Thread: protectionist encouragement...

Originally Posted by Otto

Buying and using Chinese and Pakistani made razor shaped objects are punishment in itself.

yes but i believe in extra tax for the stupid or uninformed... which is why i support the concept of the lottery even though i do not waste money on it ... think of all the driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol death the lottery has saved... less money for stupid means safer roads for the rest of us.

Originally Posted by Crotalus

I like buying American.
The problem here is that Hart Steel is just out of my price range. I can't see myself paying 5 to 10 times what a vintage costs.

Is Hart the only current American mfg?

Well, there are lots of custom makers, but they typically run higher than hart

Nice sentiment and when we have factory made razors here in the U.S I'm sure people will support them however for most, U.S means custom class and the prices are too high for most.

I always try to buy local if the price is right but sometimes you have to go afield. Being Canadian doesn't matter much for manufacturers, I don't think we have any, but I try to stick to Canadian vendors.

Originally Posted by Crotalus

The problem here is that Hart Steel is just out of my price range. I can't see myself paying 5 to 10 times what a vintage costs.

I agree. Protectionism is one thing, but price point is usually the deciding factor. I'd like to try a Hart some day, but there are too many other nice contemporary razors out there (vintage too, for that matter) that appeal to me and cost less.

The nationality of the maker makes no difference to me. I am not going to support inferior manufacturer just because they happened to be based in certain part of the world.
When american manufacturers match the quality (at a given price point) to that of their foreign competitors then I'll be happy to buy their products. If they cannot do it they should find a different field of work in which they can be more productive.

This is just the reality of 21st century. In the middle ages people did most of the stuff very, very locally and they lived very very poorly. I am not interested in going back there.

I am absolutely not a citizen of the world, but vintage razors, regardless of the country of origin, are a commodity. The maker of the razor made money on the product 40-200 years ago. The country of origin has no effect whatsoever on any economy. The location of the seller, OTOH, has plenty of effect. Buy local, but don't worry about where your vintage razor was made.

Originally Posted by DFriedl

I am absolutely not a citizen of the world, but vintage razors, regardless of the country of origin, are a commodity. ....Buy local, but don't worry about where your vintage razor was made.

^^^^^^
This.


Especially since foreign shipping would add roughly the cost of MORE razors to an order, I'll continue to support CONUS vendors for whatever vintage strikes my fancy.

5 out of my 7 razors are American brands...unfortunately, they were all made before 1935.