Hello. I've just registered, and this is my first post. I've been shaving with a straight razor for awhile now. I recently took my razor to be honed at the local shave shop, and my girlfriend tagged along. She's developed a case of decent razor envy. I did a little research and ordered a vintage Gillette tech ball end, since it was reported to be quite mild and good for a first time D.E. shaver. I was hoping for some advice on the choice of blades. I doubt she'd be into sending off for packets, so I'm basically looking into the best options available at the major national chain stores. Thank you for any info.
Dollar General, CVS, Walgreen's Pharmacy, Sally's Beauty Supply, some WalMarts, and Rite-Aid all carry DE blades. Dollar General brand blades are Dorco, CVS brand blades are Personna, Sally's Beauty Supply carries Perssona, Walgreen's Pharmacy carries a few different blades, depending on the store. These are rebrands which are either Dorco or Personna, depending on the rebrand. Some WalMarts carry Wilkinson-Sword blades. Generally speaking local blades will either be Dorco, Personna, or Wilkinson-Sword. Look on the back and see where the blades were manufactured: USA=Personna, Korea=Dorco, Germany or UK=Wilkinson-Sword.
Thanks kindly. From what i gather Wilkinson seems to be the most popular of the three. I'll swing by a Wal-mart and buy a pack. Thanks again for the help.
Walmart has discontinued their DE blades. Grab 'em if you see 'em. They may still be available at your store. They show out of stock online. Interestingly enough, they now have packs of Personna's online. http://www.walmart.com/search/searc..._constraint=0&search_query=double+edge+blades
I tried the same Personna blades shown on the Walmart website, and found them to be very good blades. If I recall correctly, Walmart used to carry re-labeled ASR blades as their store brand. Another good blade source is Art of Shaving. Some of their stores carry Gillette blades, at least the ones near me do. Should any Indian grocery stores be present in your area, they often carry DE blades and Godrej shaving cream.
I.M.O. if she really wants to give wet shaving a try she should order a sample blade pack and try as many blades as she can...Not all blades are made the same and you'd be suprised at what a difference using the correct blade will make...Ordering is really easy to do online and there are many places including right here at TSD to order from...
Hmmm.... Maybe ASR got the Wal-Mart contract back? I did a bit of Googling and can't find any news on that though. I just sort of assumed Walmart was dropping DE's completely.
I think that Kroger also carries blades from time to time, but I don't have one near me to check out. I have to say that only buying blades locally really limits your selection and also costs a LOT more than buying them on-line, but it's still nice to know what's out there.
Some of the Kroger stores in the Roanoke, VA area carry DE blades; they had them on sale a few weeks ago and I picked up a pack. I'll have to check when I get home to see who made them. >>>Thanks again to jabberwock for the manufacturers info.<<< The Dollar General stores here also carry DE blades, and they have the best price I've found at $1.00 for 5 blade packs.
Dollar General blades are the best priced as far as local sources. With that said, those are rebranded Dorco blades, which at a price of $1/5 works out to be $20/100 (not including tax), or more than double what Dorco blades cost on-line when purchased in bulk (I can usually get 100 Dorco ST-301s for $9 total, including shipping).
Wow, I had no idea you could order online and save so much; I obviously haven't done my homework there. Thanks again (again), jabberwock.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QY8QXM/?tag=thshde-20 Astras are $11.90 + free shipping. Amazon is the wet shaver's friend. If you don't mind wading through all the crappy wet shaving products, you can find some decent stuff at good prices on Amazon.
I've been using Wilkinson blades exclusively and have been buying from my local Walmart up until about 3 months ago. I asked the Health and Beauty Manager what was going on. She told me Walmart was no longer going to carry DE blades. Go news is there is a Bed Bath & Beyond close by and they carry them.
Dorcos seem very expensive at $20 per hundred considering Astras are around $12 per hundred at Amazon or even $30 for Feathers.