xcubbies
04-15-2006, 09:33 AM
Gentlemen,
I've been using a DE for about five months now. Not sure I get a better shave, but I still enjoy the process and the neat scraping sound every morning.
I write, however, on the issue of blades. I live in Geneva, Switzerland and have, until now, only used Merkur blades (approx. $3.75/10 blades) and Gillette Bleu which I buy very inexpensively just across the border in France (approx $2.50/10 blades). I find more inconsistency in the Merkurs than the Gillettes. Today I bought some Wilkinson Traditionals for about $8.00 for the heck of it, and will use them soon.
I recently was back in the US last month and everywhere I could I checked out the DE blades that were sold, from Target, to WalMart, CVS, Duane Read, and several smaller private pharmacies. What struck me was, first, that many shops just didn't seem to stock DE blades, and secondly, that none that I saw sold recognized brands.
Given the limited number of DE blades for sale I am tempted to assume that it has a very limited following and that, given that reality, it is unlikely that there are more than a handful, if that, actual producers in the USA. It's mostly a packaging issue.
My second question is on the Gillette DEs. I've seen them in Europe in Bleu, Platinum, Silver. Is there really a difference? I would think that where there is so little choice in DE blades there is not much sense in producing different quality blades for consumers. The only store I've seen that carries more than one choice is the small pharmacy near our village and the only had Gillette Silver (Germany) and the Wilkinsons; and the total number of packages on sale was five, now four. My impression is that DE shaving is no popular here in Europe than in the USA and folks here generally shave less in general.
Can anyone make any sense of this.
I've been using a DE for about five months now. Not sure I get a better shave, but I still enjoy the process and the neat scraping sound every morning.
I write, however, on the issue of blades. I live in Geneva, Switzerland and have, until now, only used Merkur blades (approx. $3.75/10 blades) and Gillette Bleu which I buy very inexpensively just across the border in France (approx $2.50/10 blades). I find more inconsistency in the Merkurs than the Gillettes. Today I bought some Wilkinson Traditionals for about $8.00 for the heck of it, and will use them soon.
I recently was back in the US last month and everywhere I could I checked out the DE blades that were sold, from Target, to WalMart, CVS, Duane Read, and several smaller private pharmacies. What struck me was, first, that many shops just didn't seem to stock DE blades, and secondly, that none that I saw sold recognized brands.
Given the limited number of DE blades for sale I am tempted to assume that it has a very limited following and that, given that reality, it is unlikely that there are more than a handful, if that, actual producers in the USA. It's mostly a packaging issue.
My second question is on the Gillette DEs. I've seen them in Europe in Bleu, Platinum, Silver. Is there really a difference? I would think that where there is so little choice in DE blades there is not much sense in producing different quality blades for consumers. The only store I've seen that carries more than one choice is the small pharmacy near our village and the only had Gillette Silver (Germany) and the Wilkinsons; and the total number of packages on sale was five, now four. My impression is that DE shaving is no popular here in Europe than in the USA and folks here generally shave less in general.
Can anyone make any sense of this.