What's new

NEW GILLETTE DE Razor

I agree. At this point I think we want to see something more substantial and true to the Gillette heritage. I'd like to see a stainless steel or at least brass razor handle and a totally new and innovative head, also brass or stainless steel. But I doubt Gillette will go that way because that would limit their ability to sell tons of them. They make money on volume. Hence, this is what we see from them. I didn't buy the Amazon razor and won't be buying this one either. Show me something new and different made of a metal that will last forever and I'll consider it.
I didn't get the Heritage either. I respect it as a razor, but I found it too a bit boring. Living with the superior design, not to mention box, of my 1948 Aristocrat, I think this thing would be a reminder of lost glory. That's what I see when I look at it.

I got the WLDOHO ebony handled razor with gunmetal chrome instead. Now that's a gorgeous razor with some effort put into it! Same exact R89 Muhle head.

I enjoy the idea of Gillette selling safety razors again. But they are late to the party and showing up without stopping at the liquor store first. It's like they wouldn't dream of trying to compete with anything else in the market. Global Shave Club has cloned the Fatboy and even the generic razors from WCS are better. They've all eaten Gillette's lunch and they're content with sweeping up the crumbs. It's kind of depressing, really.
 
They are selling/sold it as an edger for beard lines and sideburns. That whirring sound you hear is King Gillette AND Henry Gaisman rolling in their graves. Jacob Schick is probably okay with it.

I will say I find a DE to be the easiest razor type to use and get something resembling a decent shape for sideburns. My barber uses a shavette.
However, a DE as we know is more than merely an edger tool!
 
Would not mind if Gillette would simply bring out the last tech with a more modern finish. And brand it really visible.
Copies are still a form of praise. Sometimes the copies are even a bit improved but usually not.
 
I didn't get the Heritage either. I respect it as a razor, but I found it too a bit boring. Living with the superior design, not to mention box, of my 1948 Aristocrat, I think this thing would be a reminder of lost glory. That's what I see when I look at it.

I got the WLDOHO ebony handled razor with gunmetal chrome instead. Now that's a gorgeous razor with some effort put into it! Same exact R89 Muhle head.

I enjoy the idea of Gillette selling safety razors again. But they are late to the party and showing up without stopping at the liquor store first. It's like they wouldn't dream of trying to compete with anything else in the market. Global Shave Club has cloned the Fatboy and even the generic razors from WCS are better. They've all eaten Gillette's lunch and they're content with sweeping up the crumbs. It's kind of depressing, really.

Haven’t seen the GSC 195 clone yet. Nice video but no pictures though. Maybe August now, was supposed to come out last summer initially. I was ready for their Techs and Super Speeds. They are ok, but decided not to buy.
 
Any new Gillette DE razor is promising to a DE razor fan.
I agree that a new top line Gillette razor is over due.
A slim, small version of a Fatboy maybe
(a slim jim) or a new flaretip in different metal finishes.
 
Modern Gillette cant redeem itself with some average looking Chinese made razor, not after their toe dipping into gross politics with that damn right offensive anti male advert of theirs.

Let the bearded women and effeminate male audience they're so eager to bend the knee for buy their tat. The gillette we all once knew is dead and this attempt at necromancy is just laughable!
Agree. Made in China?? Don't do it, friend. There are plenty of '50s-'60s-vintage nickle-plated brass true Gillettes on eBay for decent prices and one will last you a lifetime.
 
The stuff Col. Schick invented and put his name on -- the Repeating Razors and first electrics -- were without exception quality stuff. As far as I know King Gillette did nothing in terms of razor innovation or design after his original patent and subsequent sale of his majority interest. He didn't seem to mind the company putting his image on blades prone to snapping all through the 20s.

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He was content to be a figurehead after 1910 and in the 20's he was for all intents and purposes retired. In a sense, Henry Gaisman not only took over Gillette, but saved it from ruin at the hands of the shady management team that he replaced.
 
Having gone to a Chinese manufacturer for their latest edition the next step has got to be a collaboration with Weishi; something based on the adjustable Nostalgic.
 
Agree. Made in China?? Don't do it, friend. There are plenty of '50s-'60s-vintage nickle-plated brass true Gillettes on eBay for decent prices and one will last you a lifetime.

Sadly there will be no shortage of people who will snap this thing up just like the Gillette Heritage-Inspired razor. Which one would you choose? I choose neither.

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Any new Gillette DE razor is promising to a DE razor fan.
I agree that a new top line Gillette razor is over due.
A slim, small version of a Fatboy maybe
(a slim jim) or a new flaretip in different metal finishes.

Gillette was always, and is to this day, in the business of selling razor blades and blade cartridges, not razors. The razors were loss-leaders - the original Fatboy sold for $1.95 which even in 1958 wasn't much money.
 
He was content to be a figurehead after 1910 and in the 20's he was for all intents and purposes retired. In a sense, Henry Gaisman not only took over Gillette, but saved it from ruin at the hands of the shady management team that he replaced.

Yup. Although Gillette corporation did stumble all through Gaisman's reign and didn't truly turn itself around until the late 30s after yet another change of leadership. WW2 also came in handy for Gillette.

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I’ll pass on the razor. I thought the Heritage lacked heritage until I saw this. The blades look like they are worth a try if the price is right. I wonder what already existing Russian Gillette blade was rebranded for this...
 
They’ll sell out just the the Heritage continues to do. Heritage is currently sold out until end of this month on Amazon.
 
Gillette was always, and is to this day, in the business of selling razor blades and blade cartridges, not razors. The razors were loss-leaders - the original Fatboy sold for $1.95 which even in 1958 wasn't much money.
Hmm you're forgetting that the original Gillette razors and the New Improved were $5 razors, a huge sum at the time. It was not until 1930 that Gillette developed the $1 razor from the start, with the Goodwill as loss leader following soon after.

"From 1904-1921, Gillette could have played razors-and-blades - low-price or free handles and expensive blades - but it did not do so. Gillette set a high price for its handle - high as measured by the price of competing razors and the prices of other contemporaneous goods - and fought to maintain those high prices during the life of the patents. For whatever it is worth, the firm understood to have invented razors-and-blades as a business strategy did not play that strategy at the point that it was best situated to do so."


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R

romsitsa

Hmm you're forgetting that the original Gillette razors and the New Improved were $5 razors, a huge sum at the time. It was not until 1930 that Gillette developed the $1 razor from the start, with the Goodwill as loss leader following soon after.

"From 1904-1921, Gillette could have played razors-and-blades - low-price or free handles and expensive blades - but it did not do so. Gillette set a high price for its handle - high as measured by the price of competing razors and the prices of other contemporaneous goods - and fought to maintain those high prices during the life of the patents. For whatever it is worth, the firm understood to have invented razors-and-blades as a business strategy did not play that strategy at the point that it was best situated to do so."


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Interesting point, but the author seemingly forgets that between 1904-21 Gillette was the only company which could legaly sell “thin and flexible” blades. They were completely aware that they didn’t need to lower prices (even reduced the number of blades per set) and when someone copied the blade and or razor, they went to court and won.
The blade and business strategy was launched in 1921 exactly when the patents expired with the dirt cheap Brownie and other sets, or free razors packed together with gum/toothpaste/soap/jeans whatever.
Iirc Gillette sold the post 1921 low priced sets cheaper than any competing business.

The New improved was never intended for the masses, it was a luxury line, just like the later De luxe.

Adam
 
Interesting point, but the author seemingly forgets that between 1904-21 Gillette was the only company which could legaly sell “thin and flexible” blades. They were completely aware that they didn’t need to lower prices (even reduced the number of blades per set) and when someone copied the blade and or razor, they went to court and won.
The blade and business strategy was launched in 1921 exactly when the patents expired with the dirt cheap Brownie and other sets, or free razors packed together with gum/toothpaste/soap/jeans whatever.
Iirc Gillette sold the post 1921 low priced sets cheaper than any competing business.

The New improved was never intended for the masses, it was a luxury line, just like the later De luxe.

Adam

Of course they didn't "need" to reduce prices to compete with DE competitors 1904-21 but they certainly could have expanded their market among SE and straight users (including Weck and Durham) had they done so, and that i read as the author's point.Instead they locked in a much smaller universe of $5 razor consumers.

Yes like the original Gillette razor the New Improved market was limited by its price to the luxury market and the Old Type was mostly responsible for razor revenues 1921-29. My point was simply that it was 1930 before Gillette designed a $1 razor (and later before they entered the cheap blade market that ate up their market share). Obviously they had the Old Type after 1921 but it was not designed to be sold at that price it was essentially their $5 razor sold at discount due to the engineering costs having been long amortized. The Brownie sets were directly competing against nicely packaged sets from ASR at comparable or less cost ($.49-.75)

Gillette set pricing after 1921 and especially after 1930 didn't persuade consumers to subsequently buy Gillette replacement blades, Gillette was getting killed in the US by cheap blade competition all through the decade with substantially all their profit coming from non-US operations.

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R

romsitsa

Of course they didn't "need" to reduce prices to compete with DE competitors 1904-21 but they certainly could have expanded their market among SE and straight users (including Weck and Durham) had they done so, and that i read as the author's point.Instead they locked in a much smaller universe of $5 razor consumers.

Yes like the original Gillette razor the New Improved market was limited by its price to the luxury market and the Old Type was mostly responsible for razor revenues 1921-29. My point was simply that it was 1930 before Gillette designed a $1 razor (and later before they entered the cheap blade market that ate up their market share). Obviously they had the Old Type after 1921 but it was not designed to be sold at that price it was essentially their $5 razor sold at discount due to the engineering costs having been long amortized. The Brownie sets were directly competing against nicely packaged sets from ASR at comparable or less cost ($.49-.75)

Gillette set pricing after 1921 and especially after 1930 didn't persuade consumers to subsequently buy Gillette replacement blades, Gillette was getting killed in the US by cheap blade competition all through the decade with substantially all their profit coming from non-US operations.

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The “New” era could have worked, they dumped millions of free and cheap razors onto the market in the US and Europe (based on newspaper articles the European manufacturers were pretty nervous during the early 30ies). Where it went wrong was Gaismans case, then the recession, then courts finally realised that the New/Gaisman patents shouldn’t have been actually patentable.
So instead of the previous 17 years of protection, anyone could produce similar blades and razors from ~1936 in the US, and somewhat earlier in Europe.


Adam
 
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