Bubble burst

Anyone else feel that we on the precipice of a bubble burst in wet shaving?  Every other day a new  Kickstarter razor comes out or a new soap maker or brush maker enters the fray.  This is still a niche community and if wet shaving ever becomes "cool", if hipsters make this the next coolest thing since the beard......the big boys are going to enter the game and if that happens, we may see a dot com crash in wet shaving...

The market will decide yes, but we may be to a point where the bandwagon has stretched dollars so thin that really good stuff falls by the wayside......

I've thought that to an extent. I have mixed feelings about it. Since collecting vintage razors is a part of the hobby for me, it means a rise in popularity will bring a rise in prices. However, I'd love to see some of the business steer away from the big dogs and go to our artisans. My only worry, though, is that they will not be able to keep up with demand if there is a bubble burst.


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Personally I buy from the small artisans, many of them represented on the forums.

If a new vendor wants to produce another razor or they want to start a new soap store - good for them. I think competition is great and will only result in better products and prices. That said, I work hard for my money and I am only continue to frequent those vendors or distributors that provide the best products and the BEST service. If people are jumping in to this to make the quick dollar and ride the wave of popularity - then if history is any indication their products and service will reflect this.

If the bubble eventually burst what usually happens is that the ify companies fall by the wayside and the good companies that have always provided you great products and terrific service survive. At the end of the wave what happens is the playing field looks a lot like the field did before the hype - and really nothing changes.

I understand what you are saying but feel, from a business aspect, that more awareness will create more demand as a whole and not necessarily fragment the market. The players will just satisfy different market segments.

I believe the Artisans will still thrive, for the enthusiast will still seek these type of products. Mass appeal would likely lead to more success as ultimately the big box movers would not be able to produce to the same quality/expectation/uniqueness.

Who it may impact are the distributors/resellers depending on the GTM strategy but the actual producers I believe would benefit in the long run.

I don't buy into the kickstarers and most other new thing on the market. Soaps have come about as fas as they can come, so once you have one you love, there is no need to experiment (new scents of course may get you to buy).

Some of the new wet shaving hardware makers are getting a bit pricey for me too. $300usd for a razor, is just plain crazy. Some of the brushes I've seen are upwards of $400 and even more for special material (horn).

All evidence has been buried. All tapes have been erased.

Personally I buy from the small artisans, many of them represented on the forums.

If a new vendor wants to produce another razor or they want to start a new soap store - good for them.  I think competition is great and will only result in better products and prices.  That said, I work hard for my money and I am only continue to frequent those vendors or distributors that provide the best products and the BEST service.  If people are jumping in to this to make the quick dollar and ride the wave of popularity - then if history is any indication their products and service will reflect this.

If the bubble eventually burst what usually happens is that the ify companies fall by the wayside and the good companies that have always provided you great products  and terrific service survive.  At the end of the wave what happens is the playing field looks a lot like the field did before the hype - and really nothing changes.

This ^

To touch on Cincinnatus's point there is a TED talk by Simon Sinek where he talks about the "golden circle". He uses a phrase: "People don't buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it". Consumers can tell from quality when a vendor's heart is in it or not. As an example, I recently received an order from Stirling. I'm sure I speak for a lot of folks when I say their products are fantastic, packaged very carefully and with a hand written "thank you" and free soap sample,  the customer service is amazing. Companies like Stirling will survive bubbles, so fear not!

Regards

Haband is now giving a free DE razor when a person buys anything from from them.

They send you a catalog. You buy some stuff. This is stuff from China.

Is this part of the topic?

Anyone else feel that we on the precipice of a bubble burst in wet shaving?  Every other day a new  Kickstarter razor comes out or a new soap maker or brush maker enters the fray.  This is still a niche community and if wet shaving ever becomes "cool", if hipsters make this the next coolest thing since the beard......the big boys are going to enter the game and if that happens, we may see a dot com crash in wet shaving...

The market will decide yes, but we may be to a point where the bandwagon has stretched dollars so thin that really good stuff falls by the wayside......

How would the big boys entering the market kill traditional wetshaving?  I think it would have quite the opposite effect - it would make the current wetshaving renaissance bigger than ever.  Having Gillette adjustables and Wilkinson Stickies available at every drugstore and supermarket would be great!  My guess is that will not happen, though, as the major players are more interested in the much larger cartridge razor market.

Wetshaving is still rapidly growing, however, and there is a lucrative market for quality soaps, creams, brushes, aftershaves, aftershave balms, etc.  The ever increasing number of products available is the sign of a market that is growing, not shrinking.  There are also some crap products out there, so we might see some fallout. Less good products will simply be replaced by those of better quality and value.  Wetshaving is also much more about the money now that it was in years past.  It has become big business, and that is mostly a good thing.  We are mainstream for good reason!

And the hipsters?  Like the metrosexuals before them, they jumped the shark long ago and are fading into the background.  "Hipster" and "cool" have been mutually exclusive for quite some time.  The world is moving on to whatever comes next, and traditional wetshaving will be a growing part of it.  So much for the dot com crash.

Interesting take on the expansion of wet shaving. I have no issues with new razors and such coming onto the market since either they are good and will succeed or they will fail. Does it impact wetshaving? Not one bit. The long time wetshavers tend to be a little more cautious about spending on crap and we tend to be loyal. The issue arises when the soap makers we love and go back to time and time again sell to the giants. There are a couple of established vendors that if they sold out, would affect wetshaving in the short run. The plus side of all the hype, there have never ever been this wide of variety in good quality soaps. If anything, the garbage that has managed to survive up until now (hiding on drug store shelves for years) is going the way of the carrier pigeon. For that I am eternally grateful.

Anyone else feel that we on the precipice of a bubble burst in wet shaving?  Every other day a new  Kickstarter razor comes out or a new soap maker or brush maker enters the fray.  This is still a niche community and if wet shaving ever becomes "cool", if hipsters make this the next coolest thing since the beard......the big boys are going to enter the game and if that happens, we may see a dot com crash in wet shaving...

The market will decide yes, but we may be to a point where the bandwagon has stretched dollars so thin that really good stuff falls by the wayside......

I totally disagree. In the cosmetic industry, women's products have dominated sales for years with no end in sight. Wet Shaving is the one area where men have choices and there are alot of unspent dollars out there. The more good products that are available the better and as long as the quality continues to grow and prices stay reasonable, I feel that the market for Men's products will go on with no end in sight.

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I understand what you are saying but feel, from a business aspect, that more awareness will create more demand as a whole and not necessarily fragment the market. The players will just satisfy different market segments.

I believe the Artisans will still thrive,  for the enthusiast will still seek these type of products. Mass appeal would likely lead to more success as ultimately the big box movers would not be able to produce to the same quality/expectation/uniqueness.

Who it may impact are the distributors/resellers depending on the GTM strategy but the actual producers I believe would benefit in the long run.

I totally agree!!

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Personally I buy from the small artisans, many of them represented on the forums.

If a new vendor wants to produce another razor or they want to start a new soap store - good for them.  I think competition is great and will only result in better products and prices.  That said, I work hard for my money and I am only continue to frequent those vendors or distributors that provide the best products and the BEST service.  If people are jumping in to this to make the quick dollar and ride the wave of popularity - then if history is any indication their products and service will reflect this.

If the bubble eventually burst what usually happens is that the ify companies fall by the wayside and the good companies that have always provided you great products  and terrific service survive.  At the end of the wave what happens is the playing field looks a lot like the field did before the hype - and really nothing changes.

This ^

To touch on Cincinnatus's point there is a TED talk by Simon Sinek where he talks about the "golden circle". He uses a phrase: "People don't buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it". Consumers can tell from quality when a vendor's heart is in it or not. As an example, I recently received an order from Stirling. I'm sure I speak for a lot of folks when I say their products are fantastic, packaged very carefully and with a hand written "thank you" and free soap sample,  the customer service is amazing. Companies like Stirling will survive bubbles, so fear not!

Regards

Well said, Bravo!

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I don't buy into the kickstarers and most other new thing on the market.  Soaps have come about as fas as they can come, so once you have one you love, there is no need to experiment (new scents of course may get you to buy).

Some of the new wet shaving hardware makers are getting a bit pricey for me too.  $300usd for a razor, is just plain crazy. Some of the brushes I've seen are upwards of $400 and even more for special material (horn).

All evidence has been buried.  All tapes have been erased.

There are many quality products out there that are ridiculously inexpensive. As with all things, if you want to spend your money for over priced luxury items, there are many companies that would cheerfully take your money. There are far more companies especially in the wet shaving business that are producing excellent products that are just as good as the high ticket items and often times better for a fraction of the cost. Just take a look at companies like Razorock, P.A.A. (and Crown King), Italian Barber, Catie's Bubbles, Stirling Soap, Merkur and Soap Commander to name a few. I have purchased a kickstarter product from Rockwell Razor and I think it is a superb high value product. I'd much rather support the artisans no matter what. It is the small companies that help make this country great in my opinion. How many times do guys get a chance to enjoy such a great hobby like this.