The Razorock Mamba: Will it blow up the stainless DE market?

[Spang]

By my count there are around a dozen brands of modern stainless DEs currently on the market, most selling for well north of $150. I’ve wondered if the relatively small market for DEs (and smaller yet for the really high end stuff) could support all of these enterprises over the longer term. I’m not knowledgeable about the production costs of these razors, but common sense suggests that margins on these top-end razors must be high, given the small market size and consequent low volume.

Then along comes the RR Mamba: CNC machined 316L, made in Canada, with a fit, finish and build quality befitting a top of the line DE, yet it retails for 1/3 to 1/4 the price of other machined stainless DEs. This strikes me as a potentially game changing development in the market: I think the other CNC machined stainless makers have to be looking over their shoulders, as the Mamba—at just $50—is now their competition. Could the Mamba be a harbinger of a pricing shakedown in the high quality stainless DE market? Will other makers be forced to respond with price cuts and/or new, lower priced offerings? Maybe the herd will be thinned and some brands will be driven out of the market altogether, unable to compete at lower price points and smaller margins?

What do you guys think?

 

[pk_]

Wolfman just bumped their price up to $500, and while I don’t think this is in response to the Mamba, manufacturers may be feeling out the market. I would never spend $500 on a razor. The Mamba is already in my collection, I definitely bought on value.


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[PreachTheWord]

$500!!! Sheesh

 

[Sharp&Shiny]

I personally don't think so. What I noticed is that some wet shavers will prefer those really expensive and hard to get razors for the sake of exclusivity. Others dismiss the Mamba because its mild, but when Italian Barber releases the RazoRock Game Changer and if it gets priced like the Mamba and it is regularly stocked, it will definitely shake things up. That said the Wolfman Razors will sell like crazy regardless of the price.

 

[bdehne]

Do they make a Mamba in open comb?

 

[Sharp&Shiny]

Do they make a Mamba in open comb?

No.

 

[gvw755]

I think the high end will still be around as folks seem to equate better as more expensive. Many of those razors do require more machining and closer tolerances than the Mamba or Game Changer. Look at the Wunderbar, which is another RR offering and it is still priced more than double of the Mamba and probably because of the torqued top cap and base plate. If anything, they will probably affect the lower end stainless steel razor market where they are mostly cast or sintered. For folks like me that want a good razor but too cheap to spring for a Timeless or high end ATT, I am thanking RR for their efforts.

 

[LoveTheSlant]

$500 for a razor? Sounds like 26,000 on the Dow. It won’t end well. Oh well, I digress.

 

[Spang]

Others dismiss the Mamba because its mild, but when Italian Barber releases the RazoRock Game Changer and if it gets priced like the Mamba and it is regularly stocked, it will definitely shake things up.

Great point. I should have expanded my premise to include RazoRock's general target of of a high quality, fully machined 316L stainless razor for 50 bucks, which may eventually include several incarnations. And I think you're right, when the Game Changer comes out that will definitely expand RR's market appeal by offering a somewhat more aggressive razor built to the same standards as the Mamba. I agree the Game Changer may well live up to its name.

 

[Mtn Man]

I haven't seen it yet however Fendrihan has been selling 2 awesome (performance wise) stainless razors in that range for a while. It seems that there is some room in the market for a good cheaper stainless and for high end ones.
To me it will be all about the shave quality.

 

[GearNoir]

Pfft. If the Fatip haven’t shaken up the market on value and quality, nothing else will.

I do like IB’s description of the Mamba though, lol.

 

[luv2shave]

First came the SS handles and then the head. Ikon initially changed the game by bringing in SS and Aluminium head which had precision. I think the game is all about precision and quality more than the material. By now Zamak razors are more or less cheaply made clones of the Merkur / EJ / Muhle heads and hence the quality is appaling. I have the Mamba razor from IB and waiting for the game changer. I am sure if he prices the Mamba at $50 for all stainless steel and is yet to release a razor called the "game changer" - we are surely going to be in for a major surprise, if we have set the Mamba quality and price as the benchmark for the market.

I personally don't think so. What I noticed is that some wet shavers will prefer those really expensive and hard to get razors for the sake of exclusivity. .. That said the Wolfman Razors will sell like crazy regardless of the price.

This ! Many people are in the wetshaving world for a variety of reasons and this is one of them why Wolfman will always keep selling low volume high profit.

I haven't seen it yet however Fendrihan has been selling 2 awesome (performance wise) stainless razors in that range for a while. It seems that there is some room in the market for a good cheaper stainless and for high end ones.
To me it will be all about the shave quality.

I was reading some threads on the Fendrihan SS razors which had quality issues and finish issues on the base plate / bottom of base plate / alignment issues etc. So I am not sure if all SS razors which are aggressively priced will make it to shake the market - so to speak

 

[Highspeedlane]

I believe if it's reputation for shave quality gets around it may indeed force other makers to adapt or risk market share. Only time will tell.

 

[jar_]

Gillette sold Super Speeds and Aristocrats and Milords and Diplomats and ...

There are markets for both high end and value products.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

I doubt the new RR offerings will put Wolfman, Timeless or ATT out of business or force their prices down. I think their reputations (especially of Wolfman) are too firmly established. However, I do wonder about the prospects of some of the other new players in the market; there are so many of them, and many don't offer enough of a USP to make me want to buy from them.

 

[vtmax]

“Could the Mamba be a harbinger of a pricing shakedown in the high quality stainless DE market? Will other makers be forced to respond with price cuts and/or new, lower priced offerings?”


Not at all imo. The new players on the market are doing just fine in some cases. The Paradigm 17-4 is a better design and shaver than the two Wolfmans I owned, Timeless, ATT or Charcoal. The high end (in this case $230) razor market is small but thriving.

Razorock/Italian Barber has released enough razors now that every new release has some form of ‘game changer’ theme to them. It won’t affect the high end at all.

One razor they developed was a game changer that was released in 2015. Baby Smooth. Tried them all up to this point and it’s still their finest. Phenomenal shaver. I can’t believe the never to be made again titanium version hasn’t sold out yet as of this morning.

 

[BigPete]

I believe that people who buy premium luxury goods will always do so. Wolfman, Timeless, ATT will probably not lose too much of their market share.

I think that Razorock may gain sales at Rockwell's expense to some degree, but perhaps majorly from Edwin Jagger, Muhle and Merkur. Stainless steel for the same price as zamac could be a real game changer.

 

[Badgerstate36]

Some people are always going to be willing to pay more for exclusivity and perceived higher quality (higher price, higher quality).
I would be willing to bet that RR is able to lose money on the production of the Mamba because they sell so many other products. Timeless, Wolfman and ATT dont have that same luxury because all they do is make razors.

 

[tragique]

Although I was thoroughly unimpressed by the Mamba, it really appeals to a wide crowd. It's very mild, which facilitates the switch from cartridge to DE for many, many people. It's incredibly hard to cut yourself while shaving with it, and handles really well. It really is just too mild for me, but other than that it's a good enough razor.

 

[mozartman]

I haven't seen it yet however Fendrihan has been selling 2 awesome (performance wise) stainless razors in that range for a while. It seems that there is some room in the market for a good cheaper stainless and for high end ones.
To me it will be all about the shave quality.

Still amazed at the shave I got this morning with the Fendrihan. However, its head obviously has a lot of hand finishing, so it's more a "no two exactly alike" thing than a "thousandth of a millimeter precision" thing. I think RazoRock has a great business model, since there will never be a perfect razor for everyone, but it will always be possible to manufacture good designs to higher standards. Good on 'em, as the Aussies would say.