Newest Gillette, rotates!

[chamm]

I could see DE blade production decreasing (and thus cost increasing) but I don't see it straight up "ending." Perhaps Gillette will shutter factories, but there are other players, and other uses for DE blades. I just had a mole removed, and rather than a scalpel, my dermatologist pulled out a Personna Med Prep on some kind of weird stick-looking tool thingy. I asked her about it, and she said that most dermatologists she knows prefer to use a DE blade to a scalpel. And this stick-tool thing is a standard among dermatologists.

I'm definitely not saying that there aren't going to be changes in the market based on the adoption of cartridge blades in the developing world. We're almost certain to see reduced selection and increased prices. I just don't see them "going away" in the next 30-40 years. After that, I'll most likely be dead, and you'll all be on your own!

 

[Sabre]

There are a relative few Industrial razor blade manufacturers around the world that produce DE and injector blades. many of these produced DE blades for the shaving market but no longer - Lutz, Mozart, Martor, Jewel. As long as the manufacturer supports the medical industry such as ASR then you will have a source of supply. However ASR went into administration and had to be purchased by Energizer, did they want ASR for the private label market? Considering they undercut ASR for the Walmart contract and have just launched five new private label cartridge razors and they haven't made any investment in DE blades? I would say yes. Are DE blades core market to Energizer? Feintechnik manufacture of Croma, Bolzano etc has been purchased by Harry's - Is DE core product? PPI has ceased production of products, how many more will no longer be produced?

 

[nuclearblast]

 

[pejay66]

It is cheap but the carts will be over the top.

 

[Eeyore]

I only have daughters, no sons to inherit my razors. So if blades stay available for the next 40 years or so, I'm all set lol. Or if I'm still alive then, DE blades are probably the least of my worries.

OTOH, if they disappear in the next twenty years then I'm in trouble!

 

[SantoSubito]

So when P&G market share shrinks and they need to cuts costs to return to core products. I hope you are well stocked with your Astra's, Polsilvers etc..
The health of cartridge market has large implications on the DE market. Feather and Dorco have moved production to South East Asia obviously in a cost cutting move, the next move can only be closure....

True, despite how much I like to root for the little guy (Schick/Wilkinson Sword) neither of them produce the large number of DE blades that we love like P&G does. However, I don't think this will happen, P&G is in the DE blade business because there is still a very large demand for them outside of the Western world, and they still want those customers. What I think is more likely to happen is a consolidation of their cartridge/disposable razors, so American market Trac IIs, Custom Plus 3s, one of the varieties of Mach3, and maybe even non-Proglide Fusions would disappear. Product consolidation will come long before they consider plant closures.

Basically they won't shoot themselves in the foot in one market to gain some cost savings to direct to another market. Before the recession hardly anyone really cared about the cost of shaving supplies, so all P&G needs to do is ride it out, and they know that.

 

[sarimento1]

dropped by the local AOS store and they had a nifty demo device for the Gillette Flexball razor.
i was thinking about it, and the store manager offered a no-question refund if I was not happy with it.
not many places offer that kind of guarantee on a razor, even pricey ones.

 

[abragus]

I might try that if that's the case, I wonder what's in the fine print?

 

[fosaisu]

View attachment 448038

I think this looks much better in WSJ line art than in real life! (Of course the same could be true for many of us as well).