Finding Feathers in the Wild: Searching for an Endangered Species?

[The Nid Hog]

I'm in Tokyo for a couple of days, and I went out last night to stock up on Feather DE blades. I have a fair number at home, but as everybody knows, you don't want to be taken by surprise by the Shavepocalypse. I went to three large drugstores, all ones where I've bought Feathers in the past--one as recently as last fall. Now? Nothing. All of the displays were dominated by Fusions and their ilk.

The funny thing is, I saw a big display of DE razors at Tokyu Hands, a popular department store. The selection of razors, brushes and related gear was much larger than I'd ever seen it before. However, that also kind of marks DE shaving as a true niche hobby now. The lack of Feather blades and their common TTO razor in neighborhood shops is disturbing--another habitat for DE shavers is drying up.

 

[kibblex]

in my real life i have never met another DE shaver. my grandfather uses an electric razor and my father a Gillette X_x i'm hardly a man yet but i intend on teaching my children the proper way to shave.

 

[Sullybob]

Terrible news, just terrible.

 

[jansob]

Down south I'm seeing no lack of Feathers. I still see them at the big drugstores and the cutlery shops.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Down south I'm seeing no lack of Feathers. I still see them at the big drugstores and the cutlery shops.

I'm still seeing them in Okinawa too. In fact, when I get back there on Saturday, I'm going to load up. I'm not sure why they've been discontinued in the Tokyo stores I visited. I talked to the young clerk in one of them and she looked as me as if I had asked for whale oil for my lamp, so I didn't get much help there.

 

[ikeyballz]

^Funny story, I walked into target to ask if they had DE razor supplies. An older female clerk looked at me strangely and remarked "you're 20 years too late!" while her co-worker, a young lady in her 20s, gave me the blankest stare ever...

What stores are you people finding these blades in? I might go to okinawa in a year or so, so I want to know what stores to visit.

 

[Member357]

That is very weird! I still see them everywhere up here. Well, some drug stores have never had them, but others still do. Even my local supermarket carries them and Injector blades. Wish i could find a type O injector somewhere. People must have them if the blades are still on sale, but i don't know anyone who does.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I'm still seeing them in Okinawa too. In fact, when I get back there on Saturday, I'm going to load up. I'm not sure why they've been discontinued in the Tokyo stores I visited. I talked to the young clerk in one of them and she looked as me as if I had asked for whale oil for my lamp, so I didn't get much help there.

What stores are you people finding these blades in? I might go to okinawa in a year or so, so I want to know what stores to visit.

In Okinawa, I've found them in both big drugstores and neighborhood shops. If you go to the big markets like the one off Kokusai Dori in Naha, you can find the TTO Feather razors (the metal and black plastic ones) as well as blades. The only place I really don't see them are the convenience stores like Family Mart and Lawson's.

That is very weird! I still see them everywhere up here. Well, some drug stores have never had them, but others still do. Even my local supermarket carries them and Injector blades. Wish i could find a type O injector somewhere. People must have them if the blades are still on sale, but i don't know anyone who does.

I wonder if it isn't a campaign by Gillette targeting metropolitan shops? All of the stores that I've been in here in Tokyo have a third to almost a half of the display devoted to Fusions and all the other related stuff. Even the double blade Atras are gone. I did see a package of injector blades in one of the drugstores.

 

[maxman]

An inauspicious sign for sure.

 

[moshulu]

Just don't get fooled into buying any of those black carbon steel Feathers. I bought some once in Tokyo, and discovered that they are simply awful.

 

[Member357]

....I wonder if it isn't a campaign by Gillette targeting metropolitan shops? All of the stores that I've been in here in Tokyo have a third to almost a half of the display devoted to Fusions and all the other related stuff. Even the double blade Atras are gone. I did see a package of injector blades in one of the drugstores.

It is weird that Tokyo is like that. I went to Osaka during Golden Week and Feather blades were everywhere, and a few Feather Popular razors. Cheapest i found was about 358 yen for a pack of 10 blades, so i bought a couple despite SWMBO's protests!

 

[cliffordNC]

in my house there's 4 of them, including me..

 

[jansob]

39 Drug and Segami Drug have them here in Yamaguchi. Assuming those chains are in Tokyo, give them a try.