So how much would gillette safety razors be sold for today if they made them the exact same way they did back in the day?
If gillette made safety razors today?
- Thread starter Xilbus
- Start date
$75.00 usd minimum
The same as Merkur's
Same as the competition. More Or Less.
let's put it this way- What if Gillette made a special anniversary edition nickel plated fatboy in a replica case from 1958- and put it for sale at a list price of 185.00 us dollars? Would you buy one? Now what if you found out it was made in India or China- would you still buy one?
Never really went for commemorative firearms, designed and marketed to be instant collectibles. It's much more gratifying to own and shoot original Winchesters and Colts that were made and used "back in the day."
I feel the same way about razors. The $185 would be put to better use buying neato oldie razors. A Chinese or Indian Fatboy would be no more appealing than a Chinese or Indian (or Japanese) Winchester Model 94.
I feel the same way about razors. The $185 would be put to better use buying neato oldie razors. A Chinese or Indian Fatboy would be no more appealing than a Chinese or Indian (or Japanese) Winchester Model 94.
I would not buy a replica, no. In a few years, the popularity of razors will decline and the prices will go down. By then I'll have probably finished out my collection and will start to pare down my collection and would want to sell that particular repro fatboy and it would be worth... $40.
If Gillette still sold razors made with brass or other quality metals in the DE format, they would be mass producing them and would have a multifaceted line like they did back in the day... only they would also have the ultra mass produced aluminum or worse metal razors being made ultra cheap for the Indian market. Prices would range from maybe less than $10 to possibly more than $2K for an 100th anniversary sterling silver 2004 Double Ring. I'd personally be interested in the new Aristocrat line.
If Gillette still sold razors made with brass or other quality metals in the DE format, they would be mass producing them and would have a multifaceted line like they did back in the day... only they would also have the ultra mass produced aluminum or worse metal razors being made ultra cheap for the Indian market. Prices would range from maybe less than $10 to possibly more than $2K for an 100th anniversary sterling silver 2004 Double Ring. I'd personally be interested in the new Aristocrat line.
Nope unless it was made in USA Maybe i would buy one, if not then screw it.
I would say less expensive that Muhle, Merkur, etc...higher volume, increase share....
For giggles I went to http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ I put in the price for a new Fatboy in 1959.....$1.95 ...the cost..today.....$15.42......I bet today, they could easily sell razors for $20.00 and make HUGE profits with the amount of market share they have.
Inflation Calculator If in 1959 (enter year) I purchased an item for $ 1.95 then in 2012 (enter year*) that same item would cost: $15.42 Annual rate of inflation change: 690.7%
| Inflation Calculator | ||||||
| If in | 1959 | (enter year) | ||||
| I purchased an item for $ | 1.95 | |||||
| then in | 2012 | (enter year*) | ||||
| that same item would cost: | $15.42 | |||||
| Annual rate of inflation change: | 690.7% | |||||
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Interesting 
a. Gillette does still make DE razors - cheap ones for the Indian market
b. since Gillette and AoS are owned by the same company, there's no point in them crossing over in North America. Gillette gets the low price high volume mass-market sales, AoS gets the low volume high priced boutique market, P+G profits either way!
b. since Gillette and AoS are owned by the same company, there's no point in them crossing over in North America. Gillette gets the low price high volume mass-market sales, AoS gets the low volume high priced boutique market, P+G profits either way!
Do they sell them under the Gillette brand or are they under a different company?
Good thread!
Using the consumer price index to reflect a certain price today is somewhat misleading. Afterall, a company must take into account many aspects before they are able to set the final customer price. Here is a couple:
1. Gillette made MILLIONS of razors back in their hey day. So the cost per razor was not that very high. If they decided to take up a small production again (10.000?) the production cost would be something else.. Especially for more complicated razors. (I think one of the Aristos is consolidated of 6o or so different parts).
2. Gillette already had a big infrastructure with skilled workers. That was really not the case when the company started and if my memory serves me the pre WW1 razors were rather expensive. If we take the Fatboy example again: it´s simply not possible to produce a complicated razor- like the Fatboy in U.S for that money anymore.
3. Quality of material, plating etc. Mühle and Merkur don´t use brass brass (I think) like the old Gillettes.
Well, that´s my opinion anyway (with the 2 cents that come with it).
With automation, robotics, stamping metal vs forged, etc I believe cost could be very low. Production would/could easily ramp up. That's the easy part. Convincing consumers to change and undue years of marketing would be the tougher job. Besides, for many including our dad's the cart is faster and safer and "in" with the times.
I wouldn't buy an anniversary edition.
Gillettes aren't that great but to me they represent a time when the world was a better place.
When I use my 1962 slim in my mind that is the year I am in.
Remaking them would be like having sex with the ex.
YMMV
Gillettes aren't that great but to me they represent a time when the world was a better place.
When I use my 1962 slim in my mind that is the year I am in.
Remaking them would be like having sex with the ex.
YMMV
- Thread starter
- #17
I was thinking that a brass body with the plating that these gillettes would be worth a bit more then 20$. Imagine if they made the aggresive big boy today it would probably be worth more then the ikons ?
+1 maybe more because of the Gillette name.
It will never happen.
If Gillette believed there was money to be made in the DE razor handle market,
they would have put something out there by now.
Even if every single member of B&B bought a $180 commemorative razor,
that still wouldn't even be a drop in the bucket compared to the global scale.
Gillette (and P&G) see the market as dead,
so why produce a razor that relatively few people would buy?
If Gillette believed there was money to be made in the DE razor handle market,
they would have put something out there by now.
Even if every single member of B&B bought a $180 commemorative razor,
that still wouldn't even be a drop in the bucket compared to the global scale.
Gillette (and P&G) see the market as dead,
so why produce a razor that relatively few people would buy?
I think it is important to remember that the genius of King Gillette was to be in the blade business not selling razors. As such, they never saw the razor business as a meaningful profit center as modern DE razor manufacturers must today. Back in the 1920s to increase DE blade use beyond the WW I soldiers that got Gillettes during the war, they actually gave away razors as premiums. They also often subsidized razor sales, taking a loss on each one sold. They are spending hundreds of millions in India to convert the largest DE market to carts with their "Guard" system (carts for this are ~$0.11). No one forced shavers to abandon DEs 40 odd years ago and the idea that anyone could make big profits from selling $20 quality DEs today does not comport with what expected modern day volumes would total. This is a small niche market and volume is critically important in determining unit cost. The final straw for Gillette to move into proprietary systems was Wilkinson's success with the introduction of the stainless blade. In their first year (I think 1963) they sold ~7 million blades while Gillette was cranking out 11 million a day in their Boston factory alone. Not a big share loss but enough to raise a red flag. The irony about this is that Gillette held patents on the SS blade and Wilky had to pay them a royalty for everyone they sold. Razors were always as important to Gillette as a syringe is to a drug dealer; i.e. very important but not where the profits are. In the mid-60s they sold stainless blades for $0.15 why would they ever want to promote a shaving method where in real terms (inflation adjusted) the price of the key profitable product has dropped 85+ percent in the last 45 years?
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