Schick and Gillette with their multi-blade systems have painted themselves into a cor

I think that Schick and Gillette with their multi-blade systems have painted themselves into a corner, think about it, once they come out with X-number of blades on 1 shaver, the marketing machine can only increase the number of blades to feed the "more is better" syndrome. If they come out with a new razor with fewer blades, then in a sense the previous model with more blades was "unsuccessful" or "faulty".

What is your opinion?

Shear

Honestly at some point I wouldn't be surprised if they started going "backwards" and started marketing cartridges with one less blade claiming less irritation. It will be a never ending cycle......Or they will come out with a cartridge with 25 blades in a few years.

Bear in mind, the average shaver is gettin younger and younger, and cannot remember when cartridge razors had only 2 blades. One day Gillette or Schick will reintroduce the TracII, and the young people will all say "Whoa. Only 2 blades! This must be High Tech... Why didn't they think of this in my grandpa's generation?"

If that doesn't work, then Proctor & Gillette can make their 2 blades individually tilt and pivot on spring-loaded hinges that maintain correct pressure throughout the shave, while Schick can soothe and comfort the skin with a dispenser on the head that automatically deposits a trail of a proprietary, patented mixture of aloe, proplyene glycol, and camel snot.

As far as I can tell Gillette doesn't have any qualms about saying theur last model was bad, as long as it helps them sell their next model at a higher profit margin. Look at the current Proglide ads: the guys in the ad are shaving with Fusions and the announcer asks "How's your shave?" and they all say "It tugs and pulls," or whatever. Hello! That's your razor they're dissing!

But I do see what your saying about sheer numbers of blades. How could they go back? Maybe they could say that they have a new razor meant for men with sensitive skin. Even that would imply, however, that their current razor is irritating........

A conundrum, to be sure.

Oh, they will start talking about blade coatings or sharpness, or special lubricants....they won't give up. If I were them, I'd start pushing different razors for different beard and skin types. Fusion and the like for normal people, single blade disposables for others...maybe sell the Guard for twice the price over here and market as a return to the basics! With their marketing dollars they can decide what most people should want and they will want it.

Interesting question.

Can manufacturers continue to offer cheaper products that are precisely engineered to minimize manufacturing costs and juice the marketing/advertising to generate short term revenue? Anecdotally, I see many more men using super-cheap disposable razors and going to more of a “perma-stubble” look. I’ve wondered if this partly isn’t due to shaving having become more difficult with cheap, ineffective products.

I live about 10 miles away Gillette’s massive manufacturing plant in South Boston and had childhood friends whose fathers worked in that factory. At that time, they produced wonderfully engineered, inexpensive metal razors that were priced to be accessible to as wide an audience as possible and work very well.

I suspect that companies got caught up in the Faustian bargain of engineering ‘razor-thin” materials costs by using the absolute least amount of material in each razor and maximizing the use of less expensive materials – think the amount of machined metal in a 1950’s Gillette razor as opposed to the amount of molded plastic in a modern Gillette razor..

Personally, I think that the large manufacturers like Gillette and Schick are walking a tight line as their advertising/marketing costs are much more fixed rather than their older manufacturing costs.

shear said:

I think that Schick and Gillette with their multi-blade systems have painted themselves into a corner, think about it, once they come out with X-number of blades on 1 shaver, the marketing machine can only increase the number of blades to feed the "more is better" syndrome. If they come out with a new razor with fewer blades, then in a sense the previous model with more blades was "unsuccessful" or "faulty".

What is your opinion?

Shear

Click to expand...

It's like the clockspeed wars in CPUs...it used to be that Intel and AMD were competing on processors that were nearly 4GHz from the factory (whereas less-visible improvements in chip architecture were really what made a difference in processing speed). When the laws of physics finally intervened to stop the madness, they started competing on the number of cores...and clockspeeds silently slid back into the 2-3GHz range. It'll probably be the same with shavers.

Gillette is only 'backed into a corner' if they care about not contradicting their past advertising campaigns.

Schick had gone back to 3 blades with hydro, though at the same time they introduced a 5 bladed cartridge. Gillette also did come out with a new line of 2 and 3 bladed disposables (Gillette sensor 3 ) just recently, so maybe this is the beginning of decreased numbers in blades. Eventually resources will dwindle to the point of reducing the blades and the prices, and I anticipate that occurring within 10-15 years.

As someone in their early 20s, I've noticed a large number of males aged 18-25 combat the hassle of shaving simply by using the lowest setting on their hair trimmer once a week.

Wire thin "blades". Millions of them per cartridge. So thin you can barely see them.

or..


frikken laser beams....

either way.

Shavely Manden said:

It's like the clockspeed wars in CPUs...it used to be that Intel and AMD were competing on processors that were nearly 4GHz from the factory (whereas less-visible improvements in chip architecture were really what made a difference in processing speed). When the laws of physics finally intervened to stop the madness, they started competing on the number of cores...and clockspeeds silently slid back into the 2-3GHz range. It'll probably be the same with shavers.

Click to expand...

That's right... they will go back to 2 blades, but with an ALL NEW material... then they can start the count back up to 5... then back to 2 blades, but with a built-in electric face massager... then back up to 5... and that takes us all the way up to 2050, when the world gets destroyed by nuclear bombs.

Seriously, most of the population are not shave . . . enthusiasts like us, and are not going to note, or much care about, contradictions between current advertising, and advertising from ten years ago. If Gillette and Schick want to reintroduce twin, or even single blade razors, they'll have no trouble thinking up a marketing approach.

People have been making jokes about ever increasing numbers of blades since the Seventies, when SNL lampooned Trac II advertising by imagining a three bladed razor. Now there are generic brands with up to six blades, but we're surely reaching the point of diminishing returns there. Anyway, I'll likely stick with my single bladed ways for the rest of my life, or until my stockpile of blades runs out.

i find it amusing that in the latest batch of pro glide commercials, Gillette is pitting the pro glide vs. the mach 3! talk about a win win for them!

A while ago, I speculated that either Gillette or Shick was going to return to a one-blade model as its flagship model based on the principle that a "new and revolutionary" development had taken place that has changed one-blade shaving forever. This would have to be phrased (and marketed) as a very significant change indeed in order to be able to bypass years and years of "more blades is better" marketing. Also, a higher end shaving cream similar to the ones that many people would compliment the new, improved, retro razor and would tie in nicely with the current movement to more natural foods, medicine and living.

Looks like the OP painted himself into a corner with the thread title. That, or it was shear brilliance.

They can hardly go up with blades since 6 is already done by others. But as long as P&G has enough money for their advertising campaigns they will be able to sell anything. As long as it is IMPROVED, NEW or THE BEST most will buy again....

I'd say that Gillette can paint me right off their customer list. I started with a Sensor, then proceded to follow the death march to the latest battery-powered 5 bladed hell. I kept thinking that the shaves would get better and better. The only thing that multiplied was the irritation and me dreading having to shave. I've got a Dovo 5 piece basic set coming tomorrow.

I never knew there was such an interest in shaving. I look forward to learning a lot here.

There will be other things besides blade counts that will be developed to improve the shave. What those will be we can only guess.

I don't think they have necessarily painted themselves into a corner. With a clever marketing campaign they could pull off a successful retreat. I haven't paid attention to Schick's marketing, so I don't know how they market the Hydro 3 versus the Hydro 5.
I think Gillette could do something like say that with their new blade technology, they can now do with one or two blades what used to take five.
I think it would be a pretty easy marketing solution. They could talk about the improved maneuverability of the slim single-bladed head, or the wonders of a single blade that works as well as 5 blades, but lasts twice as long.
Who knows what the world of conventional shaving will bring? Personally I think it is entertaining to sit back and see what they try to sell the public.
I especially love that six blade razor that has shaving cream in its handle!