"An outstanding little company.

After first deciding to ditch my old electric and get back into wet shaving, and then to try out double-edged safety razors (instead of the octuple-blade nonsense from the usual subjects), the question then became: where should I buy from?

It's both a blessing and a curse: the internet invariably means that a multitude of companies are accessible for pretty much every niche you can think of, and shaving is no exception. Even the mighty Amazon (plus its marketplace) carries pretty much anything you could imaging in terms of shaving supplies.

Having lurked at the forums of badgerandblade.com for some considerable time, one of the names that kept popping up was West Coast Shaving. Founded by a forum member that originally got started by offering blade "sampler packs", WCS appears to have grown to become a very highly-regarded supplier of shaving gear.

I had a poke around and found that their prices were pretty competitive. Quite competitive, actually, even beating out the likes of Amazon for Merkur razors and such like. Some competitosr may have had a couple of items that I wanted at a lower price, but WCS' overall price was among the lowest I could find.

Their reputation, pricing and the clean, functional look of their website (which didn't throw up any surprises, unlike some) meant I was sold.

At the time I ordered, they also had a promotion for free shipping on orders of over $80. This was notable because there was no small print - most such offers usually have an asterisk and a teeny tiny disclaimer stating that it doesn't apply to Hawai'i, but that wasn't the case here.

Speaking of shipping, their preference for USPS with next to no markup on cost means that smaller orders that don't qualify for the promotional shipping offer still don't break the bank to ship to Honolulu - poking about, a pile of blades ships first class for only two or three bucks, and priority for six.

I ordered a shiny new Merkur, a brush, a blade sampler pack and a few other odds and sods, and then sent the order on its electronic way. An acknowledgement landed in my inbox within minutes, and a shipping confirmation followed less than 48 hours later. That's pretty impressive for a small store, some of which understandably don't have the most streamlined shipping process around.

The postman delivered my package a few days later, and everything was present and correct.

Once I'm done figuring out which blades I prefer, I'll definitely be ordering again from WCS, doubly so if I come down with a case of Razor Acquisition Disorder..."

"Wonderful place to shop online. Fast shipping, great communication. One of the best. "

"I've placed multiple orders at WCS, and they're one of the best online retailers of any kind I've used. Customer service is excellent and shipping is always faster than advertised.

On one order a couple years ago, I realized as I was tracking an order that I had entered my address incorrently. Called WCS to let them know they'd be getting the package back, and they went ahead and sent me another shipment before the original was returned to them. Needless to say, I'm a great fan of the company and order almost all of my shaving products from them."

"I have placed several ordered with them already before yesterday. Even with the Sales tax in Cali, their prices are lowest around. I have always received amazing customer service and the items arrive quickly and prefect shape."

"I placed an order with West Coast Shaving Sunday night April 10, 2011. I got an email confirmation within 30 minutes. It was probably an automated response, but it was late on a Sunday night. I was impressed. I received notification early Monday that it had been shipped and I was given a tracking number. The tracking number was not really necessary because I received the order Wednesday, much quicker than I had expected to. I have not had time to try the shaver that I ordered but I was very impressed with the service from West Coast Shaving. I am in the service business and I rate this excellent. I will use West Coast Shaving again!"

"Unreal service, got an email when the out of stock item I wanted was back, ordered on Thursday, got it Monday before lunch and I am on the opposite side of the country. West Coast Shaving is awesome."

"Fast shipping, great product at low prices, and absolutely easy to find what you need.
I placed my order Mon evening, I had it by Thurs morning. (Of course I do live on the Oregon coast.)
A+++"

"Quality products,excellent service, and fast shipping. What more can you ask for?!!"

"I have done business with West Coast Shaving on multiple occasions, and they are the epitome of excellence. They offer the best and fastest shipping around, and are very friendly and willing to "help" if a problem does arise.

I would recommend them to anyone wishing to do business with a safe, quick and reliable online merchant. I applaud them and will continue to do business with them for years to come.

Best Regards,

Rick Charles"

"I ordered from WCS on a Saturday Blades shipped on a monday and arrived on a wednesday all with USPS priority no complaints here. "

"The site is intuitive. I found the products I was looking for to be simply located. I ordered on Thursday. My order shipped the same day, and arrived in Denver Monday, which was quicker than I expected.. My order was shipped correctly and well packaged. I am very pleased with the selection, price, and service I received."

"I love the seemingly endless selection of products for shaving and grooming. Their great prices have enabled me to ease my way into wet shaving, with particular interest in straight razor shaving. As a newcomer to straight razor shaving, they have always promptly and politely responded to my questions or requests for product recommendations. I have purchased from about a dozen other online stores, but WCS is my goto store for one-stop-shopping, with QUICK order turn-around. Highly recommended."

"West Coast Shaving is a great source for fairly priced top line products. My order shipped and arrived in a timely fashion and I'm currently anticipating a follow up order as we speak! Thanks WCS"

"I just received my first order from WCS and am perfectly satisfied with the experience. I ordered late on a Wednesday night, box was delivered by mid-afternoon on Friday. Everything was packed well and in great condition. I'm very happy and will definitely order again. The website was particularly easy to use and navigate. These guys are first rate, all the way around."

"West Coast Shaving is a great vendor to order from. prices are good, and items are always shipped out quickly!"