Could double edged razors ever be popular again? I mean really popular?

[BrianP]

ZZ Top

I recall stories that back in 1984 Gillette had approached both Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill with $1,000,000 them to shave their beards in a TV commercial. They obviously declined. Think about it... $1,000,000 to shave. For that... I'd let a street person with a nervous condition shave my butt with a rusty machete.

 

[moses]

Think about it... $1,000,000 to shave. For that... I'd let a street person with a nervous condition shave my butt with a rusty machete.

Yeah. That's a lot of money. But think about it.... you also aren't a successful recording artist with more money than you know what to do with (I assume). And one who's all important image is partly tied up in that beard they want you to shave off.

-Mo

 

[BrianP]

Yeah. That's a lot of money. But think about it.... you also aren't a successful recording artist with more money than you know what to do with (I assume). And one who's all important image is partly tied up in that beard they want you to shave off.

-Mo

You assume correctly sir.

And my butt belongs nowhere on television.

 

[radaddict]

I recall stories that back in 1984 Gillette had approached both Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill with $1,000,000 them to shave their beards in a TV commercial. They obviously declined. Think about it... $1,000,000 to shave. For that... I'd let a street person with a nervous condition shave my butt with a rusty machete.

I think we need a fund raiser. I don't know about the rest of you, but if we can raise $1,000,000. we can see BrianP here get his butt shaved with a rusty machete by a nervous street person! Now that's entertainment!

 

[radaddict]

But back to the topic at hand. There are two types of societies that will (and do) use DEs: Those that can't afford anything else (3rd world countries) and those that can afford to use whatever they choose. Face it, how many of us would be wetshaving with a DE and quality soaps and brushes etc., without access to a computer and the Internet? If I had neither and was forced to rely on my local retail stores to obtain shaving tools and supplies, guess what? I'd be using a Fusion with some sort of gel shave cream, an electric razor, or I'd grow a beard. (OMG! Did he say beard? Did he say electric razor?!? Ban him!! Ban the bast%$# from this forum!!).

Now, let's look at the shave gear that the 3rd world person has on his sink (if he has a sink that is). There's a cheap DE razor. Is there a superbadger brush? Well, unless he goes out and kills a badger himself, not likely. In all probability, if there is a brush at all, it will be boar bristle. But most likely he will have a can of Barbasol or some such cheap can o' shave cream. Is he getting a good shave? No, because he's shaving with inferior tools and he's probably not replacing his blade after a few shaves. In fact, he probably really hates shaving.

So, if you walk up to this guy and say "Hey! Have you tried traditional wetshaving? Here's a 60 year old Superspeed and some Proraso shave cream, why don't you go shave?" He's going to think you're nuts. On the other hand, if you walk up to this guy with a Gillette Mach 3 and some shave gel, he will shake your hand and offer you his daughter's hand in marriage.

So, will shaving with a DE as we know it become really popular again? Unlikely. Is there a market for this type of shaving? Yes, but that market is an affluent one that can afford personal luxury and still currently in short supply on this planet.

 

[norman931]

Well, there are guys like me, who for thirty years have been trying unsuccessfully to get a good shave from the gel, cartridges, and disposables. I tried just about every cartridge from Gillette and Schick that came out. Nothing really worked. I was excited when the Mach 3 came out; I bought the first one I saw, and raved about it to anyone who would listen. Same story with the Fusion. When Fusion came out, I went to my local Fred's Dollar Store to buy one. The manager told me that she was surprised that so many men were coming in to shell out thirteen bucks for a razor. I told her that guys will pay a lot to get a good shave.
Websites like this one are getting the word out to guys like me that there is an even better way to shave. So this, while being a niche market, could grow into a larger niche. It would be nice to go to Wal-Mart and see Edwin Jagger brushes and Taylor's cream on the shelf next to the Burma Shaves and Williams!

Norm

 

[Smedley]

Never happen.

But, as long as the DE blades keep being produced, we're all in pretty good shape.

 

[polod]

I think if DE catches on bigtime, you will just see the razors and especially blades go up in value, so we wil eventually end up with high prices for blades like we have with the cartidge blades. Instead of paying $1-2 for 5-10 DE blades, we will be paying $30 for 4 blades. So I hope DE shaving doesn't catch on bigtime to keep razor blade prices down.

 

[Labarum]

Lets see. I'm almost 60 now. How many blades is 20 years stock, and how much would they cost? What is the shelf life of a DE blade in dry conditions?

 

[_JP_]

The only way that I can see DE razors gaining massive appeal again is if some manufacturer would do some major advertising that included educating the public about the product that convinces them that the DE is the way to go.

(Ain't gonna happen)

 

[VR6ofpain]

You never know, we could see a sudden explosion in the DE market one day. All we need is a few celebs using them, some product placements in films, and then some articles in mags like Playboy, Esquire, Maxim, etc. That could really get the ball rolling. Then once you have guys discovering this they might not ever want to go back.

Watch the movie 13 Conversations about One Thing. Mathew Mcconaughey shaves (well you only see him patting off his face after he shaved) with a DE razor. He then removes the blade, with a close up of the silo doors opening, and cuts open a fresh scar on his forehead (you have to see the movie). Maybe more DE razor cameos will take place in Hollywood?

 

[Christoph]

I think the whole DE niche market is a classic example of "The Long Tail". That is, how through the internet millions of obsure niche markets have sprung up, and cumulatively they have as big a share of the economy as many mass produced items.

Here's an interesting article about the phenomenon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Tail

But maybe, over time, DEs will catch on more with each passing year. If they truly do provide a better shave, then I would think it the long run they could make inroads into the shaving market.

One area where they could have success is if they were marketed more as a "green" alternative. Using a DE is less watefull, isn't it? I would think that DE blades require less energy and metal to produce, an are easier to recycle.

Now if we just had some big reatilers getting into it, maybe something could happen.

I still think it would be a fascinating experiemnt to see what would happen if Gillette re-issued a classic DE. But they would want to be very carefull doing this, as it could really catch on.

 

[Labarum]

Ah, but we couldn't sell it as "Green" and keep the badger Brush. The animal rights brigade would have us!

 

[duna]

hmmm no way DE will go mainstream without big bucks, marketing, media, hype, fashion and much advertisement. Who's going to pay for these? The big guys like Gillette are really pro in maintaining strong competitive advantage (and really high prices and profits) in mature markets and simple/low tech products, but their choice is the multiblade cartridge - why switch to a less profitable product? For them the multiblade disposable/cartridge IS the DE, or the shape it took when they warped and twisted the original, simple, and effective product to maintain an advantage over competitors.

When I first saw the three-blade design (sensor 3) I knew that inflation was coming ... now we are at 5+1 blades... what's next? Our only hope is in more people driven out of the local supermarket (and on the 'net) by the sheer weight of the giants nonsense (come on guys... 6 blades... it's a superrobot weapon, not a razor) and the price of their silly new products. The majority will stuck with the cartridges, of course, but enough people could switch to DE to drive the price of available tools sky high . If this is the road, the badger is doomed

 

[Watchmands]

Here, sad to say, I suspect DE shaving will remain primarily the province of those with skin that cannot be comfortably shaved any other way, and eccentrics who enjoy either the collecting aspect, the nostalgia, or the sensory experience, or a combination thereof. For the average guy, it is not going to be worth the time and energy.

Eccentrics! Eccentrics! Why I have half a mind to break out my fountain pen and a nice sheet of Crane's and write you a letter of reprimand. However, my pocket watch tell me that it is instead time to enjoy a snifter of warm cognac and a nice cigar, so you get off easy this time, old boy.

 

[Labarum]

Pocket watch? What a novelty! Any honourable gentlemen would wear a fob watch suspended from his fall front trousers (or maybe knee breeches.)

 

[sullivanpm]

Pocket watch? What a novelty! Any gentlemen would wear a fob watch suspended from his fall front trousers (or maybe knee breeches.)

So a gentleman, whose pocket watch is located in the pocket of his waistcoat, is less honourable?

 

[Labarum]

Can't answer that. I have a quartz Seiko on my wrist, and upstairs my Great Grandfather's Gold Hunter and Chain which I have never worn.

I have often thought it would be nice to wear it with my Mess Kit, but that would mean getting a new Clerical Stock (waistcoat/vest) with real pockets and at least one buttonhole. I have never got round to it.

I suppose it would look quite fine on a Clerical Frock Coat, but I haven't got one of those either.

 

[fritz]

Ah, but we couldn't sell it as "Green" and keep the badger Brush. The animal rights brigade would have us!

Well, they might, but it would be for the wrong reasons. The great majority of badger bristles for brushes now comes from China, where the badger is used for meat. This is "green" in the sense of recycling, making use of something that would otherwise be thrown away.

And a big part of the high price (not all of it, mind you) of Fusion carts is the plastic housing. Plastic, of course, is made from OIL, with a fair amount of energy used to do it.

 

[Christoph]

This idea of re-marketing DEs as a "green" alternative has become an interesting discussion. Its true that Gillette and the other companies have well established markets. But I wouldn't underestimate the porential for this marketing tool. I think that in the long run people will accept sorts of things if they are an environmentally freindly alternative. And, if a serious effort were made to bring make DEs, there would still be all sorts of potential to recoup lost earnings from cartridge systems. Gillette could markey many different DEs - new ones every year or so with varying wieght, quality, features, etc. And they could sell premium blades. I think if you got a guy like Bono hawking these things you could really make a dent in the market. Most men in the world shave with some regularity. So some sort of market must be there.