Think gillette will ever re-release old razors?

This is Gillette's idea of DE razors in 2014. I think we're better off without.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...e-razors-again
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...ors-from-India

Okay first GIllette tricks the whole world into believing that his newfangled safety razor is better than those old fashioned obsolete straight razors. Then they trick the whole world into believing that the multiblade carts are better than those old fashioned obsolete safety razors. Actually, they do the same thing with each new and improved cart. To now go back and say that hey, we were wrong, our bad, sorry, but really the safety razors are da goods, would be hard to push even on a gullible public. I'm sensing credibility issues. Plus any exec who pushes for a revival in safety razor shaving would be fired. Maybe even sued, by the shareholders, for irresponsibly ignoring the bottom line. One of the problems with our corporate culture and structure is that a career minded executive must be more sensitive to the needs of the stockholders than to the needs of the customer. So the customer gets jerked around... that's what advertising and marketing is all about, convincing the customer that he was wrong, and what he is offered is actually better than what he wants or needs. A private business is a self serving entity motivated by greed, that survives by making the customer happy so he spends more money. A corporation is a self serving entity motivated by greed, that survives by making the customer THINK he is happy so he spends more money, and keeps spending more money. Which one better serves the customer? This is part of what is wrong wrong wrong with America and The World, Today.

Anyway, no, it would never happen. And even if it did, some idiot trying to justify his position and salary would try to "improve" it, and thus ruin it. My choice would be a long handled Super Adjustable, but without the black handle, and no plastic, period. A nicely knurled handle, Nickel plated or better. The only functional improvement I could think of would be a lower head profile, so a lower shave angle would be possible and more blade exposure would work. Shaves would be closer with less irritation and fewer cuts. Not as good as a straight, but close. All metal construction would help give it heft and a feeling of quality.

Part of the attraction of DE razors is the retro aspect. Gillette making and marketing them domestically would sort of cancel that out. Stuff is only truly cool when it is hard to get.

No, because if they were to launch DE razors they would need to cut the priceses for cartridge razors and we all know that big $$$$ is coming from cartridge razors

P&G (Gillette) is too invested in the multi-blade game to act proactively on this front. Whatever gains that could be made would take from their current bottom line.

What may happen is P&G buying up the companies who makes today's DEs.

All Thumbs said:

I'd rather it remain niche instead of paying cartridge prices for blades

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Well, they used to be cartridge prices 30 years ago. Probably marketing strategy to buy in into the European market.

Totally agree on that point. When you get a huge company dominating the market, the first to go are the small companies.

Any way, it would give Gillette a serious marketing headache... it would be like saying... "You know those cartridge razors, the ones we said were the best... yeah, the expensive ones? Well, we lied! These cheaper, longer lasting razors that take really cheap DE blades will shave just as well, if not better." Can't see it happening.

Ron Scott said:

I believe DE shaving will continue to appeal to a minority of shavers, and will likely shrink over time. We might be past the peak now in fact. Hardly enough to get Gillette back into that end of the business.

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What we really need to do is show the youth of today, that there are great alternatives to cartridges. If nobody shows you, or tells you then you go with what you see on the market shelves. Suckered into the marketing of parting good money for things that are over priced.

I think it's not at all likely, but never say never. If DE shaving became fashionable for whatever reason, Gillette would jump on the bandwagon straight away. They'd probably launch a new DE blade with some wonder coating as well -- and with the technology the company has access to it might even be very good.

RobG said:

These cheaper, longer lasting razors that take really cheap DE blades will shave just as well, if not better.

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We are fortunate that we can import razor blades cheaply that are intended for other markets. DE blades intended for home markets are not that inexpensive. Supermarket and Drugstore own brand DE's blades are now mid priced items. Gillette Bleu's are very expensive in Europe. There are exceptions, for example the Dollar stores. But would you really want to shave with a Dorco made in Vietnam?

Sabre said:

DE blades intended for home markets are not that inexpensive. Supermarket and Drugstore own brand DE's blades are now mid priced items.

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I always wonder when HEMA is going to discontinue the DE blades.
That definitely will be a sign of the times, like when they discontinued the B&W films :-(

Anyone who thinks cartridge prices are going to be what makes DE shaving appealing to the masses is mistaken. Yes, some aficianados like us refuse cartridge prices. But if people started flocking away in droves they could cut to half the current price and still be profitable.

Companies like P&G have departments of analysts watching over stuff like market share vs. price on a regular basis.

Their wholesale price of an item is "what the market will bear" rather than a markup from the cost to manufacture.

mrb7 said:

Anyone who thinks cartridge prices are going to be what makes DE shaving appealing to the masses is mistaken. Yes, some aficianados like us refuse cartridge prices. But if people started flocking away in droves they could cut to half the current price and still be profitable.

Companies like P&G have departments of analysts watching over stuff like market share vs. price on a regular basis.

Their wholesale price of an item is "what the market will bear" rather than a markup from the cost to manufacture.

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Exactly.

On top of that if they were to ever remake a DE Razor it would definitely not be a TTO, or complex design. It would be a 2 or 3 piece. Probably with plastic. And for those who think that they couldn't advertise because it would compete with their cartridges are wrong. Its a different audience and they would most likely start a sister brand for that need. Similar to art of shaving but more geared towards DE. Most likely what they would do is keep an eye out on these smaller niche companies that eat into their profits. At some point they eat into them too much and then Gillette would acquire them. That is the goal for both parties. Gillette gets profits back and small businesses get a huge payday. The thing is there is not one DE company big enough for Gillette to really care in America. I am sure they notice Dollar Shave Club though but until there is something in stores they wont care. If you want Gillette in the game then start a DE company. Make good products. Get your name out there. Get into a couple hundred Walmarts, Targets, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc and then Gillette will take note about bringing something to the market. Its all about the money.

I seriously doubt it.+1

+1 for this. Right on the money. Manufacturing the classics today just isn't economic.

Donnchadh_Sempill said:

I doubt they will, because there wouldn't be enough money in it. There's too many companies making DE blades these days, they won't have a near-monopoly on them the way they do cartridges. They would also see it as cutting into the profits from their cartridge lines.

And let's face it, even if Gillette were to re-release some of the classics, they would just be over-priced cheap imitations. It would be too expensive to produce them at the same quality of the old ones. You'd probably get better quality for less with something like a cheap China razor.

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I think it would be more likely that Gillette would buy up one or two current de mfgs like parker or weishi and slap a Gillette label on it. It would be much more economical for them than investing in the machinery needed to mass produce razors.

There's no money in it, why sell Safety razors when you can make vastly more money selling cartridges? Hopefully some Chinese company like Gold Dollar will produce high-quality modern replicas.

The posts stating that cartridges are an inferior product confuse me. The technology, R&D, and manufacturing processes that go into a cartridge far exceed a DE blade. Also, I believe for a large majority of males cartridges provide a higher quality shave than DE's. Cartridges being inferior strikes me as the same argument I hear about firearms. I happen to collect antique firearms. The quality and craftsmanship that go into them is amazing. However, I often hear other collectors talk about the plastic garbage manufacturers produce today. I assure you, if faced with the impending zombie apocaplypse I would much prefer a modern Colt AR15 with a 30 round clip and red dot site over an 1868 Hawken muzzleloader complete with minnieball and black powder.

If I am hanging one of those 2 above the fireplace for decoration, the Hawken wins hands down.

I guess I view DE shaving the same way. A fun hobby that I enjoy a great deal. If I have time for a long slow shave session I grab my Gillette Slim '66. If I have 5 minutes to get out the door and need to look presentable I grab a 2004 Mach 3.

Cartridges aren't an inferior product. They are simply a natural progression of technolnogy updating a tool. Often it occurs to me when I grab my '66 Slim or '61 Fat Boy that back in 1961 someone old codger was looking at my shining new Fat Boy sitting on a shelf in a store wondering why anyone would by that TTO inferior product with its complicated moving parts.

Older isn't better for everyone. At 1 point in time I had 1977 Ford Pinto. I ain't going back to the Pinto boys.

Gillette making new DE razors? Please, no, no, and NO! They would be trash. I already have enough vintage Gillettes to last several lifetimes. And I'm much happier buying DE razors made by ATT, Tradere, Merkur, and Mühle.

Now, if Barbasol (who doesn't sell cartridges) decides to go back into production with its floating head razor, my credit card will be locked & loaded.

Gillette has done what car companies are beginning to do... quit making what people want, to make what has a bigger margin.

The DE market is just too small.

When GE looks to release a product they consider the margin per unit X the number of units sold at: introduction, stable state, and end-of-life. The new products GE releases must either exceed current product revenue expectations or enable entry into new markets that meet or exceed existing markets. Cannibalizing existing markets is only good when those users are planning to leave the GE fold.

There just aren't enough DE users out here to generate enough cash flow and profit to make us interesting.