Relatively big price difference between Muhle all stainless razors?

[sidpost]

The Rocca and R41 in all stainless seem to have a ~$40 (street $110~$150) price difference in all stainless. What am I missing that causes the R41 to be so much more expensive? Is the open comb really that much harder to manufacture ($176 MSRP)? I have seen the all stainless Rocca's for sale at $103 at a well respected online vendor with free shipping and the best R41 prices seem to all be in the $150 range. I get the mild versus aggressive difference but, that shouldn't really affect the cost of production.

Is it really just about marketing and restricted availability like the Titanium versions which right now have to be purchased in person at a specific store in London or Berlin?

 

[Whiterook]

It probably has to do with the type of machine and process needed for the R41.

 

[shaveSymptomatic]

I'm sure the R41 head is much more difficult to make. Also, the SS R41 has a Wolfman like, perfect mirror polish. I have only seen that level of polishing on Wolfman razors. Considering all of that, the price for an R41 seems reasonable.

 

[Invicta]

The Chinese equivalent version, the DSCosmetic Z0, is less than half that price so it is a matter of supply and demand and profit the vendors are adding on. I expect import duty is also a factor.

 

[Rob72]

The Chinese equivalent version, the DSCosmetic Z0, is less than half that price so it is a matter of supply and demand and profit the vendors are adding on. I expect import duty is also a factor.

Well, that and the fact that labor in China is pennies on the dollar, and they make most of the production machinery.

 

[ChriWilson]

The Rocca and R41 in all stainless seem to have a ~$40 (street $110~$150) price difference in all stainless. What am I missing that causes the R41 to be so much more expensive? Is the open comb really that much harder to manufacture ($176 MSRP)? I have seen the all stainless Rocca's for sale at $103 at a well respected online vendor with free shipping and the best R41 prices seem to all be in the $150 range. I get the mild versus aggressive difference but, that shouldn't really affect the cost of production.

Is it really just about marketing and restricted availability like the Titanium versions which right now have to be purchased in person at a specific store in London or Berlin?

My understanding is this was to celebrate the 10y anniversary of the R41; Limited Production perhaps ?

When I picked mine up last year, I recall it being around $125 shipped and see the same vendor has it for just under...

 

[FarmerTan]

It probably has to do with the type of machine and process needed for the R41.

This is why Keebler cookies cost twice as much as "non-elf made" cookies.

I did my doctoral thesis on the cost of cookies in Chinese restaurants versus the cost of those same cookies made by little elves in a hollow tree.

Surprisingly, it wasn't labor costs! No, both sets of werkers werk fer nuttin'!

The Chinese werkers are forced to werk just to eat and have a cot.

The Elves do it out of LOVE!


The price difference is caused by this: the Elves have the recipes for all their products MEMORIZED! This way, once the consumer is addicted, they can jack the price up as high as they want!

True story doggone..... y'all can start callin' me DrFarmerTan any time now.

 

[ButterfaceX]

Those Keebler Elves really take the job and their market share very seriously

BFX

 

[Guido75]

the Titanium versions which right now have to be purchased in person at a specific store in London or Berlin?

The Titanium is unobtainium from the stores. All sold out.

My understanding is this was to celebrate the 10y anniversary of the R41; Limited Production perhaps ?

The limited production was for the Titanium version. The anniversary R41 is still readily available.

The higher cost for the R41 has to do with the polishing as well as a different production process. High mirror polish doesn’t exist for the Rocca which is more matte.

The Rocca used to be MIM in the beginning rather than CNC and it appears Mühle have kept pricing relatively level rather than increasing RSP to account for the CNC version it is nowadays.

Also the baseplate for the Rocca is much easier to fabricate with the straightforward safety bar compared to the R41.

My 2cts - and I also must say that the difference here in Europe isn’t night and day either. Rocca is around €90 whereas the R41GS sells for about €130.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[ChriWilson]

The Titanium is unobtainium from the stores. All sold out.

The limited production was for the Titanium version. The anniversary R41 is still readily available.

The higher cost for the R41 has to do with the polishing as well as a different production process. High mirror polish doesn’t exist for the Rocca which is more matte.

The Rocca used to be MIM in the beginning rather than CNC and it appears Mühle have kept pricing relatively level rather than increasing RSP to account for the CNC version it is nowadays.

Also the baseplate for the Rocca is much easier to fabricate with the straightforward safety bar compared to the R41.

My 2cts - and I also must say that the difference here in Europe isn’t night and day either. Rocca is around €90 whereas the R41GS sells for about €130.

Cheers,

Guido

Yes, my understanding is that only 100 of the TI were made for each city.
Another cost consideration is that the R41 GS is made entirely of "Surgical Stainless", while the Rocca handle is coated around a brass core.