Gillette has really jumped the shark! Claim 5 weeks on 1 cartridge

[BrookR1]

I used to get 10 shaves from disposable twin blade razors using bar soap. I did one pass plus touch ups. I think the cost of a 10 pack of razors was around $6. So, doing that math, that's 100 shaves for $6. Can't really count the cost of the soap because I used so little. I didn't need to use aftershave because the soap I used already contained glycerin. I did this for several years with (what I thought at the time) was a fine shave. Definitely much better than using an electric.

Today, I use one DE blade about 3 times before I toss it. The blades I use are about $18 per 100. So, 300 shaves for $18 or 100 shaves for $6. Costs exactly the same. Now with DE, I use expensive creams and soaps but I get a much better shave. I could easily switch back to my bar soap with good results (I've lathered my bar soap and it works just fine).

So for me, if I weren't using expensive creams and aftershaves, it would be a wash. Of course, I'm spending much more on DE shaving (trying everything available out there).

 

[Synthetic Badger]

I doubt many guys are going from carts to electic and actually sticking with that. That's like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

I know three such people, recent converts. They suck up the electric due to the cost factor. For the price of the cheapest Philips (39€) you can get maybe two five-packs of cartridges (appr. 20€+20€). Gillette has been increasing the prices for the last few years. Even Mach3 prces have grown out of the roof. The cheapo Philips, on the other hand, is cheaper and better than before, will run good for 3 years, and can be replaced for another 39€ when it dies. You can see the allure of the cutting edges that spin, shake and vibrate even more than Gillette's...

As a side note: at least locally, 99% of shaving age < 40 year olds do not even know what a DE razor is. So the electric is really the only alternative.

 

[ieschwoch]

I know three such people, recent converts. They suck up the electric due to the cost factor. For the price of the cheapest Philips (39&#8364 you can get maybe two five-packs of cartridges (appr. 20&#8364;+20&#8364. Gillette has been increasing the prices for the last few years. Even Mach3 prces have grown out of the roof. The cheapo Philips, on the other hand, is cheaper and better than before, will run good for 3 years, and can be replaced for another 39&#8364; when it dies. You can see the allure of the cutting edges that spin, shake and vibrate even more than Gillette's...

As a side note: at least locally, 99% of shaving age < 40 year olds do not even know what a DE razor is. So the electric is really the only alternative.

I used an electric for nearly two years after using a cartridge most of my life. It was a very quick, comfortable shave. The closeness was the only issue, but I was still presentable; it was probably equivalent to my face 6-8 hours after a DE shave. The upfront cost for an electric is high, but replacement heads are cheap and you spend next to nothing on "product."

 

[Darnell]

I used to get 10 shaves from disposable twin blade razors using bar soap. I did one pass plus touch ups. I think the cost of a 10 pack of razors was around $6. So, doing that math, that's 100 shaves for $6. Can't really count the cost of the soap because I used so little. I didn't need to use aftershave because the soap I used already contained glycerin. I did this for several years with (what I thought at the time) was a fine shave. Definitely much better than using an electric.

Today, I use one DE blade about 3 times before I toss it. The blades I use are about $18 per 100. So, 300 shaves for $18 or 100 shaves for $6. Costs exactly the same. Now with DE, I use expensive creams and soaps but I get a much better shave. I could easily switch back to my bar soap with good results (I've lathered my bar soap and it works just fine).

So for me, if I weren't using expensive creams and aftershaves, it would be a wash. Of course, I'm spending much more on DE shaving (trying everything available out there).

It seems many of the folks here at B&B have not been DE shaving for even 5 years yet. Only been 1.5 years for me. So many of us are still feeling out which products we prefer. Even with carts I spent a good bit going through various types of razors and their respective carts. Various goo and so on. But for me the bottom line is that DE has the quality and the costs for products is more reasonable overall.

I know three such people, recent converts. They suck up the electric due to the cost factor. For the price of the cheapest Philips (39€) you can get maybe two five-packs of cartridges (appr. 20€+20€). Gillette has been increasing the prices for the last few years. Even Mach3 prces have grown out of the roof. The cheapo Philips, on the other hand, is cheaper and better than before, will run good for 3 years, and can be replaced for another 39€ when it dies. You can see the allure of the cutting edges that spin, shake and vibrate even more than Gillette's...

As a side note: at least locally, 99% of shaving age < 40 year olds do not even know what a DE razor is. So the electric is really the only alternative.

I used an electric for nearly two years after using a cartridge most of my life. It was a very quick, comfortable shave. The closeness was the only issue, but I was still presentable; it was probably equivalent to my face 6-8 hours after a DE shave. The upfront cost for an electric is high, but replacement heads are cheap and you spend next to nothing on "product."

I can only speak for myself. But I said going from carts to electric would be like going out of the frying pan into the fire, because for my type of hair the electric was so aweful. What it did to my skin was NOT presentable. Sure it got the hair off, but the bumps and crap were far from presentable, rather embarassing. And even with electric, if you get the Braun higher end of "Clean & Charge" type razor. There's the expense of monthly foils, cutters, cleaners, powder and razor lubricant. (And the cleaner unit didn't last very long. I sold my old Braun Syncro 7680 not long ago with no cleaner unit, and most folks selling the same on Ebay didn't even have a cleaner unit. One seller was selling his with a broken cleaner unit.)

So whatever the method, there is a 'cheap' way to do it. But I've found, that when considering both price and quality of shave, DE can't be beat. While someone can mention a cheap electric or cheap cart, we know it can't beat a DE shave and we know a good DE shave can be acheived with little expense. The ProGlide is Gillette's high end product. While one of their carts can't last me "5 weeks", even if one did, the cost of 1 of those ProGlide carts compared to 5 of my Feathers using one per week. Feather still comes out cheaper. But that's me. I'm not one for using the lowest, cheapest of the lot. When I used electric, I used the best of their lot that I could find for me, same with carts and so on with DE. DE still works out better in price and quality in my regard.

If we want to talk about a cheap means that removes hair, we can go back to how men did it in "pre-historic" times. Sharpen a rock or whatever and go for it. Costs of products is free. And they last a very long time.