DEs in carry-on luggage/random blade comment

[Lereas]

Hello Gentlemen!

I've been a DE shaver for something like 6 years now, and have never regretted a moment of it. I shaved yesterday morning with my Merkur Hefty classic, my cheapo (but still awesome) tweezerman badger brush, some col conks bay rum, and an Israeli crystal blade...BBS, and I didn't even need to shave today cause I'm only now beginning to feel a little stubble.

When I travel, I bring my brush, bowl, a small little bottle I've filled with proraso (or some good ol' Williams soap)....but I've been apprehensive about bringing my DE. I don't want to test it and end up with it being taken by the TSA or trying to ship it back to myself, but whenever I'm out of town, especially for business, I don't feel up to my usual self when I've had a great shave. I just bring a mach 3 or whatever I can find in the back of my medicine cabinet.

Now, I've been thinking I could probably bring the razor with no blade and stop by walgreens and get one of the generic blade packs, but I've never had consistent luck with those.

Have any of you guys brought your DEs through security and avoided/had problems?


As a total aside...I got a blade sampler pack recently, as really all I'd tried were feathers and something else that I can't remember. I've found I really like the israeli crystals, but something that surprised me was that the red pack personnas were absolutely -awful- for me. Maybe I had one dud blade, but it was pulling a lot and when I did my WTG pass, it was as if I hadn't shaved at all. I tried adjusting my angle a few different ways since I know some blades are just cut differently, but that didn't help at all. Are these blades known for being much less agressive and aren't for people with medium-coarse wiskers?

 

[Too Tall]

Never had a problem and they ALWAYS inspect to be sure you do not have a blade loaded. You will , unfortunately, have to put your blades in checked luggage or purchase in a drugstore. No problems with the razor handle itself as long as it's empty.

*chuckle* The newbie inspectors get excited as if they have never seen a DE except in training films!!! LOL.

 

[Lereas]

Wel...to be fair, they probably HAVEN'T seen a DE except in training films. I got into an older car with a 12 year old kid the other day and he pointed at the lever to roll down the windows and asked what it was.

I try my best not to check any luggage at all so I don't have to pay, but I guess that's pretty much the only way. I suppose maybe I could mail myself an envelope with two or three blades for the cost of one stamp, though.

 

[STP]

True enough

*chuckle* The newbie inspectors get excited as if they have never seen a DE except in training films!!! LOL.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Extensive discussion in the wiki on this matter
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Air_Travel

 

[Lereas]

Extensive discussion in the wiki on this matter
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Air_Travel

That'll teach me to not use the search before posting :/

Thanks!

 

[Go West Young Man]

That'll teach me to not use the search before posting :/

Thanks!

If no-one posted questions that had been asked already, there would be about 3 posts total here every day

 

[ShavelockFoams]

For the buying blades when you arrive, you might also consider SE. Good SE blades (Treet or GEM) are fairly common at most or all of the common chain drug stores. Here in NYC Walgreens carries GEM and Rite Aid carries Treet. Not sure how easy it would be to explain a that Gem 1912 is a razor, and yes, people use it for shaving to TSA though.

 

[Fatboy Slimhandle]

I brought my fatboy along in my carry on about a month ago on Continental; I put the blades in my checked luggage. It got some attention each time I went through security. In Tulsa the TSA dingbat pulled it out and I had to walk him through how to turn the knob to open the doors to check for a blade... "I've never seen one of these!".

It was pretty tough to hold my tongue and not make some snide comment since he obviously hadn't shaved in about a week, and looked like a hobo.

 

[Go West Young Man]

I brought my fatboy along in my carry on about a month ago on Continental; I put the blades in my checked luggage. It got some attention each time I went through security. In Tulsa the TSA dingbat pulled it out and I had to walk him through how to turn the knob to open the doors to check for a blade... "I've never seen one of these!".

It was pretty tough to hold my tongue and not make some snide comment since he obviously hadn't shaved in about a week, and looked like a hobo.

Dude, it's YOUR hobby, not his. Would you take abuse from him because you didn't know anything about classic cars or season 7 of Star Trek:Voyager or whatever nerdy obsession floated his boat?

 

[Lereas]

Dude, it's YOUR hobby, not his. Would you take abuse from him because you didn't know anything about classic cars or season 7 of Star Trek:Voyager or whatever nerdy obsession floated his boat?

Woah there...season seven of Voyager was -pretty good-!

 

[Metalcrack]

Dude, it's YOUR hobby, not his. Would you take abuse from him because you didn't know anything about classic cars or season 7 of Star Trek:Voyager or whatever nerdy obsession floated his boat?

Great....I'm a nerd. I rather liked Janeway as captain and had many thoughts on Seven of Nine . Holographic doctors and a black Vulcan....many firsts from what I can recall.

Not to mention I'm getting my Dad's 55 Chevy soon, and I've thought about a Mustang front-end conversion for disc brakes (drums are a pita IMHO). I was even going to buy a 350 ahead of time and build it the way I want to, not that he hasn't build 1 or ten of them in his lifetime.

 

[ateace]

Due to the extra effort involved with TSA and the worry of having a good DE razor confiscated, then having to worry about blades, I just skip it and use my Sensor for travel.

 

[droy3]

Due to the extra effort involved with TSA and the worry of having a good DE razor confiscated, then having to worry about blades, I just skip it and use my Sensor for travel.

+1. Not to mention I can find blades anywhere if needed...I miss the old days.

 

[DSW]

Great....I'm a nerd. I rather liked Janeway as captain and had many thoughts on Seven of Nine . Holographic doctors and a black Vulcan....many firsts from what I can recall.

Actually, Black Vulcan was on the Superfriends first..

I've seen the TSA security employee screening. They actually weeded out everyone with any law enforcement or military background as unacceptable for security screener work. The people who qualified, really... never mind. This is a gentleman's forum. Ahem.

Let's just say it's like having some yahoo security guard who "always wanted to be a cop" going through your stuff when you travel.

 

[Zumkopf]

Due to the extra effort involved with TSA and the worry of having a good DE razor confiscated, then having to worry about blades, I just skip it and use my Sensor for travel.

+2. I've never had TSA actually confiscate a DE, but they always stop you to search/examine it, and then there's the inevitable further wait while the TSA newbie, who has never seen a DE, goes to get the supervisor, who dimly recognizes the object. Then they search again to make sure you're not concealing the blades for it. Unless it's a long trip, where I'd have to check baggage anyway, I just take a cartridge razor and curse terrorists everywhere for the imposition.

If you DO take a DE in carry-on anyway, or a GEM for that matter, I'd disassemble it if it comes apart (like a Tech or a NEW). That way they get through more easily.