Gillette makes for bad shaving habits

[Dave Colangelo]

I had an interesting conversation the other day with a friend about shaving. He uses a modern Gillette mach fancy blade and we were discussing DE's and the cost of blades etc. He asked how often I changed the blade and I said every 5ish shaves. He told me that he stretched his Gillette cartridges out as much as he could, sometimes a month and a half if possible, he shaves almost every day... I got to thinking that many people do this, and after asking a few other friends casually I got similar answers. Thus my conclusion now is that by making the cartridges so over priced they are actually teaching bad shaving habits as well as selling less product by making it almost a game of how long a single cartridge can last. Just thought I would share.


Regards
Dave

 

[Nadir M]

I completely agree with you, Dave.

 

[JazzyJ]

Yeah, I think they kind of shot themselves in the foot with how much they charge for the fusion.

 

[chgruver]

I know with cartridges I would change them with the first shave of the month, mainly because the cost was at least bearable most times at that frequency. Plus it helped me to know how old the cartridge was.

 

[chrisf8657]

Not to mention the fact that there is no reason they need to charge that much - it's all pure greed.

 

[Dngolden]

Agreed. I still use the fusion when I travel for work. I get 4-6 good shaves per cartridge, about the same as DE. The difference is that you can "get away" with a mediocre cartridge shave, not as much with DE. When I used the fusion full time, I often would stretch the cartridges because of the insane costs. Doing so, as you suggest, is a very bad idea.

 

[Clanmac]

A mach3 would last me ages, but then I did 2 passes and it was never that close. No if I where to do a 3 pass as I now do I am sure I would get a BBS every time but I would be buying them all the time.. and of course I enjoy shaving now , its something to look forward to.

I still use a Mach3 for the back of my neck as my other half does this for me and when she uses a DE she cuts me.

 

[Eeyore]

I never moved up, and I always got decent shaves. No need for modern cartridges.

 

[dieselfuel79]

Excellent point. I can remember buying the bulk packs at costco for $50 + and trying to make them last as long as possible.

 

[chgruver]

Why did you all ever move to the Fusion? What was wrong with the original Gillette cartridge razors?

These kinds of discussions always amuse me ... nobody ever forced you to move to the latest and greatest Gillette razors ... even Trac II (compatible) cartridges are still widely available!

I never moved up, and I always got decent shaves.

The first time I am not sure, the second time was for a Target gift card when purchasing the razor. Then in a move lost the razor and switched to Schick Hydro because the razor and the carts were cheaper than even the Mach 3.

 

[mmack66]

Not to mention the fact that there is no reason they need to charge that much - it's all pure greed.

If consumers are still buying into the Fusion, even though there are 10-15 less expensive options for shaving a face, the price isn't too high.

After all, they are in business to make money for themselves and their shareholders.

 

[Eeyore]

But even the Mach 3 is unnecessarily complex, imho ... I remember the Sensor looking very flimsy, which is why I never bought it, and after that I haven't followed the cartridge razor market anymore. With a DE and a Trac razor, you can cover all your needs for a home and travel razor, I think. (leaving out the straights, of course!)


Ironically, I learned more about modern cartridge razors in my few months on B&B than in my entire "shaving career" lol

 

[Atalk]

I only "moved up" when Gillette would send me a free handle. That's how I first tried the Sensor, Mach, and Fusion razors. I finally settled on the Sensor if I have a need for a cartridge-type razor.

 

[Eeyore]

I only "moved up" when Gillette would send me a free handle. That's how I first tried the Sensor, Mach, and Fusion razors. I finally settled on the Sensor if I have a need for a cartridge-type razor.

Wasn't the Sensor already mostly plastic, with those funny looking clamps for the cartridge? I remember that they were introduced, but somehow I never bought one.

Edit: the catch for young shavers of course is that Gillette does not sell the Trac handles anymore. (The Atra has the rotating head, and also is flimsier than a Trac). They effectively make it impossible for newcomers to step into their "legacy" cartridge systems.

 

[KQY61]

Hi,

I tried a Fusion. It was free. In my mailbox free. Two carts with it. Found I could go two weeks on a cart vs. The one week on a DE blade. Well, four cutting edges vs. Two. Double the time. Made sense.

Gillette sends me a new razor every time they pop one out. Now I have a five blade fusion I have not tried yet. Free in the old mailbox.

Not that they get me to buy new carts. There, they fail. I just toss the free handle and revert to my Personna DE blades. Gillette does not even get blade sales from me for their efforts.

Stan

 

[Eeyore]

What's Gillettes business model? Why do they send out free razors in the USA, and not in the rest of the world?

Do they get most money from the USA market? Or do they think that "freebies" don't work elsewhere?

Just curious

 

[The Accountant]

i guess my beard is tougher than I thought; I could never get more than a week if that much from a Fusion or Mach 3 setup. Not to mention the fact that the shave was not something I looked forward to in the morning. Once you get past the RAD part of DE shaving it is more economical than the cartridges.

Of course, a great many of us never get past the RAD part...

 

[mmack66]

What's Gillettes business model? Why do they send out free razors in the USA, and not in the rest of the world?

Do they get most money from the USA market? Or do they think that "freebies" don't work elsewhere?

Just curious

Their business model is the same as it always has been, which is to get people to continually buy expensive replacement blades, be it DE or cartridge. The free razor handle is just an enticement to get people to buy the blades.

I would imagine that the US is currently their largest market for shaving gear.

 

[jrp316]

In my case, if it weren't for the price of Gillette cartridges, I might've never come over to the 'dark side' as it were. Prior to getting my first DE and straight, I'd been using a Fusion and getting decent shaves out of it; I was, however, using a brush and shaving soap rather than canned goo. It was when I went shopping for refill cartridges that I flipped out. $30 for 5 cartridges...I expected it to be closer to 10 or so for $15. I reasoned that I could get an old straight or DE for that or less.

Here's an article that details where Gillette was raked over the coals for pricing on their Fusion cartridges: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-heads-cost-just-5p-make-sell-2-43-each.html

Currency wise, the cost to make the cartridges in the article translates to 8 cents each, and they were selling them for $3.84 each.

 

[Eeyore]

Currency wise, the cost to make the cartridges in the article translates to 8 cents each, and they were selling them for $3.84 each.

Gillette Slalom cartridges sell for 25p a cartridge (someone just posted a link in the UK shaving room). These are current production, for the Eastern European market, I believe.

If you are cost conscious, there are many cartridge options to choose from.