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- #21
Lol yuppers just like PDF...like over at PSF...
Lol yuppers just like PDF...like over at PSF...
Gillette's newest shaving system has just one blade, a light plastic handle and a sharply lower price. And it isn't available in the U.S.
The Gillette Guard, the latest razor from the Procter & Gamble Co. PG +0.74% unit, instead will begin hitting stores in India next week.
The move by the maker of five-bladed, battery-powered gizmos reflects P&G's aggressive push into emerging markets for new customers and growth. That focus is forcing P&G to be more modest on scale and more flexible on price.
Gillette commands about 70% of the world's razor and blade sales, but it lags behind rivals in India and other developing markets, mainly because those consumers can't afford to buy its flagship products.
The stripped-down Gillette Guard is designed to be affordable. The razor costs 15 rupees, or 34 cents, and uses blades that cost five rupees, or 11 cents.
By contrast, the Mach 3 blades that Gillette has been selling in India cost about 100 rupees, around $2.24.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704789404575524273890970954.html
Modern production of DE blades is geared to the demands of certain parts of the world where DE shaving is the norm. We are now seeing that market start to shift to low-priced carts that can compete price-wise with DE blades. Once the demand for blades drops to the point that it is no longer profitable to manufacture them, they will be no more. The reality (for our market) is that shaving with classic DE and SE razors is a geek hobby thing and sadly will never make its way back to mainstream. When was the last time you bought a loaf of bread that wasn't sliced?
The last three safety razors I bought were second hand !
Of course, by then Merkur will have discontinued the Vision series and implemented something the size of a small hammer that you'll need two hands to use. "Just got a BBS using a Merkur Hatchet with one pass. But it is hard to comfortably shave the sub-schnoz area. Any suggestions?"
I honestly believe that it would be entirely possible to make DE shaving much more popular were it marketed correctly and based on DE products that are user friendly enough to build a growing customer base.
I agree 100%...... if the major companies were start production of high grade DE razors and blades and market them as a premium product, they could win over a large market share of those who only want "the finer things" in life.....same market as BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Rolex.....none of those products are superior to less expensive products....but the perceived value and quality makes them very desirable for many.
Extremely well said. I got into this 'hobby' because I was looking for another alternative to shaving, fortunately I found a whole lot more, most of which is suitable for another topic. I grew up in an era where Mach 3's were the newest and all the rage. 15 years later I learned that their is a better method. This 'geeky hobby' you speak of has definitely made me a better man.
Great insight, and awesome topic for discussion. Thumbs up!
Thanks, Nick, for the kind words. While this "hobby" has given me better shaves and a much smoother face (that SWMBO adores . . .) it is the friends here at B&B that have helped me enjoy being a better man. Great people, great discussions, and always something to look forward to!
Now if I just wasn't taking so much heat for that "sliced bread" analogy . . .
Well no,that would mean it's actually a toast analogy......
"I just don't know what today's man is thinking . . . shaving yourself with a thin slice of sharpened steel . . . don't they know that to really shave one needs a well-crafted straight razor, properly honed and stropped . . . not to mention a professional barber to do the job. It's the most stupid thing I've ever seen apart from sliced bread . . ."
-- Great Grandfather, 1905
Modern production of DE blades is geared to the demands of certain parts of the world where DE shaving is the norm. We are now seeing that market start to shift to low-priced carts that can compete price-wise with DE blades. Once the demand for blades drops to the point that it is no longer profitable to manufacture them, they will be no more. The reality (for our market) is that shaving with classic DE and SE razors is a geek hobby thing and sadly will never make its way back to mainstream. When was the last time you bought a loaf of bread that wasn't sliced?