New straight razor manufacturer in the US
- Thread starter leighton
- Start date
This is a very interesting story. It will be fun to see how this unfolds.
Looks like a nice razor. Price is steep for me though. Maybe they will offer just the razor in the future which should cut the cost significantly.
- Thread starter
- #4
Doubtful. Maybe $40 at the most.
All good news for the straight razor market.
It makes everybody try a little harder and indirectly puts pressure on prices which is good for shavers in general. Maybe it will make the Germans and the French sharpen their razors. No, sorry about that, stupid thoughts. They won't change the habits of a lifetime.
The price point is actually quite high and they need to be good and I hope they are. I think there will be a strong demand for such a product and well done to whoever had the brainchild. I wish them success.
It all sounds exciting and good.
It makes everybody try a little harder and indirectly puts pressure on prices which is good for shavers in general. Maybe it will make the Germans and the French sharpen their razors. No, sorry about that, stupid thoughts. They won't change the habits of a lifetime.
The price point is actually quite high and they need to be good and I hope they are. I think there will be a strong demand for such a product and well done to whoever had the brainchild. I wish them success.
It all sounds exciting and good.
Look good but seems a bit expensive imo.
the weak dollar might help it a bit, considering most decent straights are EU made, but it still leaves alot of very decent german razors at the $150-$200 point, charging 240 for a unknown brand razor, its a bit stiff,
yeah, TI's go for about that much (the cheaper ones) , if those can't beat them in shaveability and quality....
cool - the diferent stamp for different grinders appeals to me
The definitely look nice, and having the grinder's initials in the stamp is pretty neat, but at $240 it's hardly the workman-like razor Chris is proclaiming it to be over at SMF. Still it is nice to see a new production straight being produced in the States.
"Made in the USA" appeals to me, though the price is out of my range. I hope they are successful!
Nice razor for a production piece. Glad to see a new manufacturer enter into the market but IMHO needs a little more flash for that price point.
I absolutely love the "Made in USA" concept and the rugged design. However, I personally could never afford to splurge that much on a razor. I'll have to stick with my Torrey for those patriotic shaves 
.
Best of luck to everyone involved with the project. Hopefully it will catch on and less expensive models will come through!
.Best of luck to everyone involved with the project. Hopefully it will catch on and less expensive models will come through!
- Thread starter
- #14
Agreed with all. I was very excited to read the original post. Love the made in the USA concept. But then I read the price at the end and my high hopes were dashed. Quite frankly, its not even a mirror polish, theres no way I'm spending $240 for that. I'd rather spend $100-$200 more and get a custom razor. Price needs to drop $100 for it to be affordable. Otherwise, its a mid point between high end production and low end custom. Not entirely sure there is a void to be filled there. I wish them success, but I cannot justify the price with my pocketbook.
That price might be justified for a production Zowada razor, except that TZ seems to be disavowing these razors saying that although he is project manager and trained the guys that are making the razors he doesn't consider them to be Zowada razors. And since they don't have his name on them anywhere it's fair that we shouldn't impute any of his reputation to these new razors. So what that leaves us with are some half-finished crudely-ground razors made with a pretty pedestrian steel, at a higher price point than the full hollow mirror polished razors from TI and Dovo.
While one might be a fan of quarter hollows (I'm not) or O1 steel (love the hardness but it's very rust-prone even for carbon steel) or matte finishes (harder to get clean, encourages rust) the fact remains that these are all attributes that minimise the skill level needed, and keep the cost low. And yet despite being less-well made than their competition from France(!?!) these razors are nearly as expensive as a full custom from Robert Williams, Bill Ellis, or Robert Chandler.
Why is this exciting again?
While one might be a fan of quarter hollows (I'm not) or O1 steel (love the hardness but it's very rust-prone even for carbon steel) or matte finishes (harder to get clean, encourages rust) the fact remains that these are all attributes that minimise the skill level needed, and keep the cost low. And yet despite being less-well made than their competition from France(!?!) these razors are nearly as expensive as a full custom from Robert Williams, Bill Ellis, or Robert Chandler.
Why is this exciting again?
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- Thread starter
- #17
While I can't disagree with the rest of MParker's post...
Its exciting to see someone come out with a new venture. At least the US is trying. I'm kind of disappointed that Congress did not protect our razor manufacturers in the past and now they're all dead.
But yeah...price point needs to come down to make it a *real* mass produced razor.
Its exciting to see someone come out with a new venture. At least the US is trying. I'm kind of disappointed that Congress did not protect our razor manufacturers in the past and now they're all dead.
But yeah...price point needs to come down to make it a *real* mass produced razor.
I don't think it's the government's fault in this case. As far as I know the razor production at Thiers-Issard or Dovo wasn't subsidized and both of these companies have business well beyond razors.
I don't know how much a razor should cost, but when I consider what a living wage in US is, how much overhead there is just in post production, and the tiny size of the market I think I know why while so many people seem to imply they will be buying $100 razors, there really isn't anybody who is making them.
I have so many razors, only because they cost much less than I can afford.
The good news is ... the straight razor market is 'hot' enough to encourage new guys to get in! Plus, I think that this is the only non-hollow-ground in current/new production.
The issue of hitting the quality/price ratio correctly is one that ultimately the customers will decide.
The issue of hitting the quality/price ratio correctly is one that ultimately the customers will decide.
I'm totally with you.
I've just been selling shave ready razors for $45. But I fear it is not a situation that will last for much longer. Hang on to your good stuff. I honestly believe the market will soon be flooded with new shiny rubbish and that will kill the current upserge. I hope i'm wrong.
