How are DE blade manufacturers surviving?
- Thread starter rav
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Actually, I was under the impression that DE makes up the majority of the world market.
Cartridges tend to be the norm in the US, Canada and western Europe, but elswhere DE is still king and supported by a number of blade manufacturers.
Cartridges tend to be the norm in the US, Canada and western Europe, but elswhere DE is still king and supported by a number of blade manufacturers.
As far as I know DE shaving is still the major way of wetshaving worldwide.
Besides all these guys here at B&B who order in bulk probably buy enough even for their great-grandchildren.
Most blade manufacturers make also a lot of other (industrial) blades besides DE-blades.
Besides all these guys here at B&B who order in bulk probably buy enough even for their great-grandchildren.
Most blade manufacturers make also a lot of other (industrial) blades besides DE-blades.
Same blades for some of them. I used Feathers in a college biology lab as disposable scalpels for dissection. I still use Treet SE blades in the kitchen.
What these two guys said. In some countries $30 for 5 Fusion cartridges might be a month's salary. Alot of the middle eastern & African stores in my area all sell DE blades. They are familiar with from back home I guess.
Not all of the world is made up of the Western world.
People in third world countries cannot afford cartridges, so they probably use DEs or straights. I guess in this case, they're better of than we are...
People in third world countries cannot afford cartridges, so they probably use DEs or straights. I guess in this case, they're better of than we are...
They also still have soda pop in glass bottles, you couldn't beat a cold one on a hot summers day...
They all survive because of the money that I have spent over the last six months on this crazy hobby.
There has been a reduction of players in the market, and a reduction in choice for consumers, even since I started DE shaving on Christmas Day, 2007. You can no longer get Tiger blades, PolSilvers, or Iridiums, for example.
Both Tigers and Iridiums were/are excellent blades. I haven't tried the Polsilvers yet.
As noted above, the less-developed parts of the world still use DE blades, but they often cannot afford really high-quality DE blades, so a large portion of the production are lower-quality junk, like Sharps.
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That's an interesting point.. scary though. I wonder if it'll continue going down that route and it'll be the cheap and nasty blades we'll be left with in a few years.
It concerning how quickly the Gillette Swedes disappeared.
Most blades are manufactured in Asia and Eastern Europe where DE razors are still used. Additionally, labor costs are more affordable in those areas.
A lot of the major DE blade makers like ASR, Gillette, Wilkinson Sword, and Feather, sell a lot of products in addition to DE blades. I would also imagine that a lot of the process is automated so there would be very little overhead.
and real sugar in that soda.
I've got enough good blades, between Derby, Feather, Israeli Personna, and Gillette Super Bleu(try 'em if you haven't) mass purchases, to last me until I'm old enough to pull off the Billy Gibbons beard. And I've got more on the way.
Stockpiling.
If they ever stop DE blades production, I'll shave with my straight!
(I hope they won't, because I enjoy in variety of blades...)
(I hope they won't, because I enjoy in variety of blades...)
Solingen makes broadheads for bowhunting.
I get f'ing awesome blood trails.
I get f'ing awesome blood trails.
As others have said, DE shaving is a niche market in North America, but here's some further food for thought... how are the small shave soap producers (TGQ, QED, Mama Bear, etc) surviving? Thanks to the Internet it's very possible to be successful within a niche market. Even if DEs become a niche market on the global level the manufacturers can still be successful, they'd just have to scale back their operations to keep turning a profit, and I'm sure some of the bigger names would.
I don't know. I would think that manufacturing DE blades depends on a lot more heavy, expensive machinery than soap manufacturing. It may not be profitable to keep such machinery operating for a niche market only.
I'm not pessimistic though, I think that DE blades will remain popular enough for the foreseeable future.
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I'm sure most of these companies primary manufacturing goals are not DE blades. Surgical/dental tools, industrial cutting blades, and the like probably are the main focus.
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