Are Gillette and Schick there own enemies?

[spinyeel]

I was wondering, due to the ridiculous prices the big two are charging for cartridges,are they losing customers to electric razor manufacturers? If I hadn't discovered forums like this,I would personally grow a beard,but some guys need to shave every day,and the electric option would be a lot cheaper than using cartridges.

 

[1969Fatboy]

Odd question for this forum since most of us on here use very inexpensive but quality DE blades or straights. Paying $3 a blade was enough encouragement for me to try to find an alternative and I did! Never looking back!

 

[DunEdinRanger]

I think that's his point. As the price of cartridges keeps increasing, people will begin to look for alternatives.

By continuously making cartridges with more blades, and costing more to purchase, they are going to either force a fashion change where beards will be back in style (some say they've always been in style in Hollywood!) or people will discover straight edge and double edge wet shaving.

I had an electric and the cost was as high as the cartridges when you factor in the initial price of the electric and replacement blades.

 

[Intruderdriver]

It's simple economics. They charge a lot for their cartidges because they can. If people were not buying them, they would be forced by necessity to reduce prices. Both companies have been around a long time; since the beginning of disposable blade shaving. They are not going to drive themselves out of business.

Very few of us have actively sought viable alternatives, and while we feel that our numbers are strong, we really represent a tiny fraction of the shaving market. As with many things, the average consumer is a sheep, and doesn't bother to research alternatives. Just my 2 cents.

 

[SepticTank]

As with many things, the average consumer is a sheep, and doesn't bother to research alternatives. Just my 2 cents.

I'd say they don't step beyond the shaving aisle at their local superdupermarket - I know this from SWMBO - they stopped selling her hair care product of choice in our normal, so she chose another and moaned about it rather than actually going elsewhere for it. I'll go the extra mile for what I actually want rather than settling for what I can get.

 

[_JP_]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Eagle]

My guess is that the #'s of electric razor shavers will never surpass nor even come close to cartridge shavers. I'm not familiar with the newest and greatest electric razor, but I've tested a few models ending about 5 years ago. I never received a decent shave from any brand nor did they save me any time. Multiple passes are required, sometimes back and forth over the same spot a dozen times, and never a close shave. I think those results are fairly typical and unsatisfactory for the majority of shavers. Since not many want to take the time to learn and revisit our brand of shaving, I would say expensive cartridges are here to stay no matter the cost.

 

[Bflobill 1125]

With the cost of everything else rising shaving is one thing we can control.............the old DE safety razor is the only way to go!

 

[iron maiden]

With the cost of everything else rising shaving is one thing we can control.............the old DE safety razor is the only way to go!

Well.........let's not forget the straight razor.

But I agree, the old ways are definitely better than electrics. I never understood why they are still able to sell those things. I never got a good shave from one....ever.

 

[Bflobill 1125]

Yeah, I should have mentioned straights also.Its amazing how new technology can't always make something better! With shaving I believe that is certainly the case.

 

[Didero]

I don't think electric razors are doing that badly, considering only a "few" years ago they had a market share of zero. All in all I'm glad I found out about DE shaving.

 

[SepticTank]

Let's also not forget that Gillette acquired Braun (who make electric razors amongst other things) some time back in the 1980s - and now of course both are part of the P&G empire...

 

[riooso]

Before I started straight shaving I was using disposables. I got tired of the multi-blade Battlestar Galactica crap and start using the disposable because the shave was not that much better. I know a lot of people that had the same opinion.



Later,
Richard

 

[Isaias]

People, we are still a minority... a very small minority.
For every merkur sold, there are millions of cartridges and new shaving systems. Is DE ever going to be the dominant form of shaving? no I'd say never. Although, there is a small hope for brushes to become more popular. For every Adult that sees the light, thousands of pubescent teenagers will still choose to go with whatever they can find in their drugstore.

 

[Gurthang]

"I got tired of the multi-blade Battlestar Galactica crap..."

Actually, on Battlestar Galactica I've seen the characters use a DE and a straight.

 

[koso]

Yeah, Admiral Adama uses a Futura.

 

[riooso]

"I got tired of the multi-blade Battlestar Galactica crap..."

Actually, on Battlestar Galactica I've seen the characters use a DE and a straight.

Yea, but they were not human if I remember correctly! Armada is human but I was thinking of that Gaud awful blade one guy used to shave his head.