I am engaged to the beautiful and wonderful Tara Cleaver!

Classic Shaving

September 4th, 2009 6

A few months ago, I picked up a 1960s-era [Gillette Slim](http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Gillette_Slim) “safety” razor off eBay. It was only about $30, and I thought it would be fun to give it a shot.

Up until using the Slim, my only previous experience had been with cartridge-based razors (and an electric, briefly), but I’d been reading about the alternatives, and had been curious to try them out.

### The “Safety” Razor

The thing that kicked me over the edge was having had a wet shave with a blade at a barber shop—it was close, with no burn, and it felt fantastic. When I started looking originally (both on eBay, and at [more pricey options](http://www.classicshaving.com/)), I had been looking at a mix of straight-razors and safety-razors.

What emerged in my research, though, is that a straight-edged razor really is a very scary thing. You have to go _much_ more slowly, and it’s difficult and dangerous to give yourself a shave using one. The “safety” part of the classic safety razor was that the worst-case injury was reduced from a surgical incision to a mere surface nick. When Gillette supplied three and a half million safety razors to the American soldiers in WWI, they made a generation of men into appreciative devotees of the convenience, speed, and safety of the invention.

So, safe? Compared to a straight-edge, undoubtedly. Compared to today’s cartridges? Harder to say.

### Razors and Blades

People sometimes talk about the “[razor and blades](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freebie_marketing)” business model, where you sell a thing at a loss, and recoup your costs selling a necessary consumable. Printer manufacturers are notorious for this, to the point of including [DRM modules in their ink cartridges](http://www.exponere.com/2009/printer-ink-drm/), to prevent you from saving money by buying generic.

It’s a great illustration, but I always had trouble with it when actually reflecting on razors themselves. When I buy a Gillette Mach 3, it makes sense that the blades would be pricey compared to the razor itself. The “razor” is just a plastic handle with some interface on the end of it—the blade cartridge is where all the fancy technology is. Of course it costs a lot!

Well, in the olden days of the Gillette adjustables, the blade really was just that—a blade. It really was their business model to sell the razor at- or below cost, and rake it in on the blades.

Unfortunately for them, though, a blade that’s just a blade is easily knocked-off.

### Cartridges

The fact that it did get copied is part of the reason Gillette (and Wilkinson/Schick, and others) eventually abandoned the safety razor in favour of cartridges. Once there were companies manufacturing blades at ten for a dollar, it didn’t make sense to make that kind of razor any more. With a cartridge, they could patent and trademark it, and ensure enough inherent complexity and variety that no one would ever try to knock it off again.

And thus was born the 8-pack of razor cartridges that costs $25.

In the next post, I’ll talk about how the Slim actually works, and what it’s been like having it as part of my routine.

Mike

← Earlier Later → Posted at 8:05 pm to Business, Geekery.

Discussion

Mike I would agree that Straight Razors are indeed scary!

My boyfriend does prefer safety razors, over straight.. his conclusion it feels GREAT!

I didn’t know that Gillette has donated 3 Millions Razors during WWI.. pretty cool info!

Thanks

Posted at 2:55 am on September 28th by Andy Crump.
Women’s cartridges are even more over-priced, and we really can’t just use electric and get ourselves out of the cycle. It’s amazing how much more it costs to make the plastic pink instead of black (yes, I’ve started buying men’s cartridges. They work perfectly).

Posted at 10:19 am on October 6th by Christine.
Christine: Really? My impression had been quite the opposite—that the female-oriented cartridge systems were generally less expensive. I’m not sure where that’s from, but I feel like I read an article a while ago about a guy buying cheap pink disposables and then painting them black in order to feel more manly about them.

Posted at 5:58 pm on October 6th by Mike Purvis.
I understand completely where you’re coming from. Using straight razors really is scary for first time users, but once you get the hang of it, it is just simple. Read this article about straight razors and you will understand what I’m driving at here.
http://www.fendrihan.com/straight-razor-ip-67.html

Posted at 3:25 am on October 10th by Peter.
It might only apply if you start with the cheap ones. As in there is a larger price range of mens’ cartridges than of womens’, so if “cheap” is a prime criterion then you can get them cheaper in mens’, but if “cheap” is further down the list then the mens’ will be more expensive than the womens’. Thinking on it, I think that the actual reason I switched to mens’ is that Life brand stopped carrying the cartridges in pink, so I noticed that there was Life brand cartridges in black with the mens’ systems, and they worked. Saved me having to buy a new handle, and saves me a minimum of $5 on every pack of cartridges.

It does seem odd that the mens’ would be more expensive though, as generally items marketed to women are more expensive than the same item marketed to men. Someone’s idea of equality is jacking up the price of cartridges?

Posted at 1:27 pm on October 12th by Christine.
[...] talked previously about my thought process in moving from cartridges to an adjustable “safety” razor. But [...]

Posted at 12:33 pm on October 27th by uwMike » Archive » Safety Shaving.

resume writing services

My inexperienced friends commonly address resume writing services privately, which most can invent correct resumes. They investigate that well-progressive experts use fresh declarations and useful information point-device. They are precisely interested with terminations. I secret I shall go this extraordinary guide; because I believe that they prepared writers privately help me.