkinson Classic blades for 3,25 Euros each at a local drug store. They do quite a good job at my whiskers, but I've never tried Feather, etc.
ReplyDeleteI get my blades at the dreaded Walmart for about 2 bucks for a 10 pack.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks for giving my Oldsmobile a shout out.
Flashy and expensive...but offer the nest shave available. The blade inserts last forever.Oldsmobile...sturdy and reliable...but not much on performance. (With the exception of the 1969 442 Convertible in my garage!)
ReplyDeleteReally...give the Gillette sensor a try and you will be converted.
Woodman's, a grocery chain in southern Wisconsin, sells packs of 10 Wilkinson blades for $0.99.
ReplyDeleteI use a Schick Injector from 1942 and I love it. The only problem I have is blades -- must be ordered online.
ReplyDeleteI bought an old fashioned safety razor and TOTALLY FAILED to get a shave. Must be missing some skills
ReplyDeleteGiuseppe,
ReplyDeleteJust curious what kind of soap you found at the store? I love the ubiquitous (in my part of the country anyway) William's Mug Soap. So old timey…and I get such a good lather from it, after I searched online how to do it correctly. It's kind of a "fussy" soap, but if you soak it while you're in the shower, it builds a great lather!