The "Art of Shaving" Conspiracy?

[Alum of Potash]

Recently, I spent some time with a friend who happens to be a straight-razor dealer here in France. In the past, he has regularly stocked new-production Dovos and T-Is, but he told me that it has become increasingly difficult to keep a wide selection on hand because The Art of Shaving has bought up most of Dovo's and T-I's respective stock and is selling it under their own name, or to other larger dealers like themselves. To prove it, he pulled up website after website of small or independent straight-razor merchants, from various parts of the globe, all of them showing most of their Dovo and T-I razors to be "out of stock."

So what gives here, and how to rectify things?

 

[jpakstis]

I guess in confused about the "conspiracy." AOS readily admits that that the straights they sell are made by TI:

http://www.theartofshaving.com/on/d...IGHTRAZOR&start=2&cgid=razors-straight-razors

Or DOVO:

http://www.theartofshaving.com/on/d...IGHTRAZOR&start=8&cgid=razors-straight-razors

As well the straights have the manufacturer's name stamped right on the tang.

 

[Seraphim]

Gold Dollar's time has come!


Who needs the crap Dovo churns out?

TIs are nice, but not irreplaceable.


A couple of years of AOS selling "shave ready" straights, that actually aren't and they will bail on the straight razor fad as quickly as they came in.

 

[inspiringK]

That seems like more of a TI and Dovo production problem than a AoS predatory strategy. If AoS is buying more than manufacturers can produce, the manufacturers either need to bump up production or insist on max ordering volumes. I certainly would not blame AoS for ordering all they can handle - I doubt they have 6 warehouses full of straight razors just hidden away from the smaller retailers.

 

[Brenngun]

Looks like capitalism to me. Not always pretty but it's business.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Looks like capitalism to me. Not always pretty but it's business.

Aye, but the problem is when Art of Shaving, which is owned by Proctor & Gamble, which also owns Gillette, starts buying up the straight-razor market, it can only mean one thing: look out for the Mach 3 straight-razor in the near future. Norton/Saint-Gobain Abrasives does the same thing: they buy up mines just to sit on them, so as not to compete with their bonded abrasives. I prefer business of another stripe.

 

[Antique Hoosier]

Buy Vintage! Amazing razors go unsold on eBay everyday

 

[AABCDS]

You need to ask TallyShave about this. He works for P&G.

...
I will wait paitiently now as our resident conspiracy theorists accuse me, again, of being some sort of P&G spy.

 

[mwhitcraft]

Aye, but the problem is when Art of Shaving, which is owned by Proctor & Gamble, which also owns Gillette, starts buying up the straight-razor market, it can only mean one thing: look out for the Mach 3 straight-razor in the near future.

soon to be followed by the 15-blade, led lighted, vibrating exterminator series disposable straights

 

[Haggises]

You need to ask TallyShave about this. He works for P&G.

Being on payroll is not necessarily same as working for them.

 

[mainaman]

If I am not wrong AOS is owned by P&G, you can't beat those guys if they wanted to buy all the razor stock available from makers.
If people are smart they will start stocking up on other makers such as Ralph Aust and Revisor, they make great razors as well.

 

[u2u]

In recent months there seems to be an explosion of on line retailers and brick and mortar stores selling straights and shave paraphernalia. There also seems to be little in the way of AOS traffic on the various shave forums. AOS may be trying to get a piece of the straight market, as they have for several years, but I believe the shortage to be consumer demand through other than AOS.

Things really kicked off on release of the last Bond film. I know people who took up straights after seeing the film and have spoken to retailers who acted after recognizing a growing market.

On August 7 or 8, date still being finalized, Mr. Jens Zeitvogel, of Dovo, will be in Toronto visiting MenEssentials. They are trying to get the local wet shavers out for an instore event with Jens. This topic would be a good question to a man in the know.

For those in the GTA, or passing through town at that time, see Reddit, Wicked_edge for developments.

I will get worried only if P&G buys Dovo and/or TI and shuts them down.

 

[KodiakAttack]

Being on payroll is not necessarily same as working for them.

Au Contraire! That's exactly what it means in my book.

 

[California Cajun]

Recently, I spent some time with a friend who happens to be a straight-razor dealer here in France. In the past, he has regularly stocked new-production Dovos and T-Is, but he told me that it has become increasingly difficult to keep a wide selection on hand because The Art of Shaving has bought up most of Dovo's and T-I's respective stock and is selling it under their own name, or to other larger dealers like themselves. To prove it, he pulled up website after website of small or independent straight-razor merchants, from various parts of the globe, all of them showing most of their Dovo and T-I razors to be "out of stock."

So what gives here, and how to rectify things?

I don't think there is anything to worry about. I read on a site that sells Dovos that their chief grinder unexpectedly died in the last year. I have also read that the use of a straight razor in the last James Bond movie created a new level of awareness of straight razors. The feedback I sense is that there is more demand for straights and production is behind that demand. (Some people think that these companies are deliberately holding back on the production of straight razors.)

I thought I had an Art of Shaving logo on one of my razors, but it was an Edwin Jagger logo on a LeGrelot, so this isn't a new practice.

Since the likes of Gillette and Schick discontinued worldwide production of DE razors decades ago, we have accepted every piece of junk the shaving industry has provided us. The reason they are doing this is that it is more profitable for them to sell disposable equipment that we have to purchase again and again. I read in Leisureguy's Gourmet Shaving book that when Personna introduced the stainless steel blade, they became so popular that Gillette had to get their blades through them. Ever since, they resolved to get out from under this and what you have seen in stores the last 40 years is what they came up with.

It seems to me the public is getting wise to these lousy shaving systems and accessories that irritate the skin and give less than satisfactory shaves.

The Art of Shaving was purchased by Procter and Gamble in 2009, who also owns Gillette. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Shaving. So I see this as the public fighting back against lousy razors and canned goo/gel for them to see the need to offer traditional shaving equipment.

That's what happened to me. I got so frustrated with the typical department store fare that I did a little homework to see if there was a better way to shave.

 

[purerockfury]

I love stories and posts like this. The big bad corporation is buying up everything and putting the smaller guys out of business. How about a little research? Why not see what or where the problem is actually occurring? Just because some small boutique shop is having stocking issues, it does not mean the big bad corporation is out to get them. I am not condoning what these corporations are doing nowadays I am actually against it. But I refuse to jump to conclusions based on one person's opinion.

Why not blame Dovo or TI? For not allowing the products to be distributed to different retailers? They are the ones in the end that make the decision on how much of their products a company can purchase. Why not blame consumers? Why all of a sudden there is this big interest in straight razor shaving? Why can't people just stick to the goo and cartridge like they should?

 

[jpakstis]

Aye, but the problem is when Art of Shaving, which is owned by Proctor & Gamble, which also owns Gillette, starts buying up the straight-razor market, it can only mean one thing: look out for the Mach 3 straight-razor in the near future.

This is one reading. Another might be that with the recent uptick in interest in "traditional shaving" AOS is making more of a commitment to stocking straights. Since AOS is so large and needs in-stock inventory, both in stores and on-line, when they increased their order, it caused a much bigger ripple on the makers' end, which I would assume is used to much smaller interest.

Personally, however, I'd be intrigued by a "Mach 3 straight-razor."

 

[luvmysuper]

It's Cory Greenberg's fault.

Really, we constantly talk here (as does every other internet site that has anything to do with this hobby of ours) about spreading the word to new people, and about a resurgence in interest away from carts and goo, but then are surprised when interest actually does increase?

 

[Slash McCoy]

The answer is obvious. A hundred mom n pop outfits, all modding GD66's and selling them for $30 to $150, depending on how much work is done on the razor. P&G won't try to buy out everyone. Like a dog trying to scratch every single flea... can't be done, especially with new ones popping up right and left. Cheap, new, shave-ready razors for a ridiculously low price? What a thing! Every straight shaver should make at least one youtube video of him shaving or honing or modding or restoring. We can flood the media and the national culture with images of straight razors in the hands of happy shavers. We can flood the market with affordable newbie razors and also with quality razors and with collectible works of art in razor form. Maybe we can't hurt the colossus but we can fight back against the heavy hand of Big Shave.

The one way I can see P&G fighting back effectively would be to pass legislation outlawing straight razors by calling them health and safety hazards, or (gasp!) dangerous weapons.

I would like to see EVERY experienced straight shaver fix up at least a few GDs for himself, and to PIF or sell. Same with all those flea market and ebay razors that only need an hours work by a knowledgeable person to turn into a good shaver.

What about everyone who mods GDs putting up a youtube video of the entire process of turning a 66 into a not so pretty but very effective shaver? Wow... I would even like to coach a newbie who has never even shaved with a straight, through the process just to show it can be done. Not saying that is practical or even a very good idea, but just to show folks that sure, we might be stuck-up, elitist shave snobs, but that doesn't mean just regular joe sixpack off the streets can't have, hone, even make, a straight razor, or buy one cheap, and shave with it.

P&G can kiss my dremel. Die, Monster, DIE!!!

 

[Reevers]

Buy Vintage! Amazing razors go unsold on eBay everyday

I'm only a few months into SR shaving and have bought more vintage SRs than new. I've stopped even looking at new Dovos & TIs because they're never in stock.

 

[Ecl]

That seems like more of a TI and Dovo production problem than a AoS predatory strategy. If AoS is buying more than manufacturers can produce, the manufacturers either need to bump up production or insist on max ordering volumes. I certainly would not blame AoS for ordering all they can handle - I doubt they have 6 warehouses full of straight razors just hidden away from the smaller retailers.

I agree. Numbers from Dovo's website:

Staff: 86
Production area: 3.900 m² built up
Daily production: 1.200 scissors 900 nippers 150 open razors and shavers
Markets: 120 countries Share 25% domestics, 75% export

Dovo is a small scissor and nail-clipper company with a tiny sideline in razors. It wouldn't take much of an order to overwhelm them. The 150-razor-a-day figure presumably includes the Merkur safety razors, which would likely further reduce the available straight-razor output. Not to mention what happens to productivity when the key employee dies.

I don't think a conspiracy is even needed to explain Dovo's travails. They just haven't adjusted their operations to reflect the market conditions and seem to be losing out on a lot of business as a result.

I haven't been able to dig up a T-I corporate website or any other proof that they exist, other than the razors I own or have seen. I can't find any evidence that there's a T-I factory anywhere, or how big their workforce is or what their output is. The secretive T-I would be a real gift for armchair conspiracy-theorists if only the stakes weren't so very, very low. I'm just going to assume their output looks a lot like Dovo's, i.e. this is not a company capable of 1,000 razors a day.