Grooming

Where there’s a great idea, commerce always follows, and so it is with the men’s shaving industry. There’s a lot of cash in our whiskers, and all a smart entrepreneur needs is to rake it in.

The product in question is not the Gillette ProGlide Fusion (more on that later): it’s something called the RazorPit, a small device that the manufacturer claims is a “bomb” that could cost Gillette billions by extending the life of razor blades up to 10 times. (I smell a company hoping Gillette buys them out.)

Apparently “already a huge success in Scandinavia and the UK,” the RazorPit has now hit the States (oddly at the same time as the Fusion ProGlide), and sites like Skin Care for Men and IEL Style are raving about it. What is it? It’s a pad that you use to “hone” your razor cartridge by swiping it several times, removing crusted-on soap and calcium deposits. The cleaner blade feels sharper and gives you more and smoother shaves.

Sound familiar?

About a year ago, I wrote about a method for “sharpening” your disposable razor cartridges using a pair of jeans. At the time I was unsure of its effectiveness, but after using this method for about 6 months I can tell you it drastically increased the usable lifetime of my blades.

With the cost of blades rocketing ever higher (a 6-pack of Fusion ProPower Manual cartridges is $23, or almost $4 each, while the “old” Mach3 cartridges are available in a 12-pack for $26, or just over $2 each—now that’s inflation), it’s obvious that if you’re not using some method to extend the life of your blades you’re throwing money away. But if you have a pair of Levi’s around you needn’t shell out $32 (or only $25 using my affiliate Amazon link below).

I won’t say anything bad about the RazorPit itself—I haven’t tried it, and based on my experience with the pants-based method the principle is sound—but you could make yourself a cleaning block by attaching a swath of old denim to a block of wood or plastic, and it should work just as well.

As far as the new Gillette Fusion ProGlide itself, a slough of men’s sites have been delivered review copies, but I’m not holding my breath. I think the opinion “criminally overpriced” might have something to do with it. Or maybe my opinion of their “shave off all your body hair until you look like a 12-year-old” marketing strategy.

Don’t get me wrong, modern multiblade razors do a great job. It’s just that the price of cartridges seems a bit inflated above and beyond the cost of production, and it’s not like a razor is a luxury item. Fortunately, as long as there are still safety razors with blades costing pennies apiece, and as long as Gillette doesn’t buy Levi Strauss & Co., we’ll have the option to spend less.

RazorPit

Razor blade sharpener is a bomb under Gillette turnover [MMD Newswire]

Buy the RazorPit Razor Blade Sharpener or the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power Sneak Preview Set at Amazon

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Posted by Michael in Grooming