Hey Forumosa,
I need to buy a safety razor and blades. I can never find shaving equipment here though (I live in Taipei). Does anyone have suggestions?
There are a few threads from years ago, but the places they suggest have all closed…
Does nobody here have a beard they need to shave???
Thanks,
Well, as it turns out, no, they don’t.
Have you met any local dudes???
Internet is your friend.
Well, maybe not friend, but…
These guys ship fast and easy and relatively cheap, and they everything you could ever need
https://www.classicshaving.com/collections/safety-razors/products/classic-stubby-de-safety-razor
I don’t have a crazy full beard or anything, but yeah most locals don’t grow much facial hair. I had to explain to the officers in the army almost every day that I literally just shaved this morning and it grows back prickly by the afternoon. they keep thinking I didn’t shave because they don’t know what it’s like to have facial hair.
There’s a store here with several locations called GoodForIt Barber Club. See if there’s a location in your area. Otherwise, they have a website, too, and they’re on Facebook.
http://www.goodforit.com.tw/v2/official
They have Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truefitt & Hill, Muhle, Mitchell’s Wool Fat, Parker, etc. They carry Shapu DE blades, but you can also get Feather (from Japan) at barber-supply stores.
There’s a store here with several locations called GoodForIt Barber Club. See if there’s a location in your area.
Thanks for the tip SlowRain, GoodForIt is the place.
They gave me this card with the locations, in case anyone else is looking for this info:
You have a fetish for PC Home?
Well, de gustibus…
Can I inquire what products you bought and how you like them? I’m always on the lookout for recommendations.
I bought a Parker double-edge travel razor from them, and I buy their Shapu blades. I’m currently using Mitchell’s Wool Fat shaving soap, but this is from an order I placed from an overseas vendor a while back. I recently noticed they’re now stocking it.
I was in the same need as you, i found a store in gongguan that sells this kind of stuff a little bit pricey but you can check. The guy didn’t speak english but was really nice and helpful.I think it was near here: https://www.google.com.tw/maps/place/Unnamed+Road,+Zhongzheng+District,+Taipei+City,+100/@25.0161965,121.5314497,157m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x3442a989fe322ea9:0x21750404ee1d7f66!2sNational+Taiwan+University!8m2!3d25.0173405!4d121.5397518!3m4!1s0x3442a98b9045be9f:0x5a18f2f16bd0f68a!8m2!3d25.0161965!4d121.532085?hl=en
it is called a brother or something.
So Shapu blades, never heard of them. Any good?
They’re okay in my Parker. I imagine they’d give a slightly different shave in a different razor. They’re not as aggressive as the Feather blades, if that helps. GoodForIt used to sell Voskhod (from Russia), which I liked perhaps a little better, but they stopped stocking them a while back. The Shapu are not expensive (NT$60 for 5, I think), so it’s not an expensive experiment.
Thanks, I’ll give 'em a shot.
I have a mild case of CBD simmering away merrily in my head. Got to keep on top of that. Don’t shop for shavers, but I do like to hoard double-edged razor blades. So although I have about 1,200 razor blades already (of which 500 are Voskhod - I really like them, too), I feel an itch to try the Shapu anyway.
CBD?
Shapu blades seem to last longer because they aren’t as sharp at the outset. My preference are the Voskhod as well. I can’t go against the grain with the Feather. I have to be very, very careful with those.
Compulsive buying disorder. First world problem.
I use a Feather razor (I only have the one), but still have to be careful when using a new Feather blade. Along with the Voskhod, I have 200 Feather blades. Good thing I also tend to hoard alum blocks when I can find 'em.
Is there enough of a positive difference from using a quality shaving cream and brush vs. Gillette shaving cream in a spray can?
I’ve been using Mach 3 cartridges and their standard cream all my life. The site shared on here caught my interest. It’s just a big financial leap to take. Want to know if it’s really worth it.
They have alum from Taylor of Old Bond Street, too.
RAD - Razor Acquisition Disorder
SAD - Strop Acquisition Disorder
HAD - Hone Acquisition Disorder
BAD - Brush Acquisition Disorder, or sometimes…
SBAD - Shaving Brush Acquisition Disorder
Maybe you have RBAD - Razor Blade Acquisition Disorder
The biggest improvement, really, will be environmental. The packaging & recyclability is heads & shoulders above what Gillette offers.
What you’ll also find is the creams/soaps, balms, & aftershaves from the traditional manufacturers are more natural & better for your skin.
For me, this is worth the extra money. The drawbacks are you’ll need more time & you’ll nick yourself more often.
I have a couple of straight razors that I used for a few years, but I got behind in honing them. I should pull them out & sharpen them up.
I as well chased the cutthroat razor dream for quite a while, but in this town it’s kind of a losing battle, with the already triple-digit humidity increased exponentially in the full-contact bathroom environment.
Finally settled for (basically) the rig as shown in Tia’s post above.
One thing, you really have to make sure your brush is always suspended business end-down when not in use, otherwise the bristles never really dry out at the base and they start falling out way sooner than they would otherwise.