Probably in Eastern Europe. Gillette has more than one plant over there.
"New" Trac II cart: 7 O'Clock PII
- Thread starter Jerry-built Hustler
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Probably in Eastern Europe. Gillette has more than one plant over there.
If they were manufactured for the US market I would expect to see two things I don't see. The Trac II name on them, and the cartridges for sale in US retail stores. The idea that Gillette would do anything but laugh at "increased demand for vintage style shaving razors" and say buy a Fusion is hilarious.
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- #23
The thought that Gillette actually might have had an understanding of our plight and offered a simple conciliatory gesture was the part that touched me the most. I felt like Renee Zellweger in Jerry Maguire, saying to Gillette through tears, "You had me from hello." Fanciful? Perhaps, but a man can dream, can't he?
Gillette want to maximize their profit, and market penetration. If re-introducing basic cartridges in the USA can prevent customers from walking to the competition, I am sure they will consider it.
However, I wonder how many people in the USA still use Trac and Atra cartridges. I guess they are mainly produced for the markets that were recently converted from DE blades.
However, I wonder how many people in the USA still use Trac and Atra cartridges. I guess they are mainly produced for the markets that were recently converted from DE blades.
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- #25
Agreed, although ZJ68 brings up fair points about brand recognition (i.e., Trac II vs. 7 O'Clock) and point of sale (in-store vs. online). But I think you're right that if Gillette/P&G saw they were losing share to other brands in the older cartridge market, they would look to shore it up. The question is, are they? Aside from the Wikipedia article, which has to be viewed as suspect, there really isn't any evidence out there to suggest Gillette is making any serious changes in this area. Trac II Plus and Atra Plus carts continue to be available in US retail stores, as they have been for years, and Gillette continues to produce said carts (as well as the non-Plus versions) under different names in different countries to meet market demand in those countries, as they (evidently) have done for years. I know I started this whole discussion, but when I step back and look at it from a gestalt point of view, I have to wonder what has changed. Not much, as far as I can see.
In the US, I suspect they are to cater to people who still use the Trac II from back when it was the latest thing - in other words, older shavers who can't be bothered to change. In developing countries, conversion from DE blades might represent a significant portion of the market, but not in the US. If anybody is converting from anything, it makes more sense to think men are rebelling against the high-price, mega carts and looking for more affordable alternatives. Too bad Gillette doesn't release numbers showing us the trends in the market. Then we wouldn't have to speculate. In the end, though, I guess I'm content to be satisfied as long as I can get the razors and the blades I want.
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- #27
I received the 7 O'Clock PII carts from US Razor and shaved with them this weekend. First off, they are made in India, not Russia, so it would seem Jopo was right that these are imported by US Razor (and Razors Direct), and they are not being produced by Gillette specifically for the US market. Wikipedia bites the dust again.
Packaging is basic: five cartridges come in a plastic holder intended for six, so one slot is empty. Actually, even though this looks a little cheap, I don't mind this, because it allows me to keep a space between old and new cartridges should I ever need to put an old one back in without taking out a new one (say, for travel), which keeps me from getting them mixed up. The plastic holder does not have a Gillette logo on it, unlike the Trac II Plus carts sold at stores in the US.
The PIIs seem to shave just as well as the Trac II Plus carts available domestically. Blade quality and build seem similar or identical (minus the lubrastrip, of course), including the venting between the blades. I haven't shaved with a PII cart long enough to determine longevity, but if I notice them dulling abnormally soon, I'll report back. Otherwise, they're exactly what one would hope for: a genuine Trac II cartridge made by Gillette, without lubrastrips, and sold for a reasonable price.
US Razor was fine. I got exactly what I was promised, in a fairly short time. That said, there was one ultimately minor hiccup. Despite the company's claim to ship within one business day of payment, I noticed my order still was "pending" on the second business day. I shot an e-mail to US Razor, and within a couple hours received a reply asking for my Google Wallet payment confirmation number, which was the payment method I used*. I wrote back with the requested information, and the order was dispatched later that day. The order was shipped via USPS from San Jose, California, and was in my mailbox two days later.
* It is also worth noting that US Razor only accepts PayPal, Google Wallet, or check or money order.
Packaging is basic: five cartridges come in a plastic holder intended for six, so one slot is empty. Actually, even though this looks a little cheap, I don't mind this, because it allows me to keep a space between old and new cartridges should I ever need to put an old one back in without taking out a new one (say, for travel), which keeps me from getting them mixed up. The plastic holder does not have a Gillette logo on it, unlike the Trac II Plus carts sold at stores in the US.
The PIIs seem to shave just as well as the Trac II Plus carts available domestically. Blade quality and build seem similar or identical (minus the lubrastrip, of course), including the venting between the blades. I haven't shaved with a PII cart long enough to determine longevity, but if I notice them dulling abnormally soon, I'll report back. Otherwise, they're exactly what one would hope for: a genuine Trac II cartridge made by Gillette, without lubrastrips, and sold for a reasonable price.
US Razor was fine. I got exactly what I was promised, in a fairly short time. That said, there was one ultimately minor hiccup. Despite the company's claim to ship within one business day of payment, I noticed my order still was "pending" on the second business day. I shot an e-mail to US Razor, and within a couple hours received a reply asking for my Google Wallet payment confirmation number, which was the payment method I used*. I wrote back with the requested information, and the order was dispatched later that day. The order was shipped via USPS from San Jose, California, and was in my mailbox two days later.
* It is also worth noting that US Razor only accepts PayPal, Google Wallet, or check or money order.
The Trac II cartridges at the Wal-Mart closest to me are made in Poland, the Atra cartridges are made in China.
An alternative to Atra/Vector branded cartridges are the identical Russian PPI made Slaloms.
There does also appear to be a lot of Schick Super II/Ultrex/Ultra/Profile/Exacta 2
blades available on eBay quite cheaply if you are not a fan of Personna/Dorco/Supermax/Laser generics. As well as the Wilkinson Sword NOS Profile blades mentioned above.
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Production of the Slalom has moved to China as well. Wilkinson Sword currently make blades for Trac II and Atra in Solingen, Germany called Duplo II and Contact Plus (aka Profile, Super II)
- Thread starter
- #31
I tried to edit my original post to correct some of the misinformation in it, since new readers of the thread would first see my trumpeting of the "fact" Gillette is making the PII for the US market, and wouldn't see the corrections until later in the thread. Unfortunately, it is not possible to edit posts after a certain period of time (a week, maybe?), so that misinformation remains there for all to see. That's a bit of a frustrating feature of this board.
Oh well...my apologies to any who end up misled, but I did post the information in good faith. And for all of that, the PII is still a good find for Trac II shavers who would prefer their carts without lube strips, even if it is just a grab from the Indian market, rather than a new direction for Gillette.
Oh well...my apologies to any who end up misled, but I did post the information in good faith. And for all of that, the PII is still a good find for Trac II shavers who would prefer their carts without lube strips, even if it is just a grab from the Indian market, rather than a new direction for Gillette.
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- #34
Based on that picture, those are the same blades I received from US Razor, which were made in India. I think that's what you're asking.
The empty slot is intentional. You click the old cartridge in there, slide the handle out, then slide it into a new one and remove. This way you need never handle those dangerous cartridges with your bare hands 
Scott
Scott
The empty slot is intentional. You click the old cartridge in there, slide the handle out, then slide it into a new one and remove. This way you need never handle those dangerous cartridges with your bare hands
Scott
Yup, my Gillette TracII Plus carts are the same way. It puts a little space between your used blades and your fresh blades so it's easier to tell them apart.
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- #37
While I think the extra slot is a great idea for leaving an extra space between new and used carts, I don't see how it prevents having to handle the cartridge any more than having a full complement of six carts, since you can just put the old cart back in the same slot it came out of.The empty slot is intentional. You click the old cartridge in there, slide the handle out, then slide it into a new one and remove. This way you need never handle those dangerous cartridges with your bare hands
The last pack of Trac II Plus carts I got had all six filled. It was a 12-pack, and had two 6-cart holders in there, both filled. Are they only coming five to a pack now?
No, they're a ten pack. You get two of those five packs per package. The 12 count is usually a special offer. They have been 10 packs for as long as I can remember.
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- #39
Not to sound snide, but how far back can you remember? I think I last bought mine maybe three or four years ago. Maybe it was a special offer. I dunno. At any rate, it's a moot point. I checked online, and as you said, the Trac II Plus carts sold domestically are in ten-packs (as are the Atra Plus carts). So I guess the PII packs don't look so stingy after all.
30 years. They always used to have 5 carts plus an empty slot. That is, if my memory is not failing on me
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