I've been convinced to take the plunge and buy a DE razor. Are there any national chains of brick-and-mortar stores where I can actually walk in, give a kind cashier some money, and walk out with one? Or am I going to have to order one online?
The only places I know of around here are a very small hole-in-the-wall knife shop and, at the mall, a Victorinox (I think) store than has a few Merkurs (for quite a bit more money than online sellers). I doubt you'll have much luck locally. Just order a Merkur HD from Lee or Emily. Most folks seem to like them (Lee, Emily AND the Merkurs). If you have any antique shops locally, you might also find a good old Gillette. I have several for <$10. My $7 Super-Adjustable is my daily shaver...even though I have three Merkurs. I really should sell those I guess. And speaking of that, the Classified section here is a good place to pick up a reasonably priced razor. Good luck!!
I also have dozens of vintage Gillettes from the 30's up through the 70's. I do have a few older ones but they have grown a bit too near and dear to my heart and chin to sell them. :happy088
Yep, the Victorinox here in White Plains has Merkur DEs and Dovo straights along with brushes, strops, etc. They're marked up a bit, but at least you can handle them before buying. Oh yeah, Art of Shaving, found in more and more malls these days, carries DEs and straights as well. I agree that the classifieds here is a great place to start. Jordan
Yes, you'd be better off buying used or online. Art of Shaving has a very hefty mark up. But you can always go in, look around and pretend you will buy, then go online and find a good deal. That's what I did. The other AOS shaving products are supposed to be very good quality.
Many cigar shops also sell Col. Conk and Dovo items. C.O. Bigelow has truefitt and hill DE's I think. They have brushes and soaps atleast. Whole Foods by me carries the Merkur Classic. Including where you live would probably be the first step.
Brick & Mortar Try old school drug & hardware stores. They're happy to see dusty shaving implements sell.
I never understood the relationship between cigar smokers and wet shavers. Fidel Castro is a cigar smoker, but I don't think a razor has touched his face in quite a while.
I think it just has it just has to do with "the finer things in life". Cigar shops tend to sell a combination of cigars, pens, whisky, and shaving stuffs.
Out here in central Louisiana the only way to get a DE razor is via internet. You can find DE blades at Walmart, Walgreens, or CVS but they don't sell the DE razors... I suspect this is common for rural areas in other parts of the country.
Either way, you might as well order it online with supplies. Holding a razor in your hand isnt going to tell you anything about it more than the fact that you can see if you like the grip. Also, you've never shaved with a DE before presumably and that means that even if you did go and hold one, chances are you'd have a different grip when actually shaving. Just read reviews and order one online.
good news is: No matter what you buy, if it aint what youre looking for there are plenty of shavegeeks around these parts to buy it off ya. Classifieds are a great place to find some bargains and if you arent sure youre getting a deal, PM one of the vets around here and find out. Theres a lot of local knowledge to pull from (present company excluded :ashamed001) We're here to help.
You may find a drugstore that still has a Gillette "Double Edge" razor from the 1990's, the successor to The Knack. TTO, light plastic handle, about $10.