The great cartridge razor rip off - Change your shaving habits now & save a fortune
In January 2011, I blogged about why a double edge razor is technically better than a cartridge based razor system. Now there is yet another reason for men to ditch the horrid multi-bladed cartridge razor in favour of the single bladed razor.
According to an article on the Daily Mail website, the price of razor blade ‘cartridges’ has jumped by as much as 99% over the last three years.
“Replacement cartridges for Gillette’s Fusion ProGlide can be as much as £3.49 each,” the newspaper said.
It went on to say that blades for Gillette’s top-of-the-range Fusion ProGlide cost less than 10p to manufacturer, which in my book is a fairly decent profit margin.
The paper also blames Gillette, the world’s largest shaving company by quite a distance, for imposing a stealth price rise by cutting the number of replacement cartridges in its Mach3 Turbo packs from five to four.
“The smaller pack did not bring a corresponding cut in the price, leaving men paying at least 20 per cent more,” the article says.
It went on to blame the increasing cost of cartridge blades for men’s poor shaving habits.
“At the same time, men worried about making ends meet are either trying to make their razor blades last longer, with the resulting scrapes and cuts – or ditching their shaving regime and opting for designer stubble.”
A better quality shave with a long term saving
This all makes me rather angry as there is an easy solution – change your shaving habits and ditch the overpriced cartridge razor. Opt instead for a double edge safety razor and if you’re feeling really adventurous, a straight or cut throat razor (as its more commonly referred to).
Not only will both types of razor give you a better quality of shave, they are also much cheaper in the long run, as a number of the comments on the Daily Mail article point out.
“I switched from cartridge razors to a straight razor and have never looked back. True your initial investment is a little higher but the payback on these cartridge blades is 6 months or so. Have not had to buy a single razor blade in 18 months now,” commented Derrick Young, Wasaga Beach, Ontario.
Roy, from York, also pointed out the massive cost savings men could experience from switching to a DE razor: “I have used an old fashioned Double Edge safety razor for years and blades for that can cost as little as 10p. As they are cheap you can afford to change them regularly and get a good shave. With multi bladed cartridges because of the price people carry on using them when they are going blunt. With DE razors, OK the razor is more expensive but it lasts for many years, but one sharp blade every couple of shaves is better than a dull multi blade being stretched out over a week. People have had good shaves with single blades for centuries. Multi blades are a marketing gimmick.”
Roy’s last sentence is a very accurate one, “Multi blades are a marketing gimmick”. Let’s face it Gillette are excellent at marketing their products, they have pretty much convinced men that 3 blades are better than 1 and 5 blades are better than 3. They also spend millions of pounds on celebrity endorsements, with sports stars like Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, and Thierry Henry (who now wears a beard) fronting lavish TV and newspaper campaigns.
It was Gillete who first worked out that men would indeed fork out for overpriced cartridges as long as the initial cost, i.e. the handle, was affordable. It’s pretty much the same business model adopted by ink jet printer companies. Sell a cheap printer, then sell really expensive “cartridges” that run out quickly. It’s simple, but very effective.
Dollar Shave Club
It will be interesting to see how successful the much-hyped Dollar Shave Club will turn out to be. Dollar Shave Club’s business model is similar to LoveFilm, which sends subscribers movies in the post for a small monthly fee. Dollar Shave Club will send customers a monthly supply of disposable razor blades starting at $1 a month (however, when you add in delivery costs it’s more like the 4-Dollar Shave Club). A catchy brand name and I must say a pretty cool launch commercial, which has picked up nearly 5 million views on YouTube. And according to widespread media reports, more than 12,000 people have signed up for the service.
There is no question that the Dollar Shave Club YouTube video is hilarious. But aside from the online hype, can the Dollar Shave Club compete against the likes of Gillette in the long term? I’m guessing not…
Looking ahead, I really hope men will start to see through all this cleaver marketing and take a stand against the rising cost of cartridges. For those switching to the affordable yet luxurious world of double edged shaving, all I can do is welcome you to the real men’s club. And I will finish this article by saying; shaving should be regarded as a pleasure, not a chore.
Happy shaving.
Wilkinson Sword razor blades added to free gift selection
We recently surveyed our email newsletter subscribers about what they liked and disliked about The Shaving Shack.
One of the topics that our customers mentioned was offering a larger double edge blade selection.
We have taken this feedback on board and have added Wilkinson Sword double edge razor blades to our free gift selection (available on orders over £9.99, exc P&P). Just add these blades to your shopping basket at checkout.
These are quality double edge blades that will fit perfectly into all of the safety razors we sell at The Shaving Shack.
You can also buy two packs of five individually wrapped Wilkinson Sword blades for just £2.99 at The Shaving Shack.
We will be announcing the arrival of a number of other new double edge blade brands in the next few weeks.
Ask Aaron Q/A: Numbers on double edge razor blades
Nigel Horton, from the UK, asks:
“Hi, I am new to shaving and have some Derby blades and Feather blades to use with my Edwin Jagger DE89 razor, I was wondering if it matters which way around you put the razor blades in, as I notice one side of the Derby blade has 1 and 2 printed in opposite corners and the other side has 3 and 4. What do these numbers signify and would flipping over my blades help my shave?”
AARON SAYS
“Nigel,
This is a great question! Those numbers are there primarily for the manufacturer and really have no bearing on the shave itself. There have been some legends saying that if you keep track of the numbers you can flip the blade thus getting more shave from the blade. However it has been my experience and the experience of others that this does not work. Despite the flipping you’re still using the same blade edge and once it’s dull, it’s dull. So enjoy your blades and have a great shave!
Smooth Shaving!
Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger?
CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ask Aaron Q&A: Turning razor blades around at periodic intervals
Gary Whittles, from the UK, asks:
“I enjoy double edge razor shaving, preferring the Israeli blades to the Derby blades. However, I have noticed that the Derby blades have numbers 1 and 2 o one side with 3 and 4 on the other. What is the significance of these numbers and should I be turning my blades around at periodic intervals.”
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Whittles,
I too have seen those numbers and wondered what they were there for. After doing some reading and exploring I eventually found that they have only to do with the manufacturing side of the process. Turning or flipping your blade does not increase it’s lifespan (although some will swear it does) or maintain its sharpness. Thanks very much for your question!
Smooth shaving!
Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger? CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ask Aaron Q&A: I keep cutting myself, am I using the right double edge razor blade?
“I bought a Parker 82R Super HeavyWeight Butterfly Open Safety Razor along with Feather Hi-Stainless Double Edged Razor Blades and to be completely honest have stopped using it after about 6 or more shaves due to the amount of cuts under neck and at corner of mouth. Am I using the correct blade? Why is this happening (I was so disappointed I now use a 150.00 Braun series 9 electric but would love to have carried on using a proper razor, and have always been a wet shaver since 16 so 24 yrs now,” asks Paul Ewing, from the UK.
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Ewing,
Thanks for your question! If you are relatively new to wet shaving I suspect the Feather blades are the culprit. The Parker is a good razor, but the Feathers are extremely sharp and have the reputation of being called “ninjas” on wetshaving forums because of their sharpness. They are great blades but can very unforgiving especially to the beginner. I suggest finding some other blades such as Derbys, Gillettes, or Israelis to use for now. Once you have more experience under your belt revisit the Feathers, they might become your favorite blade!
Smooth Shaving!
Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger? CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Ask Aaron Q&A: How long or how many shaves will I get with a double edge razor blade?
“How long or how many shaves will I get with a double edge razor blade?” asks John Francisco, from the US.
AARON SAYS
“Mr. Fancisco, Well, this is may not be the answer you were looking for, but we’ll give it a shot! The general consensus is that you should be able to get three to five days per blade (or cartridge head for that matter). However, this depends greatly upon your home environment and how much humidity is in the air, how coarse or fine your hair is, the type of coating on the blade, and many more other factors. There are also many products out on the market that claim to extend blade life, most do NOT live up to the hype, but a few do actually work. All this to say I really can’t tell you exactly how long your double edge blade will last but 3-5 days is the average for most people. Smooth shaving! Aaron”
Do you have any burning questions you would like ask our wet shaving expert Aaron Wolfenbarger? CLICK HERE TO ASK AARON YOUR QUESTION
Blade alignment on a double edged razor
1. Chrome Plating
The chrome plating is typically not the same thickness all over the razor due to the curving surfaces, so this might lead to slight differences in the blade gap on one side of the razor head versus the other.
2. Razor blade cutout tolerances
You also have to factor in the tolerances built into where the cutouts of the razor blade sit (see picture below). If you place a razor blade on to the head and see how much wriggle room there is you’ll see that it is quite a feat for it to naturally rest perfectly aligned.
Razor Blade cutouts
3. Hand assembled tolerances
Double edged razors are assembled by hand so there will always be tolerances that do not influence the function of the razor, nor its performance.
Is this a problem?
No. These razors have been hand built for many years using the same casts so these tolerances have always been there. Some people have the expectation that it should be the same as the mass made plastic Gillettes you find in supermarkets, which are of course, manufactured using precision machinery. Although the function is the same, they can’t really be compared because the production methods are different. As an analogy, think about the individually assembled coachbuilt cars versus the typical robot built modern cars. Both drive perfectly well but the coachbuilt cars will have more production ”quirks”!
On a functional level it does not present a problem when shaving as the blade never actually sits perfectly square onto the face as the skin is not flat and unyielding.
So, I know its not a problem but even so I’d like to straighten it, what should I do?
Simply take the time to load and straighten the blade before you clamp it down.
Take this razor as an example. As you can see it appears not to sit flush when I let the blade rest in it’s default position. However, after tweaking the razor blade before I clamp it down, I am able to get it as straight as it can be.
Before: Uneven razor blade when allowed to rest naturally
After: Blade now straight after a bit of attention before blade clamped down
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