ProGlide review and DE-slogan

[Gustav]

I found the following on this page: http://menshair.about.com/od/shavingadvice/fr/Gillette_Fusion_ProGlide_Razor.htm

"Razors have come a long way since King C. Gillette invented the first safety razor with disposable blades back in 1901. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to see how far home shaving has come. The Fusion ProGlide is certainly not going to make shaving fun, but it will make it an easier and more comfortable task each morning"

Personally, I think King Gillette would be appalled at how perverted his original idea has become. They are right that the ProGlide is not going to make shaving fun but what strikes me when you read between the lines is that shaving is apparently not expected to be fun, in stark contrast to the shaves I have been having with my obsolete technology DEs.

Bearing this in mind, here are some proposals for slogans for DE-shaving:
"Double Edge shaving: bringing back the fun into shaving"
"If you want a quick, dull, no-brainer shave and you are not worried about poor results and poor value, the Gilette ProGlide is the system for you. On the other hand if you can afford to spend some more time, have the patience to learn a skill which will get you the closest, most comfortable shaves at great value and satisfaction, switch to a [insert favorite DE here]"

 

[Drubbing]

On the contrary. Gillette practically invented the loss-leader hardware, mass profit on consumables business model.

Gillette have kept that in place despite the increased disposability of it's razor handle products. And their margins are probably bigger than in his day.

 

[michiganlover]

On the contrary. Gillette practically invented the loss-leader hardware, mass profit on consumables business model.

Gillette have kept that in place despite the increased disposability of it's razor handle products. And their margins are probably bigger than in his day.

+1

King Gillette would be thrilled that his business model is still going strong, and still generating obscene amounts of profit.

I am not sure where this idea that he was some sort of saint has come from, especially considering how shrewd many of the business men of this time period were.

 

[JPDyson]

+1 to withholding Sainthood from King Gillette. The guy just nailed it with a marketable product and good business acumen. Not to slam the guy - on the contrary, he ought to be admired as a businessman. Who knows if we would even have these things if it weren't for military contracts.

 

[Hayden]

Not sure if he was a saint or a shrew, but I bet hes got to be smiling that alot of his products are still in use after all these years.

 

[DE Shaver]

As other's have said, King Gillette was a business man first. Fun or enjoyment was not in the equation for his products; they were strictly about functionality for the user and profitability for his company. As for the review itself, it's a typical review of a new shaving product release.

 

[Gustav]

On the contrary. Gillette practically invented the loss-leader hardware, mass profit on consumables business model.

Gillette have kept that in place despite the increased disposability of it's razor handle products. And their margins are probably bigger than in his day.

Point taken, there is of course nothing inherently wrong in producing sub-par products if you can persuade people to buy it. i was thinking more about the aesthetics and quality of today's product compared to the Gillette 1904 but I admit that it was not all too clear from my post.

 

[Rocketeer]

RE King Gillette: Ditto on the previous statements. He was in it for the $$$. Oddly, he was an anti-capitalist utopian. Funny how those types never apply their elitists philosophies to their own lifestyles. Kind'a like a modern-day Al Gore.

As for shaving being "fun" ... We probably would not have the same concept of our DEs and Str8s being "fun" to use, were it not for the fact we suffered through years of multi-blade mutilations prior to discovering wet-shaving. I'm willing to bet that most guys in the 1940s and 50s did not "enjoy" their daily shave; although to be fair, they probably didn't dread it either. Just a thought.

Part of the "fun" has been reclaiming that manly indulgence of self-pampering from what used to be an unpleasant, and often painful, daily chore.

 

[taffy]

I agrre with the posts above about Mr Gilette, after all he did invent the dissposable razor and that is going strong today and if alive he would thrilled.