Tradere Razors- handle sale now over- Open Comb Razor Preview and Information

[natchez]

Hello B&B,

Thank you for the amazing reception you have given to our handle and Tradere, which is pronounced tray-dare-ray and is Latin with the meaning we are using being- “to pass on, as in to posterity”. Our introductory handle sale is now concluded. The volume of orders for handles that have come in has been great. The first production run of handles is finished and I will pick up the remaining part of the order early next week. We are shipping handles daily and are up to date on all orders placed before the weekend. Razor heads are scheduled for April production and should be shipping the first week of May. The entire razor will be done in stainless.

The handles are now available at the regular price of $44 through http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/ and http://www.westcoastshaving.com/, or by contacting us at [email protected]. Our razors will also be offered through these two vendors.

Ordering from these two superb B&B supporting vendors will help me concentrate on new product development and production because we have some great plans for the next year. We have already begun preliminary design work on a new slant razor that I planning for our next offering.

Set forth below are some pictures of our new OC razor, as promised for today. Our razors will be a three-piece razor, rather than the two-piece design of the Pils. This way you may use the head and handle interchangeably with other items you own. Production of the OC will be during April and we expect to start shipping the heads and complete razors the first week of May, in plenty of time for Father’s Day.

Each razor’s bottom plate will bear the company name, a model code and a serial number, and that the razor is made in USA. The first ten serial numbers are reserved for the company archives, close associates and my testing group, as they have not been paid. All other serial numbers will be assigned randomly by random.org. Specific serial number requests will not be entertained.

The razor head in the photos is a rough finished prototype, while the handle in the photos is an actual production handle. The production heads will be better finished, and may vary slightly from the photo, as we reserve the right to make small changes during the production process.

This is the only prototype of the final version I have. One is out to a reseller for testing and the other is still circulating amongst my regular testing team. We have tested the razor with a variety of available blades and the testers have reported good results across the spectrum of blades. Their regular favorites are still their favorites with our razor. But, as always YMMV.

I have gotten a lot of questions on aggressiveness. This is not a highly aggressive razor; this is an open comb designed for the middle of the aggressiveness scale. It is aggressive enough to know you are shaving, with audible feedback, but not at all off putting. As you might imagine, setting the aggression was the most hotly contested issue amongst my development group.

The regular pricing on the complete razor set is $150 shipped to the US, $158 shipped to Canada or Mexico and $161 shipped to the rest of the world. All shipments from us will go USPS small flat rate priority. All razors include the hard shell travel case pictured. Part of our streamlining effort was to choose a case that would also serve as the packaging for shipment in a USPS small flat rate box. There is no mark up on the case, it is being included at my cost-but it is not optional.

The price may seem on the high side, but it is by far the lowest priced of all the full stainless machined razors on the market. It is $75 less than the Pils; a full 1/3 less. We were able to bring it in at this price by working on smaller gross margins and streamlining all possible processes, but not by sacrificing quality of build or choice of materials. I think it is going to be the first fully machined razor that has been made in the US for a quite a long time.

I am extremely grateful to those of you who early adopted the handle, as it helped me fund the rest of the R&D costs for this venture. So, you have been an important part of making the razor come to life. You will be assured of a head numbered within the first 200 produced, even if I increase the run.

As I promised for those who bought their handles before this posting, you may order a head, and included case at an introductory 20% discount, or $120 total cost US, $128 Canada, and $131 for those located elsewhere. You folks may choose to take a credit for the $35 you paid for the handle, so the net prices would be $85, $93, and $96, respectively, or you may choose to just get the full kit with an additional handle. You should contact me for this pricing offer.

Both Phil at Bullgoose and John at West Coast placed orders, essentially sight unseen, to help get this going and they and the B&B moderators have been terrific with their patient support, help and advice.

At this time, the first production run is set at 200 heads and a good number of heads are already accounted for by wholesale orders and an expectation that many of the early handle purchasers will opt in. If I need to, I can increase the initial run, so if you want to be on a wait list contact Phil at Bullgoose, John at West Coast, or me at [email protected].

Thanks for reading this rather long post and please enjoy the photos. Since I may only post once a day in the Vendors Forum, I will add some more photos in the morning. If there are specific shots you want to see, please let me know in this thread.

Addendum: I cannot post any more pictures until tonight due to the one post per day limit, but will when the time limit allows. And will answer all the questions I can at that time. My browser would not allow me to get to B&B last night, but I will again be able to post this evening.

[Mr. Flay]

Looks great, Richard. I may have to start DE shaving again...

[rajagra]

Nice.

The regular pricing on the complete razor set is $150
...
As I promised for those who bought their handles before this posting, you may order a head, and included case at an introductory 20% discount, or $120 total cost US, $128 Canada, and $131 for those located elsewhere. You folks may choose to take a credit for the $35 you paid for the handle, so the net prices would be $85, $93, and $96, respectively, or you may choose to just get the full kit with an additional handle.

I'm not sure I'm reading this right. Do the people who bought handles before now get a full razor for $120/128/131, or just the head and case?
And for $85/93/96 they get the head alone - or is it head + a case?

[Gilded]

You had me at slant. Will this also be an open comb design? Please? Pretty please? Cherry on top!

[Gilded]

Nice.



I'm not sure I'm reading this right. Do the people who bought handles before now get a full razor for $120/128/131, or just the head and case?
And for $85/93/96 they get the head alone - or is it head + a case?

Is sounds to me that the higher price is a complete set while the lower price is without the handle.

[Lar]

I interpret it to mean you get the whole set for $120/128/131 (head, case, and handle) which would mean you'd have two handles. Or you get the remainder of the set (head and case) for $85/93/96 in which case you'd then have the entire set (handle previously bought, head and case).

Is sounds to me that the higher price is a complete set while the lower price is without the handle.

[Lar]

Richard,

It wasn't clear to me how those of us that purchased the handle during your introductory sale are supposed to order the remainder of the razor set. So I just sent you an email at [email protected] placing the order for the head and case.

Larry

[fatthumb]

Wow! The head looks different from our regular OC head. But I'm quite curious why the head is significantly more expensive as compared to the handle?

Btw Richard, do you mind taking a picture from the side of the head with blade inside?

Thanks :)

[bakerbarber]

Very exciting! Thank you for making these items available and for doing so at an initial discount. You’re building solid equity for your brand on an even steadier foundation of quality and craftsmanship.

Great to have Made in USA available!

[VladTepes]

I bought the handle and will definitely buy the head/box to suit. I'll shoot you an email in teh next couple of days.

[Sqratch]

Ohhh yeah. Email sent. I am looking forward to this head. Looks amazing.

[itaforte]

Nice! I can't wait to receive the head!

[Stubblefield]

Wow! The head looks different from our regular OC head. But I'm quite curious why the head is significantly more expensive as compared to the handle?

I'm guessing because the heads are more expensive to design, develop, and produce.

Richard, I ordered two handles so I'm looking forward to placing an order for one head and case. Also glad to see that the head will be of a medium aggressiveness--I think it is what the market actually wants.

Will the head also be stainless steel, finished similarly to the handle?

[Haiku]

This is a very exciting project and I've already sent Richard a PM asking to be added to his list.

You know, the founders and moderators of Badger and Blade need to be congratulated. Without this forum and the community of like minded shaving enthusiasts, which created the market, Richard could not have done this. What a great story.

[HarryC]

I am definitely getting in on the OC head. Excited about the slant as well. I've sent you an email to join the list. Thank you Richard.

[casus4844]

How long is this? time to sell my straights...

[seizure]

Will it be possible to buy just the head?

[Haiku]

Will it be possible to buy just the head?

I think that the answer is yes, and for the price quoted in the original message which varies depending on shipping.

[Sqratch]

I think that the answer is yes, and for the price quoted in the original message which varies depending on shipping.

It's possible the head only deal is for those of us who already purchased the handle.

[seizure]

It's possible the head only deal is for those of us who already purchased the handle.

Yeah, that's my question.

I have too many handles already, and don't need another (although the Tradere one is amazing). I would like the opportunity to try the head though.