Joesixpack
New member
I recently had to travel for work. When I do, I typically bring my old Trac II razor with me. I have honestly not had to buy blades for that thing in ages because i travel so rarely (I mean, never for long enough to wear out a cartridge.). The handle is something I got for Christmas from my parents back when I was in the Navy, back in 1982. I used it for several years until I went back to DE, and then started using straights. Up until 9/11 I was traveling with my straight, but that became untenable, and in the early days they didn't allow a blade of any type. I would just buy a Bic or Gillette when I arrived where I was going.
Recently I was made aware that I could carry a cartridge razor so I dusted off the old Trac II. Well, I noticed I'm down to my very last blade. When I got home, I decided to look for replacements. The good news (HA!) is that they still carry 'em and the local Walgreen's had some in stock. I was very happy to not have to buy them from the internet. That's the good news.
The bad news is that there are no cheap Walgreen's brand knockoffs, only the Gillette ones. And they are over $20 for ten blades. I'm fairly certain that the package hasn't had a re-design since sometime in the '90s, because they look the same as the ones I bought 30 years ago. And in fact, I'm equally certain that they haven't even been manufactured in the past 20 years. This is just old inventory, and once it's gone, it's probably gone forever. People aren't nostalgic for Trac II razors the way they are with straights and DEs
But, I will probably never have to buy them again for the rest of my life. The 5-pack I had for this has lasted me for well over a decade, and now I have another 10 of them.
Recently I was made aware that I could carry a cartridge razor so I dusted off the old Trac II. Well, I noticed I'm down to my very last blade. When I got home, I decided to look for replacements. The good news (HA!) is that they still carry 'em and the local Walgreen's had some in stock. I was very happy to not have to buy them from the internet. That's the good news.
The bad news is that there are no cheap Walgreen's brand knockoffs, only the Gillette ones. And they are over $20 for ten blades. I'm fairly certain that the package hasn't had a re-design since sometime in the '90s, because they look the same as the ones I bought 30 years ago. And in fact, I'm equally certain that they haven't even been manufactured in the past 20 years. This is just old inventory, and once it's gone, it's probably gone forever. People aren't nostalgic for Trac II razors the way they are with straights and DEs
But, I will probably never have to buy them again for the rest of my life. The 5-pack I had for this has lasted me for well over a decade, and now I have another 10 of them.
