Great time line. when in the time line do you think that the DE saw it's fate? And what was the mayor factor. Laziness ,money, or just Americans going with the flow of new technology.
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Gillette History of Innovation...Nice timeline and video. Hard question though.
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It wasn't just Americans going with the flow of new technology, it is much wider spread than that. Using a multi bladed razor in theory speeds up the shaving process, and everyone has been spread so thin that they think of shaving as a chore to finish quickly. We on the other hand know what a pleasure a good shave can be and will make the time so we can get a good shave. Yes I can get an acceptable shave with a DE in about the same time as I could with goo and a cartridge razor, but I would rather get up 45 minutes earlier and enjoy my shave
Great question, Alex, and thanks for sharing P&G's interesting presentation of historical facts to underscore today's marketing effort. We really have to remember that Gillette (P&G) is not really in the "razor" business, but rather in the "profit" business.
Back in the 1960s, Gillette was facing great challenges to its blade sales superiority from Wilkinson and Personna. Their stainless steel and tungsten-coated blades were eroding Gillette's market share. Since the patents on double-edge blade design had long expired, they needed to re-invent their razor to take advantage of patentable, proprietary blades and their inherent profitability .
An attempt was made with the Techmatic design. It was such a market and performance failure that when Schick blatantly copied their design with their Auto-Band razor, Gillette didn't even bat an eye!
With the Trac II, Gillette produced a product that performed equal to a DE. The marketing team created advertising to enhance its perception, as well as take advantage of our "space-age" thirst for new and technically innovative products.
Since then, their strategy has been to introduce the "next new and better" design prior to patent expiration, move the customer to the new design, and market the hell out of it to keep the consumer convinced that the right choice has been made. This has been fairly easy to do, since each new generation experiences new products (in other areas) that weren't available to their fathers. Hence, nobody shaves with the same tool that Dad did anymore!
Back in the 1960s, Gillette was facing great challenges to its blade sales superiority from Wilkinson and Personna. Their stainless steel and tungsten-coated blades were eroding Gillette's market share. Since the patents on double-edge blade design had long expired, they needed to re-invent their razor to take advantage of patentable, proprietary blades and their inherent profitability .
An attempt was made with the Techmatic design. It was such a market and performance failure that when Schick blatantly copied their design with their Auto-Band razor, Gillette didn't even bat an eye!
With the Trac II, Gillette produced a product that performed equal to a DE. The marketing team created advertising to enhance its perception, as well as take advantage of our "space-age" thirst for new and technically innovative products.
Since then, their strategy has been to introduce the "next new and better" design prior to patent expiration, move the customer to the new design, and market the hell out of it to keep the consumer convinced that the right choice has been made. This has been fairly easy to do, since each new generation experiences new products (in other areas) that weren't available to their fathers. Hence, nobody shaves with the same tool that Dad did anymore!
I actually liked the vid..Gillette Bleue Extra blades a good n stiff without that "flex" for nicks n cuts as I tend to get em from many blades...though the 1970's til today's razor DO come at a hefty pricetag..going to the gym I hear guys sayin they wont or cant afford Gillette razors so they opt for cheaper "versions"..my dad uses Mach3..in his army days he used DE for many years but he told me his eyes n hand coordination weren't as good as they once were..make sense to me for that reason alone 
Thanks for the link, I enjoyed watching it. It just seems that they are taking the idea/concept of what King Gillette did, and are amplifying it. During the DE era there was stiff competition and the DE patents expired. With the carts P&G will maintain a firm hold in the market minimizing copying of there product.
Nothing lasts forever, even something that's very high quality and doesn't need to be improved upon.
I am sure people using straights thought the same thing when DE's were introduced, we're saying it now that cartridges are dominant, and the next generation will say it again to whatever the successor to cartridges is.
Both of my parents abandoned their DE's for cartridges when they were introduced. At the time, it was new technology, and new technology always appeals to newer generations.
My grandfather is the only person I know who has used the same razor for over 70 years
I am sure people using straights thought the same thing when DE's were introduced, we're saying it now that cartridges are dominant, and the next generation will say it again to whatever the successor to cartridges is.
Both of my parents abandoned their DE's for cartridges when they were introduced. At the time, it was new technology, and new technology always appeals to newer generations.
My grandfather is the only person I know who has used the same razor for over 70 years
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Thanks for the good reply....so you think that it was Americans going with the flow?
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Thank your dad for serving in military for our country....Now, You think your dad went with the flow of new technology too.I actually liked the vid..Gillette Bleue Extra blades a good n stiff without that "flex" for nicks n cuts as I tend to get em from many blades...though the 1970's til today's razor DO come at a hefty pricetag..going to the gym I hear guys sayin they wont or cant afford Gillette razors so they opt for cheaper "versions"..my dad uses Mach3..in his army days he used DE for many years but he told me his eyes n hand coordination weren't as good as they once were..make sense to me for that reason alone
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Your welcome sledge, so you think it was a money thing.
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I agree, but not all new generations do agree with new technology as they do today. I think it may have been different back few decades ago, at least for my parents and family. They hated change. This is what led to my question. The old school generation in general hated change....today we have to embrace it or we will be left behind. I bought a very high end HP computer last year and within 8 months the PC was out of date (and a new CPU with Sandy Bridge generation of Core i7 was in the newer PC. ) Today's generation is geared towards change, I get it. But how the heck did the old generation accept change so fast and stayed with it even if the newer razors were crappy compared to the older more precise better built razors.
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Can't view at work, will check out at home.
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Why? 1971
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NO problem, we shall wait for your opinion or statement sir.
Hey Alex I think it's a money thing. P&G obviously wants to make products that work for the consumer, but the bottom line for them is profit/dominance.
As much as I've come to enjoy using a DE, up until only a few months ago the thought of using one never even crossed my mind. In fact, if you showed me a safety razor in an antique store sometime last year, I probably would've looked at it as a curiosity of the past & moved on. The fact of the matter is, like so many of us, I grew up in a period where cartridge razors were the norm. My father used them and both of my grandfathers did too. When I learned to shave, I was given a cheap Remington electric for my birthday and told to just have at it. I'm the only person that I personally know who uses a DE now. Everyone else either uses carts or electric. The simple truth is that most people don't even know that safety razors are still made (let alone that blades are still made for them). The younger generation may not even know that they exist at all. As long as Gillette and their competitors keep pushing out "the next big thing", people will keep going with the flow. Like they show in the video, time moves on and razor tech goes with it - and the people will follow.
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- #17
I believe that the razor will evolve to a better quality due to technology, but in past few years its about money and not quality or function, theres really no difference between the technology of a vibrating Mach 3 vs a regular Mach 3, but people still go out and buy it. What gives?
There's a common misunderstanding that your experience as a shaving afficianado/hobbyist in 2011 has anything to do with how guys perceived their shave 40/50/60 + years ago. Shaving was something you did quickly without thinking about it, and anything that made it quicker or less complicated was a good thing.
The late '60s and early '70s were an interesting time. We were putting men on the moon . . . Teflon was just being used on cookware . . . and people were just beginning to let go of "the way we always do things" and embrace more modern methods and ideas.
Do not underestimate the power of marketing. Advertising and promotion cause us to disconnect with what we are presently using, and make a new connection with a different product or service. In this case, a shaving public hungry for moon-age technology was not "going with the flow" . . . they were the flow!
Jump ahead 40 years to today. As you mentioned, Alex, your new computer was obsolete in eight months. Cell phones evolve in months rather than years. People have come not only to expect product evolution, they demand it!
In 1971 I used a slide rule. Today I have a calculator app on my cell phone. In '71 I wrote lunar landing simulation software on a Digital PDP-8 . . . today I create web pages and analyze sales data on a desktop PC infinitely more powerful that a room full of PDP-8s.
In not all cases is the new thing better than the old . . . it's just new!
The Gillette razor did not shave better than the straight razor it replaced. But, it did allow for easier self-shaving, and was instrumental in forming a daily shaving habit with the men of that day. Men using it did have knowledge of proper technique. As time has passed, the knowledge of the past methods is lost. Today's shaver does not know how to properly shave, as evidenced by the number of men under 40 who do not shave daily!
Your initial question ranks right up there with some of the greatest questions of all time . . . like which came first, the chicken or the egg?
But, I maintain that Gillette's profit motivation takes great advantage of today's demand for product evolution.
Great discussion!!
I enjoyed the video, thanks for posting it. I would say the Atra, and Trac II made people more interested in going away from DEs in the 70's, and they were made by Gillette too ( no offense to Schick fans intended ). I think these razors were more appealing to the 9-5 commuter types in a hurry to catch a train etc...but still wanted a decent shave with a razor. I guess on Gillettes end, the razors were cheaper to make, and the blades wound up costing us more than the razors themselves. Imagine buying a brand new Aristocrat in 53' and not being able to afford blades for it because they are $10.00 each? Lol 
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