The Wet Shaving Market

"Decreasing wetshavers" Uh, you mean DECEASING? Men whose earthly possessions are subject to 'estate sales' that consist of the gravitas of folding tables in front of a garage found by crude signs taped to signal poles with cased Gillette fatboys ignobly displayed below the groin of a PEEWEE HERMANN doll? Thankyou for reminding many of us of our individual mortality. Just for that, I am going to live to be 100; use my last Polsilver and dab of MWF leaving a depleted bank account and a check to the funeral home that bounces. Brushes, Razor, Scotch and Opera will join me as goods for the afterlife and a nasty curse inscribed should any future peer in archaeology excavate my grave.

There is plenty of room for more custom brush makers.  As well as the acrylic brushes many are making, someone could start turning horn for brushes.  

Kimson Vu has been doing that for ages. He is located in Saigon, but ships worldwide.

https://www.kimsoncraft.com/en/36-shavin...ry=36&n=19

Freddy, you're a man after my own heart. At a mom and pop stationery store that's moving locations and holding a sale, I picked up an Aurora Talentum for less than half the retail price, and am delighted to add it to the collection. Write on.

I'm surprised and pleased that this hobby has gotten as large as it has. It takes a certain temperament that I don't meet with often. I hear about people in the late teens and early 20s subscribing to the dollar razor clubs and loving it, so I suppose that's a step in the right direction though still a far cry from the DE razor with a puck of soap and a brush.

When I tell people that I'm really in love with shaving and all of the gear, usually I get looks of bewilderment. I did get a lot of questions and apparent interest the one time I shaved at the gym with a straight. Whether there were any converts, who knows?

I think this will always be a niche hobby, which is fine with me. As long as there is commerce enough to keep the wonderful artisans in business--Above the Tie, Reef Point, Soap Commander, and Stirling, to name only a few--I'll be content to be in the minority of people who still do it the old fashioned way.

Like most of us, I did hear rumors that Gillette was going to start producing DEs again. If that happens, I'd take it as a sign that the niche is widening wonderfully. I also think the Art of Shaving deserves lots of credit for turning people on to this. I remember when they first opened and it was a husband and wife running two stores.

Anyway, thanks to sites like this, and youtube, it's easier than ever to get started on the road to good gear and good technique. I learned how to shave with a straight from videos and would probably not have tried it otherwise.

Great comments charlievarick !

I agree that The Art of Shaving has made a big difference. I met a guy the other day that got started through them.

It would be nice if Gillette gets back in the game. I would be somewhat surprised, though it would be nice.

Great comments charlievarick !

I agree that The Art of Shaving has made a big difference.  I met a guy the other day that got started through them.

It would be nice if Gillette gets back in the game.  I would be somewhat surprised, though it would be nice.

I have qualms about this, Pete.  Gillette has huge resources and marketing muscle that our artisans couldn't hope to compete with.  I keep thinking of the small neighborhood coffeehouses that are really good and make a living for their owners.  Then Starbucks moves in across the street because they see the little guy is successful.  The little guy loses enough customers that he finally goes under and the community is left with nothing but another big chain.

Yes, but recent college graduates with indentured student debt load get to be called Barristas at low pay. If, and it's both foolish and selfish to wish other, Wetshaving does expand beyond hobbiest and mere user it can only help and not hinder further product development.

Great comments charlievarick !

I agree that The Art of Shaving has made a big difference.  I met a guy the other day that got started through them.

It would be nice if Gillette gets back in the game.  I would be somewhat surprised, though it would be nice.

I have qualms about this, Pete.  Gillette has huge resources and marketing muscle that our artisans couldn't hope to compete with.  I keep thinking of the small neighborhood coffeehouses that are really good and make a living for their owners.  Then Starbucks moves in across the street because they see the little guy is successful.  The little guy loses enough customers that he finally goes under and the community is left with nothing but another big chain.

Then the little guy can open a Philz or Peet's nearby. Turnabout is fair play. Besides, Starbucks being successful does not mean all the little independents going under. There are both a Starbucks and a Peet's near me, along with a bunch of family owned cafes. The little guys only go under if someone else nearby is noticably better in some way. It is not necessarily a McCoffee chain that drives a stake through their heart.

Would you like to see Sheaffer and Parker stop making pens so the little artisans can have more business? The last time I checked, a number of artisan penmakers were doing quite well. Montblanc and their boutiques made many people aware of fountain pens. That did nothing to diminish related small businesses, and might have given them a boost.

I hope that Gillette does get back into the safety razor business. Art of Shaving didn't make artisan soapmakers vanish. Would a Gillette safety razor really make Wolfman howl? There seems to be many people who think David can no longer stand up to Goliath. IMHO artisans are perfectly capable of competing against larger entities. The large number of artisans of all sorts is proof of that.

I have further thoughts about Gillette, laying aside whether it would be good or bad. I hadn't heard these rumors until today on the post above.

I did some research and don't think they'll be doing this. From what I gather Art of the Shave was tellling people to expect Gillette to re-enter the double edged razor market by spring a year ago. Nothing has happened.

When I look at it, I don't see why they would want to do this. They've probably spent hundred's of millions delivering the message that their highly profitable cartridges are the way to go. Why would they cannibalize that business for one with much lower profit?

Next, it looks to me like they are pulling good blades off the market. They pulled the legendary Swedes from the market. it appears that they have pulled the most awesome Gillette Platinum White Box blades from the market. They are the best blades I've ever shaved with. I had to get them from Croatia, now they are gone.

Touching back to Freddy's point about the impact of Gillette entering the market and its effects on our beloved artisans. As mentioned, I don't think they'll do so, though Gillette hasn't seen fit to share their plans with me. I can't settle on an opinion either way.

It could hurt our artisan's in the same way that Wal-Mart wiped out Main Street in so many towns.

It could also help them. I certainly don't think enthusiasts would abandon the artisans. It's possible it could help the artisan community grow by gaining cartridge converts that become enthusiasts.

I think I would be more concerned for the soap artisans. Sophisticated cosmetics scientists can bring a lot to shaving soap/cream formulation. I don't know if it would be cost prohibitive for artisans to hire them.