A Brit visiting the U.S. what should I pick up?

I know plenty of members on here ask the question about what to get when visiting London but I am asking the other way around. Early in May I will be in the Cleveland and Pittsburgh area for a week on business. As a Brit what shaving acquisitions do you think I should/could make at that time that are specific to the U.S. ? (Already asked the question re AE/Aldens chukkas availability on the Haberdashery board).

Sadly, like large parts of the rest of the world, much of America is a wasteland when it comes to traditional shaving products. If you have an idea about products which may interest you it would make sense to order them on-line and have them delivered to your hotel.

With enough notice it may also be possible to arrange to meet up with some of our members from those parts of the world whilst you are in town.

djh said:

Sadly, like large parts of the rest of the world, much of America is a wasteland when it comes to traditional shaving products. If you have an idea about products which may interest you it would make sense to order them on-line and have them delivered to your hotel.

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I agree. I prefer artisan products and it is unlikely that you will find a wide selection of American artisan soaps at a brick and mortar store in Cleveland or Pittsburgh. Below is a list of stores that sell a wide variety of artisan products over the internet. I believe they would ship to your hotel. I have listed the ones that I have shopped from and can recommend without hesitation for good customer service. This list is not meant to all inclusive. I am certain there are many many other great vendors out there. Since I have not used them, I will leave it to others to list them.

Here are 4 excellent vendors in alphabetical order:

1. Bullgoose Shaving: Bullgooseshaving.com
2. Italian Barber: Italianbarber.com
3. Maggard Razors: Maggardrazors.com
4. West Coast Shaving: Westcoastshaving.com

I believe that Maggard has the largest selection of American artisan soaps.
Italian Barber is the creator of, and primary vendor for RazoRock soaps.

Good Luck


Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink-- under any circumstances.
- Mark Twain's Notebook

There is really nothing to get here that you can't get in the UK via internet and post.

Nothing. The best shave products in the U.S. are purchasable on line.

I would have thought your best bet is to order to your hotel now and pick it up when you get there. I don't mind paying the shipping to the UK but what frustrates me the most is we can't get hold of some of the best artisans aftershaves so I would grab the ones you like while your over there.

have fun!

I can give some suggestions on where to eat in Cleveland, but there isn't really anything special to speak of as far as shaving goes

Order some Barrister & Mann soaps to your hotel.

Pinaud

Old Spice

Brut

Aqua Velva

I'm sure you'll find something.

Several good suggestions already. The only things I can think of are any of the American artisan aftershaves, or any other alcohol containing products, that are illegal to ship overseas. I don't want to name any specifically for fear that I'll leave someone out. If youy imbibe, you might also consider picking up some of the Kentucky bourbons that are probably expensive or totally unavailable in the UK. Good luck and have an enjoyable trip to the US.

Don't forget the Williams!

Just find your way to any pharmacy (such as CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid) or any grocery store and just take a look what they have. That's about the best you'll do as far as shaving supplies is concerned while you're here.

Get yourself some of that really good British shaving cream (T&H, Trumpers, Taylors) and a couple good British brushes oh and...

Wait you just left that back home.

Oh well.... Welcome to AmeriKa

The only decent shave kit available in mass retail outlets in the US is the Van der Hagen luxury line. If not marketed in the UK, by all means pick up a puck. The set with the badger brush, mug and soap is a pretty good value. Forget the VDH razor/blades, they're nothing special.

Now, let me don my asbestos suit....look for a can of Barbasol Skin Conditioner shaving cream, in a yellow striped can. It can be hard to find, but it's the best canned shaving foam out there and very good. The rest of the Barbasol line is fairly pedestrian but this stuff is great and under 2 bucks a can. Good to have when you need to shave some time off your shave.

In my opinion, the really good stuff isn't the stuff you find in the drug stores here. I would order some stuff from some American artisan soap makers. Some offer aftershaves as well as soaps. You should look at:

Strop Shoppe SE w/tallow soaps
Cold River Soap Works select line
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements
Tiki
Barrister & Mann
WSP Rustic
Soap Commander
Mike's
Striling

There are Art of Shaving stores in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, but there are no classic hardware selections there that are unavailable in Europe. The store-specific models are all cartridge types, which only figures since AoS is owned by Procter and Gamble, which also owns Gillette. The consumables, such as pre-shave, cream, soap, and balms, are well-rated but pricey and you can probably get them in the UK. Most drugstores, if they have any DE products at all, have only store brands. Big stores sometimes carry VDH starter kits. You may be pleased with some drugstore balms like Dove MenCare, particularly at the $5.00 price. There are some good USA outlets for traditional shave supplies, like Saint Charles Shaving, but you will be more than 1000 km from there. With some luck, you can google-search for antique stores in the area and possibly score some good vintage finds, but those tend to get scarfed up pretty quickly. Your timing will be perfect and you will happen upon a motherlode, or you will find some old worn stuff that you can find cheaper on eBay, even with international shipping.
By going to USA, you are going to where Gillette has 60% market share, and whatever Gillette does pretty much drives what you are going to find, much to the disappointment of retro enthusiasts.

If you were coming to Chicago then you might be in business but those other cities I am not so sure.

I suggest looking at some artesian soap makers and just have the order shipped to your hotel. I am partial to LA Shaving Soaps and Stirling. But there are multiple others out there too. In the UK, you really are more spoiled than the Yankees when it comes to this sort of thing. You do need to drive a good old American pick-up truck while you are out here. I don't know of any that are sold in the UK off hand.

h2oyeah said:

If you were coming to Chicago then you might be in business but those other cities I am not so sure.

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+1. We have a fantastic brick and mortar store here in Chicago called QBrothers which is just an extension of the Merz Apothecary right next door. I go there twice a month to stock up.
I'm VERY surprised that B&Bers from the Pittsburgh/Cleveland area haven't asked you to bring them some shave equipment to them over here haha! I tell ya what, if you want to come here to Chicago and visit QBrothers, all the while bringing some shave equipment for yours truly, I'll take you out for some of the best deep dish pizza you'll ever have in your life! Oh and a couple of pints, of course.

I think most of my favorite shave gear comes from England or Germany. If you have access to transportation, Imperial Shaving in Medina Ohio is about 35 miles from Cleveland. It's the brick & mortar store of SRD. http://www.straightrazordesigns.com/

My favorite US products worth checking out are the Captain's Choice Aftershaves.
http://www.captainschoicestore.com/shop/