When was the last time DE razors appeared in abundance in stores in the U.S.

[fritts80]

When the Trac II came out in the early 1970's, DE shaving declined rapidly. I started shaving in 1995 at the age of 15. My first razor was a Gillette Sensor Excel; still have one to this very day, although not the original. On drugstore and grocery store shelves in mid to late 1990's, I never saw a single DE razor, nor have I discovered one since—anywhere in America. I do recall a small selection of blades, though. While on West Pac (deployment) in the U.S. Navy in 2002, I saw DE razors readily available in Thailand. I never pondered buying one of course. Does anybody know when DE razors started disappearing from retailers' and grocers' isles in the U.S. and throughout North America? 1980's? 1990's? I assume you could still find them throughout the 80's. Peace.

 

[one cut]

I can't remember seeing them around in the 80's Quite honestly. I may not have been paying attention, But I do remember seeing double-bladed Sensor cartridges.

 

[alex2363]

mid 70's..............

	The Knack (1966-1975)
		1967	M
		1968	N	Black Handle Super Adjustable
		1969	O
		1970	P
		1971	R			Some razors produced with Gillette Date Code Q. Trac II introduced.
		1972	S
		1973	T
		1974	U
	1975	V				Atra / Contour introduced. Good News disposable introduced.
	1976	W
	1977	X					Black Handle Adjustable Gets Plastic Bottom Plate
	1978	Y
	1979	Z
	1980	A
	1981	B
	1982	C
	1983	D
	1984	E
	1985	F						Atra Plus / Contour Plus introduced, with the first lube strips.
	1986	G
1987	H
1988	I		Two known 1988 Super Speed / I1					One of the last batch of USA made De's

 

[Early Morning]

As far as I can remember, DE razors were not commonly available in stores during the 90s. DE blades were fairly common until mid 90s, perhaps a little later depending on where you resided (very limited selection). Some antique stores had a good selection, but the older cased Gillettes (esp. mint) were pricy during the late 1980s.

 

[MartialArtist]

I was born in 1970 and I never remembered them being sold like that. They were not inexpensive even then. My parents had injector razors prior to the advent of cartridges so I think those may have been the "step" before Trac razors. This is all anecdotal of course. By 1980 it was all cartridges. That's all I ever saw.
I feel so middle aged. . .you know, in my day. . .

 

[dcobranchi]

I was born in 1970 and I never remembered them being sold like that. They were not inexpensive even then. My parents had injector razors prior to the advent of cartridges so I think those may have been the "step" before Trac razors. This is all anecdotal of course. By 1980 it was all cartridges. That's all I ever saw.
I feel so middle aged. . .you know, in my day. . .

Injectors pre-date the invention of the Trac II by almost 50 years. The first injector patent was issued to Jacob Schick in 1924. https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US1584811.pdf

 

[MartialArtist]

So were safety razors after injectors then. I think they are likely as old if not older. Is that not right?

 

[Early Morning]

So were safety razors after injectors then. I think they are likely as old if not older. Is that not right?

The Plantagenet Guard Razor that was patented about 1849, or earlier, might have been the first safety razor that was advertised as such. It was basically a straight razor with a guard. I wouldn't be surprised if the Romans invented the first safety razor.

 

[Kerrplunk]

I first shaved with a new DE razor in the late 70's. Needles to say I was inexperience and didn't use it very long.

 

[The Dean]

My first shaves, in the very early 70's, were with DE and Injector razors---followed closely by the Trac II. It would be an understatement to say these shaves did not go well, leading to many bearded years.

But I can recall at least SOME DE (and injector) action in stores into the 80's. As I had a beard I wasn't paying too much attention to the shave supplies in those days, but I did shape the beard for a time--so I wasn't a stranger to the shaving aisle, either. I can't recall any DE action in the 90's.