Okay, you've gone and learned all about wet shaving techniques and equipment and now you're ready to look at purchasing your very first piece of hardware. The central tool in any shave kit; the razor!
Let's start with a DE (double edge) selection and purchase:
To select and purchase a DE razor in New Zealand you need to consider whether you want to go vintage or new. If you want to go vintage and not pay exorbitant international shipping fees on an eBay purchase, then if you really are a Kiwi, you know where to head. That link takes you to a search for "razor" the "Antiques and Collectibles" category on trademe. They are usually spread far and wide among the sub categories and there are usually only 50-80 results returned at any one time, so I never bother narrowing my search down from that.
As one can see, the pickings are slim, once you eliminate all the damn "razor sharp" "samurai" swords from the result. There appear to be only a small handful of vintage DE razors at any given time. One trader there, based in Waihi, asks for exorbitant prices that could honestly be beat even with shipping costs on eBay. But occasionally you can snag a real bargain. Expect a fair price of around $10 for a 3 piece "Tech" type Gillette, and $20ish for a Twist to Open like a Super Speed Gillette. Much more than those prices and you are better off heading to eBay.
Take note, just in case you cannot tell from the pictures, if you are looking for a double edge razor on trademe, you do NOT want a:
Gem
Ever Ready
Valet
Rolls
These are single edge razors (the Rolls takes a reusable wedge blade) and I have not seen the blades for these for sale in New Zealand. Some pharmacies do sell the correct shape blade for the Gem and Ever Ready but not the correct grade. Despite these blades being located in the shaving section of many pharmacies, they are tool grade blades, not made for shaving. If you see a pack of Gem single edge blades with the word "Scraper" on them, even if they are in the shaving section DO NOT USE, learn from my fail.
Local antique stores are another excellent resource. These can be hit and miss since a lot of owners either consider razors to be worthless and never acquire them for sale, or think that the rusty, grime encrusted, parts missing, "comes with original blade!" monstrosities on their shelves are worth $50 or more. Honestly unless it is a toggle Fat Boy or mint cased Aristocrat, check eBay to see if you couldn't save yourself a significant portion on the price buying from overseas. The rule of thumb I use is: If it is more than $10 for a Tech or similar and more than $20 for an adjustable or twist to open, it probably isn't worth it.
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