THE END OF THE SE RAZOR

F

Fergiebilly

Joined
Monday February 23, 2015
Location
Rebublic of Scotland
Gillette did indeed win the marketing war! It did, however, take them around five or six decades to stamp the Gillette handle bar (razor) into the publics consciousness. The Single edge Razor Companies were also adept at employing ruthless marketing and advertising strategies...... So why did Gillette win this marketing war !......:angel:

As usual, there is not one unipolar single cause and effect explanation as there are multi - complex factors and a multiple of causal factors at work . However: Lets not throw the baby out with the bath water !:icon_cry2:

There were two historical events that gave Gillette a distinct advantage over its SE Company competitors... :icon_rolleyes:

The critical 1904 -1921 patents gave Gillette a distinct advantage over their SE competitors in that they effectively had a legal strangle hold to block them out from the double edge market because it covered the new machine stamped thin double edge razor blades and the razors that utilized them....For seventeen years Gillette had a historical window of opportunity to increase the publics awareness through advertising of the unique relationship between the Gillette razor and DE blade combination..

Unlike its competitor's Gillette utilized a single razor handle strategy for the seventeen year patent 1904 - 1921 period...... :angel:

The Gillette set enforced a price of 5 bucks for their razor with a set of blades and utilised every available legal means to ensure that its outlets did not undercut their set price........ Five bucks was a very high price, about a third of the average weekly wage during this period and transforming shaving into a mundane activity into a rising middle class value system of expendable income and leisure turning the DE razor into a premium product like modern( I phones ). Gillette maintained a high price for their single production razor sets throughout the life of the 1904 patents through ruthless legal actions against outlets that attempted to sell them below their pre set expensive premium price.

Interestingly, the SE razor companies during this period were selling razor and blade sets for as less than a dollar !

Gillette grand entrance into the razor market was undoubtable propelled by their government contracts during the First World War...... Their profits during this period of time did not significantly increase, however, in the public/civil marker sector.....The government contracts did, however, help to cushion Gillette from the subsequent 1920's stock market crash....Gillette's competitors during this period did suffer during this period of economic decline...

The second historical event historical event that gave Gillette a distinct advantage over its SE Company competitors :icon_rolleyes:

The expiration of the 1904 actually did not hinder Gillette's progress into the razor market place...The expiration of the 1904 patents actually propelled Gillette into the razor market........

When the 1904 patents were ready to expire on 1921 Gillette switched strategies. And Gillette's profits jumped dramatically after it switched strategies and brought out a second New Improved Luxury Razor Set for five bucks....while at the same time selling their previous razor set for one dollar which effectively spread and identify the Gillette DE Set and shaving as a leisure activity to the wider consumer audience...

The expiration of the 1904 patents was actually good news for Gillette and selling more razors and more blades and the 1904 patents and the expiration of the 1904 patents gave them a major advantage over its SE competitor's...:angel:

Billy
 
Very informative, hats off to Gillette for their success, but at what cost to evryone else. Typical big greedy companies interested more in profit than the consumer, but its as it was then as it is today, or should that be the other way around?
 
Al H said:
The ease of schick injectors probably helped too
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I think that what we have got to remember is that King Gillette and his Company cronies were not any more ruthless than American Razor Company or ant other SE razor companies during this period.......For example: :icon_arrowd:

Auto Strop brought a patent lawsuit in federal court in Delaware on April 2, 1930, seeking an injunction against Gillette's sale of their new razors and blades set........Auto Strop effectively stopped Gillette in their tracks in that they were seeking a court injunction against Gillette's sale of the new set razors and blades that were in breach of Auto Strop's own patent.

Auto Strop had won the day and Gillette were forced to buy the company to buy what can only be described as a new allegiance between two Cooperate razor companies.....

But not withstanding Gillette's size, Auto Strop had the upper hand, as the Gillette Company President, King Gillette, got his back side Kicked and a new former Auto Strop Company mans as president had been brought in, and Henry Gaisman from Auto Strop took over to chair the Gillette companies executive committee.....There wasn't one former Gillette Company man left on the executive committee......

Doesn't get anymore ruthless than that eh ? :angel:

It was never a war of the razors ...It was a war for Capital gain between huge cooperate companies

As AL Capone would say...Don't take it personal MR SE RAZOR "Business is Business:angel:

Captain Bb said:
But it wasn't the end of the SE razor. They're still around today.
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Absolutely, as recent as 2010 Gillette marketing thing tanks realized that while they had roughly a 75% dominance over premium razor (expensive multi blade razors)market in the USA and the European Continent the company they had neglected the growing market and profits that were being made by cheap disposal razors companies, such as Bic etc......Gillette were reluctant to tap into cheap disposable razors in First World Countries encase they lost their premium buyers of expensive razors. :icon_arrowd:

Gillette decided to send a research group to the third world starting with India where they reckoned they had a 400 million poor male population living on about 3 dollars a week, were shaving with ......Wait for it........:huh:Cheap Double Edge Razors.... where they eventually marketed ........Wait for it !:huh:

A new of cheap of 'single edge disposable razor' which they marketed as the "GUARDIAN"....:idea:

In six months Gillette had taken 60% of the razor market from Double Edge Razor Companies and advertising Campaign, espousing, that Double Edge razors were bad for your health and that SE's were safer to use......They have subsequently rolled the SE "GUARDIAN"....Razor to China, and the Far East to compete with DE razor companies as a marketing and capital gain. while at the same time maintaining their dominance over the premium razor market in the west......
 
The natural progression from the wedge to the SE to the "injector" was to encase a single (or twin) blade into a plastic case, and so the cartridge was born. Making the whole razor disposable was a further logical step. The actual shave between, say, a Schick Injector and a Bic 1 is not at all dissimilar (apart from the Bic 1 actually works :D ); place razor against face and draw down.

The 1, II, 3, Quattro & 5 blade cartridges owe more to the "SE" than to Gillette's own DE.
 
pjgh said:
The natural progression from the wedge to the SE to the "injector" was to encase a single (or twin) blade into a plastic case, and so the cartridge was born. Making the whole razor disposable was a further logical step. The actual shave between, say, a Schick Injector and a Bic 1 is not at all dissimilar (apart from the Bic 1 actually works :D ); place razor against face and draw down.

The 1, II, 3, Quattro & 5 blade cartridges owe more to the "SE" than to Gillette's own DE.
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Paul as a man who I reckon could shave with a shard of glass I don't get how you can't get an injector to shave? It's so simple. You are holding it the right way round aren't you :p
 
I did wonder ... and not for lack of trying, as I really liked the actual razors; or variety, I tried 'em all! The Gillette injector works fine for me, though. Go figure!? I've simply absorbed the experience as an illogical base hatred and a vow to chide the word 'Schick' at any opportunity :D

Here was a case of Gillette spotting a good idea and rather than buying the company to bury it, they were now Microsoft in size and commercial weight, simply built their own version.

Schick Injector to Gillette Twinjector to Gillette Trac II ... and on ...
 
Hey Paul the blades are in the injectors which go in the razor. You been doing that, right? :icon_razz: They don't work without a blade ya see.

I shaved my dome last night for the first time ever, and used a Schick. It worked pretty good I must say. OK I took the tops off both ears but I'm still happy with the first attempt. I did give a 1924 a twirl but shat me pants and went back to the Schick.
 
There is more choice these days when it comes to buying a DE razor. But SE razors tend to be less available. As patents have long expired, there's nothing to stop anyone manufacturing a new SE razor - i.e. the Cobra, or Mongoose. I reckon with 3D printing we may see small batches of new SE razors being produced, or at the very least, prototyped, before entering small scale production. A bit like beer - more smaller sized brewers, fewer large scale ones.
 
Hiya,

Most of you know I have nothing but disdain for those goofy looking 1912ish looking things. I won't slander em in this thread though.

Instead, I will just say that those types of razors taking that sort of paint scraping style of blade just got lost in the tech race for a better shave. It's why no new versions have been built in so many years. No one wants to screw with em anymore except for a few nut cases (no offense to anyone of course). Well no, there really is something about this kinda shave that some people love and I wish I got it but it ain't for me. I am amazed though about the shave being so good with such a small choice of blades around.

Injectors have a large selection to draw on and a well fitting blade can make all the difference in a shave. They always seem to have their fans, with me included. It's a SE blade that's true, but not the same performance as a paint scrapper.

When you think of it though, the SE razor has made quite a commotion with the invention of the Cobra and the later version. It's like using the injector technique, but the shave experience is crazy different. Also uses a single edge injector type blade, but it's a different animal from any Schick blade.

Then you got the Mongoose head, which is not the typical injector shave at all, but takes the same sharp blades as the Cobras. These have been getting mostly amazing reviews.

So yeah, there seems to be a bunch of newer type SE razors to choose from now. It's just that they won't look or shave like those 1912ish things at all.

Martin

Oh, Have you tried the Cobra or Mongoose yet Paul? I would guess no.
 
I don't like the look of the 1912's either so never been tempted to try one.

I prefer longer handles so never been interested in the Schick's until a Schick Stick was offered on BST and I love it.

Looking forward the the MiniGoose (made by Mongoose) which will take the Injector blades.
 
To be honest, I get better results by DE. So if I had to focus on the whole shaving experience, and trying both SE and DE, I would choose DE because better shave, less irritation, more comfortable shave. But that's me.
 
MrK1 said:
I prefer longer handles so never been interested in the Schick's until a Schick Stick was offered on BST and I love it.
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If you get a chance to acquire the 'Grip' version, I bet you will like that even more. One of the best injector handle designs as to how it feels and longer than the Stick.
 
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