Thread: Straight Razor supplies in Melbourne Australia?

Hi guys,

been looking online and it seems that alot of places will not ship to Australia (or if they do, shipping costs are pretty high)

Just wondering if any of the Aussie SRP members know where I can source some of the items below locally.

- Alum block
- Shaving soap (I have found creams, not soap)
- Skin food (or equivalent)

Regards Chris

You can buy cheap shave sticks in most supermarkets. They do an excellent job for the price. I think they should be going for about $1.00. For the other stuff maybe you should try somewhere like The Shaver Shop or your local barber shop.

I got alum block when placing an order with SRD - also recently placed an order for some travel stuff with mama bears soaps and she has alum blocks for the same price as SRD.

Mensbiz.com.au is probably the only online supplier in australia. Their alum blocks are crazy expensive, but they have a lot of the popular creams, soaps, and other supplies.

There is a shop in bourke street (from memory) called american tailors which has dr harris soaps and other dr harris stuff.

If you want a straight razor, either get them from classifieds here or from SRD - can't beat Lynn's work on shave ready razors.

With regard to skin food - I dont use it. I use a product called "face protector" from the body shop, but having said that I have sensitive skin and this one works for me. There is also a product that others tend to report on favourably called nivea aftershave balm or something similar - thats available from any decent chemist from memory.

I am not sure of the rules about posting to other forums here, but another forum that I am also a member of has a big aussie shaving supplies list (not that I have used it much though).

I tend to support SRD as they have reasonable shipping and product rates, it supports this site, and they are super fast on their shipping in general (big package including strop, alum block, razor, soaps, etc took 10 business days to get to me and only cost about $25USD for freight).

I should also mention a bunch of sites that do ship to australia, but i havent had experience with them;

the english shaving company
lees razors (very responsive and helpful)
classic shaving (have seen reports that shipping can be a bit slow at times)

Havent had any experience with these companies, but with most online stores in USA you can expect to pay $25-$45 shipping depending on the size of your order (usually based on weight, so if you order a lot of heavy soaps, expect it to cost a fair bit).

From experience, I wouldnt buy any shave stick in any local supermarkets here - they usually only have the one starting with "men...." - i cant remember what it is, but have seen some pretty poor reviews about it - its nasty apparently.

The other place you might want to check out is fragracex.com - they had a free worldwide shipping deal on aftershaves etc (i.e. tabac, dirty english, etc) and are very well priced.

Basically I use;

mensbiz - creams,soaps etc
srd - straight razors
bodyshop - skin food/aftershave balm type products

Styptic pencil (= alum block) - got one from my Amcal chemist


$2 Mennen Shave stick - local Safeway
$2 Shave brush from Safeway has also been working nicely for me.

Can check out the following shops:
Shaver shop They have soaps.
Body Shop They've got cream - not sure about soap. (I'm using their Maca root cream along with my shave stick).

Knox City is my local (major) shopping centre.

All the best,
Michael.

mennen!!! thats it!! evil stuff according to some....go to american tailors and get some dr harris soap. i would see if they have the other things you want as well - its likely that they do. If you are on a really tights budget the mennen will probably suffice, but according to their website (i am not affiliated with these guys and havent been there, although i am in melb next weekend and will be picking up some stuff from them);

American Tailors - Our story
We are located at 68 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia.

Opening hours are Monday - Thursday 9am - 6pm, Friday 9am - 7pm, Saturday 9am - 5pm. Other times by appointment.

Phone us on +61 3 9662 1273 • Fax us +61 3 9663 4166 • email: americantailors@bigpond.com

Originally Posted by wedwards

mennen!!! thats it!! evil stuff according to some....

Ha!! What do you expect from someone who used to shave with his disposable well after it had got dull!
But hey - its cheap and its functional!

(And maybe if I'm feeling particularly manly I might use some freshly drained sump oil as a lubricant for my shave... hmm my car is due for an oil change soon...)

All the best,
Michael.

Originally Posted by FTG

Styptic pencil (= alum block) - got one from my Amcal chemist

This is not really the case. A styptic pencil is for the stemming of localised cuts and generally does the trick quite well. An alum block is more of an after shave treatment for all over the face/shaved area. If I recall correctly the pencil is powdered, concentrated alum. I use a block daily, a pencil on those occasions that it's necessary. For me they both have their place in my routine.

Alum blocks are good to have, in conjunction with a styptic pencil. Don't pay too much for an alum block, you can order one here, it's called a deodorant stone, and is the exact same substance. Lasts forever.
Lafes Natural and Organic Deodorant Stone - 3 oz. - LuckyVitamin.com