Gillette cartridge razors under assult by vintage DE razors

[LarryDarrell]

I think it's a pretty desperate marketing tactic. There are going to be a lot of guys out there shaving with a blunt cartridge for two weeks, because they heard "this cartridge lasts five weeks" and they'll just keep right on for the full five weeks regardless and wondering why they're getting a rash.

[TheVez2]

5 weeks from a fusion? I beg to differ...

Maybe if you're only shaving peach fuzz every few days....

[Borotva Penge]

Oh crap...........time to stock up on some blades. Let the hoarding begin. Might be time to get that 100 Feather box I've been putting off getting.

[Alejandro1969]

Only one problem. I hadn't used a Gillette product for years. Now I have blacks, blues, yellows, greens.....

So the switch to DE has led to increased Gillette sales... Hmmmmmm.

It's OK they are made in Russia for a certain market, they are Gillette products that Gillette did not intend the developed world to have but with the event of online vending they must be slightly annoyed!
I can get 200 Astra SPs for less than the price of 4 Fusion carts! Makes me want to say "Hello Gillette and thanks for the DE blade bargain and how come those Astra SPs are better value than the super ultra high tech carts?"

[mystkm]

5 weeks from a fusion? I beg to differ...

Maybe if you're only shaving peach fuzz every few days....

Well there is that. But I know I could make a fusion last 5 months easily. It is simple. Shave very sporadically. Like once a month should do it.

[kingfisher]

I sent my son off to college with an Atra and a 10-pack of Wilkinson cartridges I bought at WalMart for $3.54. He came back after two semesters and he had only used two of the cartridges.

He has areas of peach fuzz where a goatee or van dyke would be, and maybe a few stray hairs just under the sideburn area and on the jaw line. I grow more facial hair in 6 hours than he does in a week.

So they last a long time for him.

[harmoni]

Interesting piece indeed, though since when has the Fusion been 6-bladed? With such a large marketshare and development budget, it stands to reason that Gillette would watch their customer base in order to deal with any threats to their sales revenues. DE/SE/straight shaving may not be a big threat, but I see a good many generic cartridges in the mens toiletries section of my local supermarket.

[mystkm]

Interesting piece indeed, though since when has the Fusion been 6-bladed?

IIRC there are 6 blades. 5 on the front and one on the back for touch ups.

[harmoni]

IIRC there are 6 blades. 5 on the front and one on the back for touch ups.

Ahhhh, silly me. Forgot about the touch-up blade. Ty mystkm.

[PugslyCat]

There are going to be a lot of guys out there shaving with a blunt cartridge for two weeks, because they heard "this cartridge lasts five weeks" and they'll just keep right on for the full five weeks
regardless and wondering why they're getting a rash.

+1 - But I think it would be the last 4 weeks that would get painful.

[Ollie4ISU]

In the town where I went to college there is a fairly new (three year old) "traditional" barbershop. A gentleman and his wife run it. They do haircuts with straight razor neck touch-ups and a full blown traditional straight shave. The guy that runs it teaches DE shaving to college students that are interested. It is a great shop. They carry Parker razors, brushes, etc. Arko products (sticks and creams) and they even have their own custom shave soaps and creams. They also carry a nice selections of blades. There is a whole generation of students going "old school" at Iowa State. Of course, there isn't a razor "in the wild" to be found within 30 miles of them.

[Maxime D.]

After reading this, I feel like a rebel ^.^

[Alejandro1969]

Well there is that. But I know I could make a fusion last 5 months easily. It is simple. Shave very sporadically. Like once a month should do it.

I can make a Fusion last forever cos I'm never going to use it!

[Le Buzz]

Look what I found in my mailbox today... a free fusion proglide, unsolicited by me for the record. Could this be a feeble attempt to thwart diminishing cartridge sales due to the power of the mighty B&B?

Maybe not, but I find it amusing. They did this one other time, on my 18th birthday with a free Mach3. They got me hooked on cartridges for the next 10 years. Their strategy worked flawlessly the first time, but something tells me it won't this time.

[bakerbarber]

Interesting.

Thanks for posting the link!

[Maxime D.]

Gillette will continue to lose ground, peoples are tired to pay abusive prices (For everything). You are in big trouble when you customers realize that they can do the same for less, and nothing that they can say (Quality, long lasting *Caughing*, trust) will overcome this sign '$'.

[hotreds]

Wow- did not realize we had a stadium full of members!

[Absolute Mustard]

Well there is that. But I know I could make a fusion last 5 months easily. It is simple. Shave very sporadically. Like once a month should do it.

It's not shaving, its gliding

[mftoms59]

5 weeks from a fusion? I beg to differ...

I believe the very fine small print stated; Based on the number of days used per cartridge... Whatever that means!

[mystkm]

In the town where I went to college there is a fairly new (three year old) "traditional" barbershop. A gentleman and his wife run it. They do haircuts with straight razor neck touch-ups and a full blown traditional straight shave. The guy that runs it teaches DE shaving to college students that are interested. It is a great shop. They carry Parker razors, brushes, etc. Arko products (sticks and creams) and they even have their own custom shave soaps and creams. They also carry a nice selections of blades. There is a whole generation of students going "old school" at Iowa State. Of course, there isn't a razor "in the wild" to be found within 30 miles of them.

Hmm. Sound awesome. Come to think of it about 40 minutes from here there is this barbershop called City Barber and they are truly old school. I've never been there as the last time I was in that area was two years ago and it was closed. But from what I saw through the window definitely upheld the old school statement. I did spy some DE razors and strops and brushes and soaps and whatnot for sell. Considering its a college town that might explain why finding razors around here is very, very hit and miss.

Look what I found in my mailbox today... a free fusion proglide, unsolicited by me for the record. Could this be a feeble attempt to thwart diminishing cartridge sales due to the power of the mighty B&B?

Maybe not, but I find it amusing. They did this one other time, on my 18th birthday with a free Mach3. They got me hooked on cartridges for the next 10 years. Their strategy worked flawlessly the first time, but something tells me it won't this time.

Geez! Only thing I got was a Sensor when I turned 18. Wonder if they're doing this on a large scale?

It's not shaving, its gliding

Ah, yes. How silly of me!