Thread: What to buy in Paris?

Well what do you suggest guys?

Im in Paris for a week and want to get something. A Le Grelot would be perfect but I dont know where to look. Does anyone know where the factory is?

But what do I have to get while in Paris?



Thanks guys!



+Sz

Sorry but Le Grelot does not exist anymore and the thiers issard cutlery is not located in Paris.

I've spent some time in Paris. Sometimes you can pick up Proraso soaps, cheap, at neighborhood grocery stores.

And here is a link. The search function is nice to know.

Go to Planet Raisor. They have lots of goodies, including MdC...

When in France look for a "Coutellerie" its a store that sells and sometimes sharpen knife and anything sharp.
Many will have new and used razors.

Originally Posted by LegalBeagle

Go to Planet Raisor. They have lots of goodies, including MdC...

Seconded. I was there just over a week ago and was very pleased with my visit there. The guy who runs the store doesn't speak much English and I don't speak much French, but you be surprised at how universal the term "Martin de Candre" is, haha. There are plenty of products for you to smell and sample there, and yes, he's got some straights. Also in Paris is a department store called BHV Homme, it's not far from Notre Dame/Ile De La Cite. They have a collection of razors, brushes, and a good amount of soaps, creams, and colognes. I believe they had MWF which I didn't see at Planete Raisor, not sure if that's available in Australia or not. One more place you might want to consider is a small one, Pharmacie de la Bourdannaise on Rue de la Bourdannaise, a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. They have a few straights and a soap or two in the window, but from what I could gather, those are the only things they have. If you need to prioritize, I would definitely check out these places in the order listed here.

Have a great trip!

That is just what I needed guys, THANKYOU! And special thanks to ProperAnimal for your detailed description, that helps alot cheers. Would you know by any chance where it is and how to get there?
And what is MWF? So I can get the right product?

Rori, thanks for the info. With a little research I found out the obvious that Thiers Issard is in Thiers. But I thought that Legrelots were still being made. There was a B&B special made a few years back.

Cheers fellas. I knew I could count on SRP

Any time. For Planete Raisor, I think I got off at the St. Lazare metro stop and the store was a short walk up Rue De Clichy. It took me a little while to find the street, but if you have a street map or phone with maps it shouldn't be too difficult. Here are the directions from the website: How to get to Planete Rasoir

BVH Homme is a street away from the Hotel de Vile metro stop. BHV Homme

Pharmacie de la Bourdannaise probably isn't worth a trip itself, as I said their small selection of straights (4 or 5) seems more tokenistic than anything, but if you've got some time to kill, you might want to take a look. It's a short walk from the L'ecole Militaire metro stop, practically in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

MWF is a soap called Mitchell's Wool Fat. I've never tried it myself but I've read nothing good things about it from the forums. It seems to be pretty prevalent in a lot of peoples' routines so it's certainly popular. Maybe someone else could provide some details.

I took some pictures of the exteriors of the places because I figured they might be helpful to someone here.




Now you know what to look for. If I was smart, I would've taken pictures of all their stock but I was a little overwhelmed. Let us know how the trip goes.

After a hard day of straight razor hunting I suggest a dinner at Willie's Wine Bar. The staff is friendly and the food is outstanding. While in Paris soak up everything that makes the "City of Lights" special.

Thanks heaps guys! I ended up just going tp Planete Rasoir as they had all I needed.
Special thanks to ProperAnimal as the explainations and pictures certainly helped.
I ended up getting the two recommended soaps including the larger MdC as it pushed my purchase over 170Eu which means I get the tax back at the airport (12%) Interestingly in Spain the minimum was 90eu in one store to be able to claim the tax back.
So I also got a beautiful littke 5/8 TI and proudly own a French razor I puchased in the country of origin.

Will add pics of the shop as P/A wished for
Hopefully others traveling to Paris looking for this information will find this thred.

+Szymon