Can you ever imagine one of the big, old shaver companies manufacturing classic DE shavers again?
- Thread starter Christoph
- Start date
Well, the head on that razor is a Muhle, and purchased directly from Muhle, and the handle is made by who knows. In fact, the word Gillette appears nowhere on the razor and only appears on the outside of the case. The razor does seem to have sold well though. That is definitely a good sign.
Would be great...right up until you read "Made in Bangladesh".
Too true.
+1! Still nice to see P+G testing the waters again!
Personally I wouldn't shut the door completly at the concept, but we're talking small margins here. If they did, as some other people have stated then it would probably be an anniversary or collectors item, for a limited run. That way the manufacturer could charge a large sum of money. And earn back on the production costs.
Let's say if Gillette decided to make the Fatboy or Adjustable Slim again. First it wouldn't be cheap due to the costs of making it. And they'd face a second challenge: the used market.
There are a lot of these razors still around. Some in very good condition, while others can be salvaged. Why would a consumer pay a large sum of money, when they could go to a garage sale and buy the same thing for let's say 8 bucks. Then ship it off to another store to have it replated?
Not to speak of the fact that the marketing they would do for such a product would shine a bright light into tradtional wet shaving. Which could result in them losing customers from their modern products.
In regards to new designs then I'd say that such a thing would be more possible. But again, the gamble here is that they could risk losing customers from what they offer now. After all, the cartridge blades is where the money is. So I wouldn't count on it.
Let's say if Gillette decided to make the Fatboy or Adjustable Slim again. First it wouldn't be cheap due to the costs of making it. And they'd face a second challenge: the used market.
There are a lot of these razors still around. Some in very good condition, while others can be salvaged. Why would a consumer pay a large sum of money, when they could go to a garage sale and buy the same thing for let's say 8 bucks. Then ship it off to another store to have it replated?
Not to speak of the fact that the marketing they would do for such a product would shine a bright light into tradtional wet shaving. Which could result in them losing customers from their modern products.
In regards to new designs then I'd say that such a thing would be more possible. But again, the gamble here is that they could risk losing customers from what they offer now. After all, the cartridge blades is where the money is. So I wouldn't count on it.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
To me the days of Gillette being actively engaged in the design and manufacturing of DE razors has passed for the reasons @Fen stated. Simply they have nothing to gain and put more at risk by doing so.
On the other hand they will satisfy or placate some with these "inspired" releases, sourcing parts from current manufacturers and having a box that says Gillette on it. I'd expect another one next holiday season.
If I wanted a DE89/R89, I'd get this Gillette because it has a nice handle and a case. That it says Gillette on it doesn't do a thing for me or against me.
On the other hand they will satisfy or placate some with these "inspired" releases, sourcing parts from current manufacturers and having a box that says Gillette on it. I'd expect another one next holiday season.
If I wanted a DE89/R89, I'd get this Gillette because it has a nice handle and a case. That it says Gillette on it doesn't do a thing for me or against me.
Gillette has a history of manufacturing razors in other countries, I have 2 that were made in England. The early model with a brass handle does have Gillette engraved on the cap and stamped on the base plate, while the late model with an aluminum handle only has Gillette molded in the cap and Made in England stamped on the base plate.
Companies such as Muhle, Merkur, Fatip, Parker exist because there is still a market for their product, and if Gillette chooses to use one of these companies to manufacture a Gillette branded razor, then so be it. My Schöne has no markings at all, yet I know it is a Schöne.
Do I want one? I will wait for the reviews..........
Show of hands. How many of us have just one razor?
Keep in mind, Gillette gets royalties from many of the "rival" manufacturers.
Lol, another good point!
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
"us" being the keyword here. I suspect much of the world's population of "normal" shavers only have one.
Earlier I agreed that Gillette does put at risk their high markup cart profit center, but thinking about that more, I'm not sure they do, because while we may bring a few people over to shaving with non-cart razors over the years, the fact is the cart provides a great shave to many and many simply won't learn to use a SE or DE properly, be they lacking motor skills or patience.
If Gillette really decides to actually make their own DE's it would make sense for them to market the via AOS. I don't know what's going to happen.
t
I think P&G is prepping Gillette razors and blades to sell it to Amazon. The only thing that needs to be sold is the right to use the Gillette name. That can happen in about 15 minutes. Five years with lawyers involved. Imagine if all the Gillette razors came back and are made when ordered.
I think P&G is prepping Gillette razors and blades to sell it to Amazon. The only thing that needs to be sold is the right to use the Gillette name. That can happen in about 15 minutes. Five years with lawyers involved. Imagine if all the Gillette razors came back and are made when ordered.
I actually think this could happen. I also think Amazon will own Wally World soon.
I shop from my Lazyboy more and more every day.
Check out the Amazon Essentials clothes line (not the kind you hang clothes on). They are bypassing WMT and getting their private brand made by whoever will do it the cheapest. The same thing is happening for other products.
I have seen this, a bit. It looks like a great concept, even if it does ruin the small business owner.
But plenty of small business owners will adapt.
Buggy makers did, or didn't, adapt when autos came out.
Progress waits for no man!
We actually need more Henry Ford's today.
You are absolutely correct. I too have numerous vintage Gillette razors that were made in England. All have the Gillette logo on them, either on the base plate or the top cap as you pointed out. I also have a Schone Open Comb, which I love, that as you stated has no markings whatsoever. My only point was that in the past when Gillette was making double edge razors they always had the Gillette logo on them somewhere, except th earliest versions, while this razor does not have the Gillette logo anywhere on it. I don't have any plans to buy this new razor simply because I already have about 4 NEW razors with the common bar handle and I have a couple DE89 razor heads. So, in essence, I already own the razor they are selling. And while I'd like to see Gillette succeed in this venture in hopes of seeing them take it further and start making double edge razors again, I don't need more duplicates of razors I already own. In fact I plan on selling some of the duplicates in the near future. As for using Muhle to provide them parts for this razor, that relationship was cemented some time ago when we began seeing Muhle razors in Art of Shaving stores. With what we now know about this razor, the only question one must ask oneself is, is this really a Gillette razor? Some people might say yes. And others might say no. As with everything in this grand exploration, YMMV.
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