Cheap safety razor in Toronto

January 30, 2006 7:00 AM

Where can I get a safety razor in Toronto?

I located this place, but it seems way too fancy-pants. Barbers to British Royalty? Please! There must be some place to buy safety razors on the cheap, maybe a small ethnic store? I'm sure there are still gentlemen from the old country who shave using a trusty safety razor. Perhaps an Italian bodega? Help me out!

posted by sid to grab bag (15 comments total)

Are you entirely opposed to purchasing said razor over our very own internets?
posted by disillusioned at 7:03 AM on January 30, 2006

You can buy one-edged safety razor blades at hardware stores, but they're for box/carpet cutters. They're the same as the shaving kind as far as I can tell - or do you need the handle part as well?
posted by GuyZero at 7:17 AM on January 30, 2006

an antique shop?
posted by caddis at 7:27 AM on January 30, 2006

At least in the US you can normally just go to the shaving section in a drug store. They usually only have the house brand and the quality isn't the best, but it should get you through the day.
posted by bshort at 7:41 AM on January 30, 2006

bshort, that hasn't been my experience. I looked all over DC for one, and couldn't find it at any price. I got mine via Amazon. I've yet to see them anywhere, whether in a high-end boutique nor in a low-end drug store.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:06 AM on January 30, 2006

Truefitt and Hill is commonly sold at many barbershops in the United States and elsewhere. The products are pretty good, but they are a little pricy. I bought my stuff from www.classicshaving.com, they ship worldwide, pretty good experience. Most (net folks) people buy Merkur razors, based on many of the shaving blogs and forums on the 'net. See here, or some good links in this thread. I love my Merkur.
posted by arimathea at 8:28 AM on January 30, 2006

Another vote for classicshaving.com.

I get my Merkur blades at the local mall's cutlery store.
posted by keswick at 8:44 AM on January 30, 2006

Ebay ebay ebay. And once more for good measure, ebay. As an alternative to Merkurs you can get boxes of 100 blades for <2 0 dollars american shipped if you look around. they don't last quite as long but at that kind of price who cares?br>
Oh and Guy Zero, wrong kind of razor blades. Shaving ones are two edged and much much thinner.
posted by aspo at 9:05 AM on January 30, 2006

There's a barber supply shop on the corner of Bay and Dundas, surely they might have some?
posted by greatgefilte at 9:28 AM on January 30, 2006

There's always Personal Edge, in the Eaton Center, Holt Renfrew, and in the Exchange Tower on King Street.
posted by mikel at 12:24 PM on January 30, 2006

I second the barber supply at Bay and Dundas - its big!

Or, go into a barber shop where you've seen straight-edge razors in use. Ask them where they buy theirs; if they buy them from a wholesaler (that you can't buy from yourself), just ask if you can buy one from the barber/barber shop.
posted by Kololo at 12:29 PM on January 30, 2006

I had this problem recently... I really wanted a safety razor and couldn't find one anywhere.

Now, I found a place that has a bunch of them and I gave them as xmas gifts.

Try antique stores, esp. the ones filled with lots of junk, not the nicer places. I found a bunch of great stainless-steel razor 'holders' there for about $4 a piece, a few even had cases.

Also, never underestimate ebay for this sort of thing. There are TONS there, for very reasonable prices.
posted by Espoo2 at 2:19 PM on January 30, 2006

Neither place is likely to be cheap, but Sleuth & Statesman in the Exchange Tower sells shaving requisite(-tite-tite-tite-)s. The Old Country Shop on Roncesvailles sells all manner of German grooming accessories, so may stock Merkur.
posted by scruss at 7:54 PM on January 31, 2006

blades here
posted by caddis at 8:18 AM on February 1, 2006

BTW, the barbers' supply at Bay & Dundas carries a small stock of Merkurs. They're a lot cheaper than Sleuth and Statesman.

Personal Edge have Merkur blades, and they're $9; that's $5 less than a pack of Gillette blades elsewhere.
posted by scruss at 7:52 PM on February 4, 2006